Five Ws and One H

So we are sitting in the UN building in Prague doing our facilitator training - at the moment Victoria is pretending to be a participant while Katarina is training for the meet and greet (were, as the name suggests, we all meet you for the first time). Unfortunately, Etonde Martin was not able to attend at the last moment, so Katarina Fagosova, our CCI Project Assistant, has stepped bravely into the fray at the 11th hour to be one of your facilitators! HUZZAH! We have plan B to Z - always a contingency plan at CCI!

All the preparation is going very well - we have 120 participants in 7 groups, some of which have already arrived and been picked up at the airport by some of our staff. Tomas, our logistics co-ordinator, is back and forward to the airport seemingly every ten minutes!!! We are living in two apartments in the centre of Prague and attempting to recreate that lovely US comedy Friends…failing, but you know, live the dream etc…see you all in a few days!

You really better all have you business socks on by now…and have taken out the recycling - its not part of it, but it is important.

We are now 10 days away from Prague, and the facilitator team arrives in on Wednesday for Ismayil’s birthday (honestly, I am pretty sure that the dates for this conference were arranged so we had to be there for his party) and getting down to facilitator training on Thursday morning 10am sharp (sore heads all round methinks).  I am not totally sure if I am mentally prepared to deal with you all (bunch of crazies, seemingly) but by next Thursday morning I am confident that my mind will be focused.  I am particularly looking forward to all of us living in an apartment for a few days (we cook, eat, drink and talk crap together - its a multi-racial Waltons).

In the run up to next week, can I IMPLORE you all to look at the website before emailing questions - a lot of them are answered on various parts of the website and it is pretty detailed! Greetings from London Town!

Okay, so I’m not totally euro-skeptic, but the Lisbon Treaty ratification is a total shambles; as the old boys say, ‘they couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery’. Trust the Irish to take all the money then tell them where to stick it - priceless.

Anyways, rant over. The European Parliament simulation is the final simulation of the week, and the one that needs most resolve, teamwork, political savvy, energy and determination to kick the ass of everyone who isn’t you and your buddies. Alliances are built, alliances are sullied. Enemies are made, enemies are crushed. Smear the other party, they smear you. Its all fun and games and hilarious campaigning for the final intellectual blow out.

We will be looking at the EU Climate Change Directive, each facilitation group taking on the role of a real life European political party and working to secure their goals in competition with each other and trying to amend the directive in line with their political ideals. This will involve editing the directive, looking closely at policy goals and alternatives and then aruging your case with those with similar or radically different viewpoints.

The rising and falling aspect of this simulation is how the group works together - you cannot afford rivalry, factionism or petty squabbles. You have to work as an effective political machine, each person with their own role, under the direction of a party president.  Not an easy task, but one worthy of endeavor.  I have seen teams flounder and I have seen teams run the show without even trying - it is what you make it, and the facilitators will let you run your group - its your show in the final simulation, advice is all we can give.

I’m in Washington at the moment, seeing friends and catching up with people.  I have to love this city.

Ambassadors really do get the greatest titles.  If I was the ambassador to some nation I would be His Excellency Matthew Gillespie, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from the Court of St James.  And if you think even writing that doesn’t give this amulet chaser a kick you really haven’t met me yet :D  In Prague we will be going for an embassy visit on your first full day in Prague, on the international diplomacy day.  This is a chance to find out exactly how an embassy works, how the diplomatic community in Prague functions, and the rights and access that ambassadors get to officials at home and abroad.  Germany, China, Israel, Serbia, Japan and many more have opened their doors and often their liquor cabinets (thanks China) to participants, and my team last time grilled the Chinese ambassador on Tibet, Taiwan and human rights.  Nothing is too brash and too left field, nothing is off the table and it is their job to answer questions about their country. We find it is an excellent insight into the world of diplomacy, and the ambassadors’ are generally very open and welcoming, making it an great visit.  You will be tired from your first night of revelry, but this is no excuse for switching off (my group, whoever you may be, I have no problem with a good kick to the ankles to get you awake, and the same goes for you waking me) and it will be the first test of your energy levels.  We will be going from the embassy visits to either the Czech Senate or the European Commission in Prague, and then onto Red Hot and Blues Restaurant, which is owned and run by our very own CFO Lore Breitmeyer-Jones for a slap up meal (its great, like seriously, so nice).  It will most likely be hot so people need to be aware that if they are wearing their suit that should bring some water.  Fun times.

