Month: April 2023

Hello everyone, My name is Marianne and it has been almost two months since I started my experience as an Interreg Volunteer. So far, everything is going well, being a volunteer is a very rich experience at both personal and professional level. Within the CPMR Intermediterranean Commission, I’m currently supporting the planification of activities for “Community4Tourism”.  This project is a governance project of Thematic Community of the Interreg Euro MED programme. It belongs to Mission 4 of the programme “Enhancing Sustainable Tourism”. “Community4Tourism” aims at:   facilitating the exchanges and the development of synergies between thematic projects at Med level; developing technical knowledge embedding the results of the projects and strategies; supporting the effective transfer of their results to other territories or stakeholders; The project will coordinate and work very closely with Dialogue4Tourism, the Institutional Dialogue project of Mission 4. In the framework of my mission as a volunteer I have already being involved in the current activities of the project. We are at this stage, launching the first activities of the project and planning the work for the next years. Previous Next I hope that this small overview made you want to follow our project and the mission. If so, note that soon our website will be available. There, we will be sharing on the progress of activities, main results, and events regarding the mission. -Marianne, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Euro-Med project “Community4Tourism” at CPMR Intermediterranean Commission. Discover more about the Interreg project Community4Tourism Click Here Discover more about our host organisation CPMR Intermediterranean Commission Click Here

Hey! My name is Julie, I from France and I started an interreg volunteer in Lyon 1 month ago. My host organization is a regional agency of energy and environment which is working a lot on European projects. They are part of two new projects that started in November last year: ADAPTNOW and X-RISK. The first one, ADAPTNOW, works on strengthening the adaptive capacity of Highly Affected and Exposed Territories to be able to cope with unpredictable climate events for the future. The second one, X-RISK, is similar but is focusing on extreme events. The goal of these two projects is to be better prepared for the natural risks that are changing with the climate change. Two topics that interest me a lot! My mission is to help with the first stage of each of the two projects. For that, I am doing the inventory of the risk management tools that already exist (with the aim then to see what can be improved), I will also interview some natural hazard actors about a storm in France that happened 4 years ago, and I already participated to some meetings. One of these meetings was a few days ago. I had the chance to go with some colleagues at the Eurac Research Center in Bolzano for a X-RISK meeting and to exchange with all the partners from the project. It was super interesting to see how people from the alpine space (Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Slovenia…) gather and work together to find solutions for the future! I am super happy to have joined the IVY community, it is a super experience, and I am glad to contribute at my level in environmental European territorial cooperation projects! – Julie, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Alpine Space ADAPTNOW & X-Risk CC at the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Energy Environment Agency – AURA EE Discover more about the Interreg project ADAPTNOW Click Here Discover more about the Interreg project X-Risk CC Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Energy Environment Agency Click Here

My name is Aroa, and I’ve been an IVY Volunteer for almost 2 months. I am doing this experience in the Interreg Program of the Upper Rhine Region in the Swiss city of Basel.  I think my experience is a bit different from other volunteers who are hosted by partners involved in an Interreg project, as I am not only in a project, but I am working at the program level. Volunteering in an Interreg program is interesting, as I am getting to know many different projects and people. This experience is also helping me to better understand how Interreg works and how the EU funds different projects. For me, the best thing is to see how a project materializes and to be involved in all stages of the process, such as attending Interreg meetings where projects are accepted or rejected, talking to prospective partners, and much more. As I said, I am volunteering in Switzerland, a country that is not part of the EU. Many of you may wonder how this is possible. And the answer is that, as you know, Switzerland is a country located in the center of Europe that has several EU countries as border partners. Therefore, especially the Swiss border regions, such as Basel and Ticino, are constantly influenced and affected by the movements of bordering countries such as France and Italy. That is why the inclusion of Switzerland as a partner in Interreg projects is part of the main objective of Interreg to promote cooperation in border regions and thus contribute to improving the lives of their inhabitants. However, Switzerland is not supported by the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF). Interreg projects with Swiss participation are partly financed by the Swiss Confederation and the cantons involved. – Aroa, IVY Reporter at the Regio Basilensis – RCP Interreg Upper-Rhine Discover more about the Interreg Upper-Rhine programme Click Here

My name is Silvia, I come from Italy, and I joined the IVY Program as a Project Partner in Greece. In collaboration with the University of Patras, I am participating in the FRESH WAYS Project, which is aimed at promoting exchanges of fresh products and economic growth in Italy and Greece through sustainable transportation. The activities of this project are based on empowering citizens and improve their everyday life in both villages and cities, pursuing sustainability, while promoting good practices and fostering cooperation among the participating regions in the countries. At the moment I am involved in activities such as research, analysis and transfer of replicable results, community needs assessments, and communication on social media. I have learned a lot during my first month here, and I find the environment very stimulating and innovative. I’m looking forward to the months to come, and I definitely recommend taking part in the IVY Program to other young people who are willing to discover more about international cooperation and earn new experience on the field. – Silvia, IVY Project Partner at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South BalticUniversity of Patras, for the Interreg project Fresh Ways, under the Interreg programme Greece – Italy Discover more about the FRESH WAYS project Click Here

Hello! My name is Ancor and I am from Gran Canaria, Spain. I am currently an IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South BALTIC in Gdańsk, Poland! As an IVY Reporter, I support office communication in promoting the work of the Joint Secretariat and the projects financed by the organisation. Interreg South Baltic  is a multilateral cross-border cooperation between the coastal regions of five EU Member States: Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, and Poland, with actions focused on the blue and green economy. Being an IVY Volunteer at the Joint Secretariat has been an exciting and gratifying experience since the very first day. With a background in Geography and Territorial Planning, and a specialisation in Environmental Partnership Management, I feel particularly passionate about EU Cohesion Policies, territorial cooperation, partnership working, and their interplay in ensuring policy change and implementation as a roadmap to resilient and sustainable communities along the South Baltic area. Thus, this is the right place to be. Moreover, this experience is allowing me to immerse myself in different domains in EU interregional cooperation and European Cohesion Policies, bringing me the opportunity to acquire new skills and network. I have found a great family and I have the opportunity to share my expertise and experience with a group of excellent professionals that guide me and mentor me. Thus, this experience is allowing me to growth professionally and it will boost my future career. At a personal level, the reception and constant support received facilitates my integration and development, making me feel integrated and comfortable in my daily tasks. Although I have just got started, I have had the chance to work on several different tasks, such as communication tasks, data revisions, drafting reports and social media content creation. I am becoming confident with communication, project management and the functioning of the European Regional Development Fund, and the overall intricacies of the EU Cohesion Policies. After the first month of this new chapter, I can say that I feel thrilled to be part of Interreg South Baltic in an stimulating, supportive and empowering environment to actively take part and be part in shaping Europe’s cross-border actions to tackle common challenges and find shared solutions. – Ancor, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South Baltic Discover more about the Interreg programme South Baltic Click Here

Hi! My name is Anna, I am 22 and come from Italy, I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy; while working at my dissertation I came across Interreg program and eventually IVY…  And here I am! I am now volunteering as an IVY Project Partner for the VerdeVale project with R3GIS, a software house based in Bolzano. I am currently working on the communication and dissemination aspect of the project.  It is a pleasure to collaborate with many experts in the sustainability field and being involved in such a dynamic, inspiring and friendly environment. The programme aims to study urban green areas management and to find better solutions to tackle common issues related to environmental crisis effects for Bolzano and Lugano.  -Anna, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Ialy-Swizerland project “VerdeVale” at R3GIS Discover more about the Interreg project VerdeVale Click Here Discover more about our host organisation R3GIS Click Here