What I Learned at The Hague 2025

The Hague International Session was only my third ever EYP session. I moved from Regionals to Nationals, and all of a sudden I was being thrown into an International setting. Not only was this session very early on in my EYP journey, but it was my first solo travel. In a new environment, with new experiences and challenges, the session became a very formative one for me, and I wanted to share a few things which I have learnt in the nine days I spent in the Hague…

The Possibilities of Solo Travel

The first lesson I learnt actually took place before I even arrived at the session. As I’ve mentioned, this was my first solo travel. The thought of travelling has always been something which excites me and is something which I’ve always wanted to be able to do myself, and to be able to do confidently. The session gave me a perfect bridge as I was able to take transport by myself, and establish a sense of confidence which I hope to be transferable to future journeys, while still providing enough safety and security through schedules and accommodation to stop the experience from becoming overwhelming.

Confidence and Opportunities

Without sounding too cliché, the thing that comes to mind first when I look back on The Hague was the impact that it had on me personally. In a completely new environment with people I had only met a week ago, I felt able to do so much more than I ever would have expected. In General Assembly, I did my first ever speech which was in defence of my committee’s resolution. This was something that I could never have imagined doing back home, let alone in front of a room of 300 people I had only just met. Somehow, I felt much more confident and able to push myself when in a new environment, especially one which was as supportive and encouraging as EYP. The session really taught me a lot about myself and my capabilities, learning that, again without sounding too cliché, the most important and significant growth can only come when I push myself to leave my comfort zone.

Hamilton is Universal

It was so fun and relaxing was seeing how universal Gen Z humour and inside jokes are across Europe. This especially became apparent when singing/rapping Hamilton and realising that all my roommates (and their friends who joined us at the sound of Hamilton) not only also loved it, but knew it word for word. Everyone at the event was so easy to talk to and I learnt so much about varying countries and cultures from everyone I interacted with. If anyone ever has the opportunity to experience an EYP International Session, the best things you can learn are definitely from the people.

Almost a month on, I continue to reflect on the session, what I learnt about travel, what I learnt about myself and most importantly, what I learnt from every wonderful person who I had the pleasure to get to know.

Thank you all for such an amazing session, I cannot fully express how grateful I was to experience it. See you all somewhere in Europe!

By Amber S, member of EYPUK

For more information about International Sessions, please see the EYP Network website.
 
For more information about The Hague International Session, please see their website.