If anyone coming to the conference has a Interpol/CIA/MI6 file and is wanted for inditment on war crimes, this probably isn’t going to be your favourite simulation.  The International Criminal Court is going to be a chance to simulate the Pre Trial chamber of the court, deciding on whether or not the court has jurisdiction over the case.  We are looking at the case of Germain Katanga, a Congolese general who has been brought to the Hague on charges of training child soliders among various other offenses.  It is important for the mindset for this simulation what we are not trying to find a guilty or not guilty verdict - this is about process.  The process, as you will find in all the simulations, often trumps the content, simply because process is adaptable to different contextualisations.

For instance, last time one groups prosecution called up God and The Ghost Who Never Lies to testify.  Another had a medical expert who had grown up as a child soldier.  Another was the widow of a former combatant whose 4 children were made to fight for rebel forces.  It doesn’t matter, as long as you are able to prove your point you can be as imaginative and creative as possible, and indeed when you are the results are at the same time hilarious and an outworking of due process.  I always enjoy the ICC simulation, but it requires everyone to get down to proper work - realistically, you will have less that 4 hours to prepare your case, which isn’t long.  We like to fit 2389274 things into 5 days in Praha Baby, so everyone needs to polish the old grey matter and get into a work hard/play hard mood.  I am going to talk about the EU simulation in a few posts time, but tomorrow I am going to give you an info download on the guest speakers, embassy trips and site visits, of which there are many!  *And if you’re going, to  SAAAAN FRAAAANCISCO…*

Good folks, there has been a sudden change of staffing for the upcoming conference.  Due to the US State Department’s most ridiculous travel restrictions on utterly brilliant people (me=annoyed) Fatima will not be able to join us in Prague this summer.  A blow as this is (the only IYLC action she gets this summer is me crashing on her and her hubby’s couch in California) we have gone to super secret amazing Plan B, and just wait till you meet super secret plan B.  Andrew Caruana Galizia is our man in Malta, studying International Relations and Anthropology at the University of Malta and spent a semester studying in Italy.  Andrew is a graduate of the 15th IYLC last January and we are delighted to have him onboard for another Praha adventure! In the next few days I will blog up about the International Criminal Court simulation, but right now I am heading to the Cadbury’s Factory in Dunedin, NZ.  I know you hate me.

Hello all and greetings from the arse-end of nowhere, New Zealand.  I couldn’t actually tell you where I am, but I am living out of a campervan and literally freezing, but I am so self sacrifical that I thought I would give you a start on the first conference simulation, the United Nations Security Council.

This simulation is to get everyone out of their shell and negotiating with each other straight away.  Each participant will take the role of a country in the UNSC and present that country in a mock session of the Council, and this time we are addressing the issue of Kosovo and its recently declared independance from Serbia.  This is the first important step for the week - you are your role.  It doesn’t matter what you think about it, you must embody your country and put across their views - this is to get you thinking from other perpectives, and builds empathy and understanding, as well as the ability to argue from a position that is not necessarily your own.  We provide loads of information about the UNSC and Kosovo, but if you wanted it would be cool to look up quickly on Wikipedia for a basic overview of the situation and how the UNSC works.  I can’t feel my fingers, so I think I better stop.

Each conference dedicates the Tuesday night to a more formal portrayal of culture, when you get to present you culture to the rest of the group.  Culture is many things, however it is not PowerPoint presentations - the bain of culture night’s existance.  I could probably hazard a guess at your countries GDP, their main exports and their stance on the Baku-Turkey Oil Pipeline. Or your position within NATO.  I will not be held responsible for Vickie Mbogo tearing through Old Town Square chasing after you with the heel of her shoe - some things I am powerless to prevent; this is one.   What you believe and what you rejoice in about your country is what we want to see - the dancing, the singing, the cultural practices, your history, your hopes for the future.  Some guidelines…

1. Sing.  Music, according to IYLC legend Jonathan ’Suave’ Hayward’s Facebook quotes section, is the wings of the soul.  Indeed this is true when it comes to culture night.  We have had Kenyan, Surinamese, a rousing rendition of O Canada (ps. Canadians - you really are an infuriatingly partiotic bunch, ey?) and even a Zulu chant.  It’s great fun.  I might have a guitar with me due to not actually getting home before the conference on the tail end of my trip, so you could use it if you want.

