To ensure the governance of the organisation, it is important to put emphasis on the diversity among Board members, both by representing the various Member Organisations , the knowledge they bring to the organisation but also in terms of skill-set and competencies to ensure that the individual Board members complement each other and come together to become a strong, strategic and effective Board.
For this reason we have divided the application form in different sections.
The first identifies the general information and availability of candidates.
The second one focuses on the individual candidates experience as well as vision for the organisation. Please ensure in this section that no answer is more than a page.
The third section looks at the different skills and competencies that the Board as a whole should have when they come together as one body. This is to ensure that the Board as a body has all the necessary skills and competencies through the various individuals that compose it.
This means that no one individual needs to have all the necessary elements, but by bringing together these 11 individuals the board as a whole would. Good governance starts with a well-rounded board, meaning that the Board skills composite, or Board as a whole, should ideally have strength in each of the areas. The last section is therefore a self-reflection exercise on these skills and competencies.
FORM TO APPLY FOR THE POSITION OF
Board Member of the European Youth Forum
This form must be filled in and sent back (in pdf and doc format) to the Secretariat ([email protected]), together with the nomination and acceptance letters by Tuesday 06 October 2020 (23:59 CET).
This form will be published on the European Youth Forum website after the deadline for application and be accessible to Member Organisations and the general public.
SECTION 1 - General information & availability NAME Paulína SURNAME Jalakšová
MEMBER ORGANISATION World Esperanto Youth Organisation (TEJO) NOMINATING
MEMBER ORGANISATION
World Esperanto Youth Organisation (TEJO)
DATE OF BIRTH 06/01/1996
GENDER Female
PRONOUN She/her
Would you be able to attend at least 20 meetings per year (on average 2-3 days each) on weekends or weekdays – and be available on other occasions on an ad hoc basis?
YES
Are you fluent in English or French, with preferably knowledge of the other language?
YES – I am fluent in both
Are you available to travel extensively?
YES
SECTION 2 - Experience & vision
1. What is your proudest achievement in the youth space (either individually or as part of a team)? Why is it so meaningful to you?
I dare to say that one of the major challenges and successes of TEJO (and I was lucky enough to be a part of it) was organising our annual International Youth Congress (IJK) in a small African country, Togo, in 2017. It was possible because of an Erasmus+ KA2 Capacity Building in the Field of Youth project. It was a great and extremely fulfilling opportunity for intercultural learning for every participant from both continents, especially since it is considered as a good practices project. I cooperated with young Africans but also Europeans and learned from them and their diverse cultural backgrounds. It is also what sparked my extensive interest in funding, projects and non-formal education in general. It is important that European youth organisations have further opportunities to conduct such activities with proper funding coming from the EU and other institutions.
InĈEJ (the Czech Esperanto Youth Organisation), we started a tradition of participating at the events of the organisation ‘Forum 2000’, which has the main goal of supporting the values of democracy and respect for human rights. The most important of the events would be the Festival of Democracy in Prague, where we presented language issues in the context of democracy. Another success would be the coordination of a KA2 Strategic Partnership project during which we visited, for example, an African Refugee Centre in Toulouse, France, which brought me closer to the understanding of the situation of various marginalised groups in Europe.
There were also some other successes for me in SKEJ (the Slovak Esperanto Youth Organisation). Examples include becoming an observer member of the National Youth Council of Slovakia and strengthening the cooperation of youth NGOs in Slovakia, participation in various Erasmus+ and EYF projects, organisation of the Universal Congress of Esperanto with around 1600 participants in 2016, or being delegated to be a programme coordinator of IJK 2018 in Spain, with the topic of Gender Equality. Two main ones, however, would be our UPR (Universal Periodical Review) submission in 2018, where we created and presented a set of recommendations concerning the situation of the Roma youth. From this experience, I brought interest in youth rights and understanding of related mechanisms and processes, but also a strong interest to improve the situation of this and other marginalised groups. The second one would be the organisation of IJK 2019 in Slovakia. There again, I was the programme coordinator with the topic Against Prejudice. During this event, we cooperated with UNITED for
Intercultural Organisation, and later that year, I represented SKEJ at their conference, which brought me to being a member of the International Preparatory Group of their last conference taking place in October 2020. Coordinating the programmes of IJK on the above-mentioned topics, I learned a lot about the areas of inclusion and equality from
2. As you negotiate internally and engage externally you will often need to find areas of compromise. Can you give an example of when you found a compromise and explain how you would approach negotiation in a Board meeting?
I have been a board member of two smaller organisations, where I was not directly involved in any major conflict inside of the board. However, when deciding about the host of IJK 2019, TEJO had to choose between two of the member organisations - my organisation, SKEJ, and the Dutch Esperanto Youth Organisation (NEJ). This fact caused competition between the two organisations especially during a major event (Youth Esperanto Week), where both groups were present. In the end, both organisations succeeded to stay calm and the decision was made in the favour of SKEJ. Additionally, we established cooperation between the two boards and arranged an exchange with the representatives of NEJ. In the exchange, they came to IJK in Slovakia to help and learn, and our representatives were to come to IJK 2020 that should have taken place in the Netherlands.
In general, I am a very non-conflict individual that likes to solve issues with facts, reason, and a calm approach, but does not give-up fast either when believing in something, which brings me to another example.
Recently, in TEJO we came up with an idea for a KA2 Strategic Partnership project on the topic of European recognition of the Romani language. I prepared a concept for the project and sent it to a representative of a Roma organisation that I met during the UNITED conference several months prior to a proposal for cooperation. We received a strict no as a response from the organisation while they also expressed their impression that we want to use their minority status to acquire funding. I understood their concern and tried to explain our reasons and motivation. In the end, we agreed on them applying as coordinators of the project with us as partners and on some adjustments based on their ideas. Unfortunately, this cooperation had to be postponed due to the current pandemic situation, which shifted the priorities of the organisation.
