Leeuwarden 2024
Embracing diversity to create a more inclusive society
#LRC’24
Welcome to Leeuwarden 2024, the third Regional Conference of EYP the Netherlands in 2024!
15-17 MARCH
Friday: Officials Training (Officials only)
Saturday: Teambuilding & Committee Work
Sunday: General Assembly
85 participants
Delegations from Dutch high schools
Leeuwarden
OSG Piter Jelles !mpulse & Stadskantoor Leeuwarden
Click here to see the schedule for Saturday and Sunday
Media
Pictures, videos and media projects created by the Media Team, led by Jelle Zegers
Sponsors
Session 2024 is supported by the following organisations:
Venues
Teambuilding, Committee Work, General Assembly and overnight accommodation
Officials Training
Travel information
for international officials and participants
The Netherlands is one of the central rail and bus hubs of Western Europe. In addition, chronic delays at Schiphol Airport have resulted in additional travel time, both to and from the Netherlands. What may have been a four hour travel time (airport-flight-airport) might now be six or seven hours. At this travel time, bus and rail travel are more competitive time wise.
General information
The NS is the main provider of rail services within the Netherlands. Train travel within the Netherlands is the quickest and easiest way to get around, with frequent train services connecting all areas of the country. Information about train travel can be located from the Official NS App, or through the third-party 9292 app.
Tickets can be bought on the NS App, or at stations, where a €1 surcharge applies for printed tickets. It is also possible to purchase a travel card – called the OV Chipkaart – for €5 at these kiosks. Using the OV Chipkaart allows you to avail of discounts and avoid paying for surcharges.
When travelling in the Netherlands on NS services during non-peak times, it is possible to avail of a 40% discount when travelling with a subscription holder. This can be activated in the NS App (for registered cards) or at a kiosk through the ‘Joint Journey Discount’ or ‘Samenreiskorting’ option.
Rail
Amsterdam and Utrecht, which are located around two hours from Leeuwarden by train, are two of the most well connected cities in the Netherlands, with a wide variety of international connections through both Amsterdam Centraal and Utrecht Centraal. The Eurostar has five daily trips between London and the Netherlands (3h 30), hourly Thalys services between Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, and Paris (2h 30), as well as high frequency Intercity Direct services between Belgium (Antwerp and Brussels) and Amsterdam (1h 30). There are also a number of ICE high speed connections between Amsterdam and German cities, including Cologne, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Nuremberg, and eight direct services a day to Berlin. Groningen, which is only half an hour away by train from Leeuwarden, is also quite well connected and worth researching.
There are also Nightjet services – overnight rail connections between Amsterdam and other cities across Europe, including Vienna, Prague, Basel, and Zurich. These can be more costly, but may well be cheaper (and less stressful!) than flying.
Bus
If you’re coming from elsewhere in Europe, a bus connection may also be an easy and cheap travel option, especially for cities without direct rail service to Leeuwarden. Flixbus, the main international bus company, offers bus travel between the Netherlands and cities in Northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. Do be aware of longer travel times compared to rail travel.
Many of these begin or terminate from other rail stations in the Netherlands, such as Groningen, Amsterdam or Utrecht, so be sure to double check the details.
Air
Schiphol Airport is the main airport of the Netherlands, as one of the busiest airports in Europe with daily flights to dozens of European countries.
WARNING – Schiphol Airport has been experiencing severe security delays, upon both arrival and departure. It is recommended to get to Schiphol at least 3 hours before your flight to ensure sufficient time, especially if you have a tendency to get lost, if you’re checking in bags, or if you want additional buffer time.
Eindhoven Airport is the secondary airport of the Netherlands, mostly containing budget airline carriers, such as Ryanair and Wizz Airways. Destinations include Dublin, Vienna, Barcelona, Rome, Budapest, Bilbao, Riga, Sofia, and others.
There are also flights from The Hague Rotterdam Airport and London, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Lisbon and other seasonal destinations. These are fewer in number than flights to Schiphol or Eindhoven, but it is also worth researching.
For officials: In order to get to the Stadskantoor Leeuwarden (the Officials Training and General Assembly venue) from the train station, take bus line 6 to the Boterhoek stop. From there, it is a 3 minute walk to the venue.
For delegates: To arrive at OSG Piter Jelles !mpulse (the overnight accommodation, Teambuilding and Committee Work venue), take bus line 71 to the Douwe Kalmaleane stop. From there, it is a 6 minute walk to the school.