2. Dance.  Haka the hell outta things.  Give us a crazy Aussie barnyard type offering that gets us off our seats.  Beautiful colours with beautiful dancing by Pakistani students.  South African tribal dancing.  United States ‘Shouldn’t have bought that last beer’ lurches.  They all qualify.

3. Gifts.  The international set are a fickle bunch. I personally still use and love my Puerto Rico pen I got last time.  And Indonesian pastries were nice too.  Stationary and food - I am a simple man.

4. Apologise for colonialism.  If you had an empire, its usually fitting to apologise for the years of slavery and colonial oppression visited upon other nations.  We Brits got up last time and did it - and if we can say sorry, pretty much anyone can.

5. Be as personal as possible.  This is a chance to show why YOU love your country, and what you are proud of.  We have had an Australian lifeguard show a lifesaving video from Adelaide, a Maltese guy show us the stunning views of his native island and an Icelandic girl…well, I’m not going to say what she said, but it involves local beer and the hotsprings.

6. This is the ONE exception to the PowerPoint rule, and one that everyone enjoys.  Pictures make the world go round (not fat bottom girls, as Freddie Mercury would have us believe).  PowerPoint is good for videos, picture presentations.  If you have a DVD you want to show a 5 minute clip from, go ahead!

Culture night can go so right or as wrong as Bill Clinton in the Oval Office with the cigar.  It’s totally up to you - make it entertaining, involving, and most of all, do it with gusto.

For everyone getting to the fair city early it would be handy to know how much you should be spending, mainly so you can know when you are getting ripped off to the extreme.  Thanks to a buoyant economy prices are starting to rise toward Western European levels, but nowhere near parity yet.  Since I started going to Prague in January 2007 prices have got higher, but are still highly affordable no matter where you are coming from.

On an average day in Prague (I have yet to experience this so called average day, as the company I keep ensure that it is frequently far from it) you should budget around 600-700CKZ, not including accommodation.  Public transport is very affordable and food is good and inexpensive.  Here is a rough estimate of prices…

There are some practical things you all need to know prior to Prague (or ‘Praha Baby!’ as we affectionatly know it).  We always get emails with questions about money, power, sleeping arrangements for couples; for some questions Wikipedia replaces the dog as a man’s best friend, for others we will need to tell you…

Money Money Money, as the Scandanavian pop supremos sing, is so funny.  Czech Republic is part of the European Union but it is not part of the EU single currency, the Euro.  Euros will not, and I repeat, will NOT be accepted in Prague as a method of payment in shops, and only some hotels will accept them for room payment. The Czech Koruna (known as ‘crown’, denoted CKZ) is the local currency, and there is approximately 15CZK to $1US and 24CZK to 1Euro.  It is a good idea to get money changed before you come as Prague caters for the tourist market and has slightly inflated rates of exchange to allow for profit margins. 

When deciding about laptops, phone chargers, and of course, GHDs (some people can’t live without them - freaks) you will need to get an adaptor.  The Czech Republic uses class C and E plugs, with two prongs going into the wall socket, with a usual voltage from the mains of 230V at 50Hz.  C is more common and E is mainly used in Francophone countries.

So, try not to hate me with this next part.  Couples who are coming to the conference, our room allotment process stands as random and not mixing the sexes, regardless of relationship.  We don’t do this to spoil the fun, but rather because we want people to get out there and meet all the other folk at the conference.  Now, I do not know you all yet so cannot speak to your own situation, but we have had it at past conferences where couples retreated to their room for long periods of time and didn’t interact with other participants at all.  It harmed the group dynamic and left the organisers in a sticky situation because, honest to dear God, we don’t want to interfere in your relationships.  Also, this isn’t exactly a holiday, and we want to keep everyone in the same room sharing arrangement to harbour the best possible atmosphere for people to get to know each other.  At the last two IYLC’s we have had quite a few couples who really didn’t mind not sharing, so hopefully it won’t be an issue!  It’s all about mixing it up.

Lastly, we are breaking our backs trying to find the most important thing for food at the conference: halal meat.  It is very difficult to find a good supplier in the Czech Republic, and when you do it is hard to get enough halal for all the conference.  At the very least there will be veggie options at every meal, but we won’t rest until we get some halal!