Overall, I am a level-headed person that likes to make an informed decision and relies on research about topics. I would not discredit the opinions of others but rather listen to their point of view and in case of further disagreement use only arguments based on logic. I am also empathetic, which can be proven by my four yearlong successful working experience in recruitment. There I functioned mainly as a mediator between candidates and clients, which often included disagreements and, consequently, negotiation.
3. What is the best public speech you have ever seen/watched? Why? What is your personal experience in public speaking?
My favourite speech is the classic of Charlie Chaplin from the movie Great Dictator. I am aware that it was not a public speech per se, rather than a scripted part of a movie, but the emotion and intention were undoubtedly real, especially coming from a person famous for their silence. It is safe to say that the delivery was spotless, and, unfortunately, the message is relevant even in the year 2020. His powerful words addressed inclusion in the phrases “ …I should like to help everyone if possible, Jew, Gentile, Black Man, White …”; he addressed our resources in “ …and the good Earth is rich and can provide for everyone …”; and the words especially relevant in the current pandemic situation are “…The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men - cries out for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all …”. He describes what was wrong in the world in 1940, but is also applicable for the challenges we face in 2020, some more, than others. We need to stand with young people fighting for their democratic future in Belarus, or against unjust attacks in Armenia, or for equality in Poland, and for us all, because we want the Earth to survive the climate crisis. However, his message of despair eventually turns to a message of hope and as he believes that the people can change the world for the better, I believe in it too. Personally, I have both the theoretical knowledge and practical experience in public speaking. I had a subject translating to English as Contemporary Rhetoric, where I finished on top of my class. Concerning the experience, I have had many opportunities to put my knowledge in practice, both in my university and in the youth field: I made a plenary presentation about influence of language on our way of thinking at YFJ General Assembly in 2018; as a member of the organisation team of multiple events, I spoke in front of hundreds of people; and I conducted several online activities during the pandemic. However, my skills are not perfect, but I believe that I can improve.
SECTION 3 - Self-assessment
This section looks at the different skills and competencies that the Board as a whole should have when they come together as one body. This is to ensure that the Board as a body has all the necessary skills and competencies through the various individuals that compose it.
This means that no one individual needs to have all the necessary elements, but by bringing together these 11 individuals the board as a whole would. Good governance starts with a well-rounded board, meaning that the Board skills composite, or Board as a whole, should ideally have strength in each of the areas. The last section is therefore a self-reflection exercise on these skills and competencies.
How to fill it in?
7 competencies are presented and explained in the matrix below. Each
candidate is invited to self-assess their competencies by rating from 1 to 5,
meaning: 1 - Expert 2- Experienced 3 - Ok 4 - Less experienced 5 - No experience
The candidate can provide further explanation if needed in the last
column.
Competencies Explanation Why Self-
assess ment
Short justification of your response
Leadership Ability to
provide vision to the organisation and to lead by
example.
The Board will have to lead the conversation to develop the next Strategic Priorities.
2 I am a president and a vice-president of two national organisations with international reach. I was also the programme coordinator of events with hundreds of participants and have a significant understanding, but I still have space for improvement.
Governance Understanding of the principles of good governance, the organisation’s structure and functioning & the distinction between the roles of the Board, Management and Secretariat.
The Board will need to
ensure oversight of
the work of the different bodies of the organisation (CBMA, FCC, Secretariat etc.)
1 I have a solid experience in and understanding of this area from TEJO, SKEJ and ĈEJ. Even though, I gave myself a 1, I am still open to further learning, which goes for other sections as well.
External
representation represent the Ability to organisation and bring key messages to
relevant events and
meetings.
The Board is the public face
of the organisation. Board members are invited to attend and represent the organisation at numerous events and meetings.
2 I represented TEJO on various occasions with the YFJ, at Yo!Fest, but with other organisations such as UNITED for Intercultural Action as well.
Financial
management Ability to interpret financial documents and trends to
assess financial health of an organisation.
The Board is financially and legally responsible for the organisation and has oversight of the finances.
1 I am a Master student of General Finance and Behavioural Economics, where I choose subjects specifically dedicated to finances of NGOS and public finance of the EU. I am also the grant officer of TEJO.
Policy &
Advocacy Ability to provide strategic direction to the development of the organisation’s
The Board has to provide direction to the development of policy positions (policy papers, 2
In the last few years, I have reviewed every YFJ policy paper and pushed amendments for some of them, on behalf of TEJO. I also contributed to the drafting of the Gender Equality policy paper of TEJO. Additionally I have been a part of the Erasmus+ Coalition and I also initiated
policy positions and advocacy actions. resolutions, positions etc.) based on the Work Plan and
Strategic Priorities, adopted by the Member Organisations
a cooperation with several European youth organisations on European language policy.
Team work Ability to work
in a constructive manner within teams and with different people bodies of the organisation.
The Board is made of 11 volunteers and has to interact with various other actors (other Board members, Management, Secretariat, working structures, Member Organisations etc.)
1 I have extensive experience in teamwork from organisations of events, being a member of the board, working on position papers and more.
Members & Stakeholders relations Ability to enge with a wide range of actors with different interests.
The Board is the main interlocutor of
the organisation and the main contact point for Member Organisations.
It also has to engage with various stakeholders (institutions, partners, media etc.).
2 I feel that communication is my strong side especially on individual level. Despite, my experience in public speaking, I think that I still need to improve in this area.