Packing list
Essentials
- ID and/or passport
- Health insurance card
- Food for Eurovillage (delegates)
- Money to spend on the (non-obligatory) non-alcoholic drinks and/or snacks during other Evening Programme events
- Reusable waterbottle and/or coffee cup
- Sleeping bag and sleeping mat
Clothing
- Casual clothing for Teambuilding
- Smart casual clothing for Committee Work
- Business formal clothing for General Assembly
- Pyjamas
- Enough underwear/socks etc. for two days
- Shoes
Academics
- Research material & Topic Overviews for Committee Work (digitally available, preferably not printed)
- Pen, notebook, paper
- Laptop & charger if you have them
Personal
- Any (emergency) medication you may need
Please note: we are not allowed to provide you with any form of medication. This even includes coughing tablets or painkillers. If you think you may need these, please bring them yourself! - Toiletries
- Towel
- Phone & charger
- Lots of excitement and a good mood!
Academic Topic Overviews
With support of the President and Vice-Presidents, the Chairpersons of Leeuwarden 2024 have written extensive Academic Topic Overviews for their Committees. It is mandatory for all delegates to thoroughly study the paper, follow the links and answer the guiding questions in research of their own topic. If you want to further understand other committees’ resolutions, it is also recommended to explore the corresponding Topic Overview. Good luck with your academic preparation!
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AIDA
Machine Learning, Human Unlearning: The transition into the digital age raises concerns about the discriminatory biases of artificial intelligence against racial and ethnic minority groups. How can the EU combat bias in algorithms to make sure that the racial discrimination of our current society is not replicated into the digital world?
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CULT
The Dropout Dilemma: With formal education being the fuel of proactive citizenship, it is concerning that over 10% of the European youth leave education early. Bearing in mind the notable educational disparities across socio-economic groups as well as the special education needs of diverse learners, what strategies should the EU prioritise in reforming its education…
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ENVI
Sustainable Symphony of Souls: The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, which necessitates a range of strategies in climate action. Given that low-income communities are often disproportionately affected by climate change, how can the EU develop climate-related policies that ensure the equitable inclusion of people with lower incomes?
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LIBE
New Pact, Old Problem: The successful long-term inclusion of migrants benefits individuals as well as local communities. Bearing in mind that social inclusion remains a side note in the EU’s New Pact on Asylum and Migration, how can the EU support effective integration policies?
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TRAN
Mind the Gap: The EU’s public transport sector is pivotal in the daily lives of its citizens. Considering that over 80 million Europeans have a disability that may comprise their ability to partake in shared mobility services, how should the EU innovate and adapt its public transportation systems to be more inclusive and accessible, catering…
Resolutions
With support of the President and Vice-Presidents, the Chairpersons of Leeuwarden 2024 have written extensive Academic Resolutions. If you want to further understand these resolutions, it is also recommended to explore the corresponding Topic Overviews. Good luck during the General Assembly!
-
AIDA
Machine Learning, Human Unlearning: The transition into the digital age raises concerns about the discriminatory biases of artificial intelligence against racial and ethnic minority groups. How can the EU combat bias in algorithms to make sure that the racial discrimination of our current society is not replicated into the digital world?
-
CULT
The Dropout Dilemma: With formal education being the fuel of proactive citizenship, it is concerning that over 10% of the European youth leave education early. Bearing in mind the notable educational disparities across socio-economic groups as well as the special education needs of diverse learners, what strategies should the EU prioritise in reforming its education…
-
ENVI
Sustainable Symphony of Souls: The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, which necessitates a range of strategies for climate action. Given that low-income communities are often disproportionately affected by climate change, how can the EU develop climate-related policies that ensure the equitable inclusion of people with lower incomes?
-
LIBE
New Pact, Old Problem: The successful long-term inclusion of migrants benefits individuals as well as local communities. Bearing in mind that social inclusion remains a side note in the EU’s New Pact on Asylum and Migration, how can the EU support effective integration policies?
-
TRAN
Mind the Gap: The EU’s public transport sector is pivotal in the daily lives of its citizens. Considering that over 80 million Europeans have a disability that may comprise their ability to partake in shared mobility services, how should the EU innovate and adapt its public transportation systems to be more inclusive and accessible, catering…
Safety & Welfare
In the European Youth Parliament we work hard to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of all participants and volunteers. At all our conferences, there will be individuals committed to safety and welfare: trained Event Safe Persons (Vertrouwenspersonen) & licenced Emergency Response Officers (Bedrijfshulpverleners – BHV’ers).
Additionally, there is a National Safe Person for back-up and extensive Safety & Welfare policies on an international level.
Team
Leeuwarden 2024 is run by a group of dedicated volunteers. All are previous participants of the European Youth Parliament, from the Netherlands and abroad. Each team is responsible for a different aspect of the conference and led by an experienced member.
Head-Organisers
Beverly Boahene
Jennah Said
The initiators and project managers of Leeuwarden 2024