Month: March 2024

Hello everyone! I am Sara, I am 25 years old, and I am currently an IVY Volunteer at the Interreg Italy-Croatia Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. I have finished my studies in Intercultural Development of Tourism Systems at the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice and I am really motived in my current experience at the Managing Authority of the Programme. I started my volunteering just two months ago, but I had already done my internship at the same programme so I already knew that it was a great place to learn. However, in this new experience I have different tasks, more connected to the Communication field, and I am really loving every moment of it! /*! elementor – v3.19.0 – 28-02-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} But, what about the Programme? The Interreg IT-HR program aims to strengthen cross-border cooperation between the coastal regions of Italy and Croatia to address common challenges and exploit opportunities for sustainable development. The Programme finances cross-border cooperation projects that focus on innovation in the blue economy and it capitalises previous projects, creating stronger synergies with EUSAIR. In particular, it focuses on five thematic priorities: blue innovation, security and resilience, natural and cultural heritage, transport and connectivity, and governance. Partnership projects are identified and financed to reach the Programme objectives: all applicants who wants to participate are invited by public calls for proposals and their applications is assessed on the basis of selection criteria formally approved by the Programme Monitoring Committee. In the programme, I specifically try to ensure higher visibility and communicating about Operations of Strategic Importance (OSI) and their achievements. Moreover, I try to prepare supporting documents to be published on the site of the Programme in a way that may be easy to understand for all, especially young people and citizens. What I love most about this experience is the possibility to attend meetings with the Monitoring Committee or with other programmes to create synergies: these events are a great opportunity to learn more about different realities that can be found in Europe. I think that IVY is a great chance to venture in the world of work: it provides you with the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills; in addition, it is very important to me to be involved in the communication field because I want the Programme to be as famous as possible among the youth since it is a great opportunity that cannot be missed! – Sara, IVY Reporter for the Managing Authority Interreg Italy-Croatia Discover more about the Interreg programme Italy – Croatia Click Here

It has been a couple months since I stepped into the communication office at the Italian National Contact Point of the Interreg Euro-MED Programme, and here’s a glimpse of what I’ve had the chance to experience up to now. The Interreg Euro-MED Programme brings together 16 countries of the Mediterranean region with the aim of contributing to the transition towards a climate-neutral and resilient society, while improving governance between its stakeholders. It does so by providing funds to projects which focus on 4 different missions, namely Strengthening an innovative sustainable economy, Valorising the natural environment and heritage, Promoting green living areas and Enhancing sustainable tourism. Project partnerships necessarily have to involve at least 4 different countries, in the spirit of cooperation and transnationality. This results in unique projects drawing together far away but similar territories that share common challenges and make a joint effort to find sustainable solutions. Providing representative examples of Euro-MED projects is not easy, as they really operate in multiple and diverse fields and involve different partners and beneficiaries (research institutes, universities, entrepreneurs, civil society and many others). Euro-MED is the new sustainable public transport in your city, it is behind the new floods risk prevention strategy of your region, it is a project on wind marine energy, but also on restoration of seagrass, carbon removal, and the driving force of the new Renewable energy community in a marginalized neighborhood, and possibly an innovative platform to manage tourism flows on your favorite beaches, just to name a few. Here at the Euro-MED National Contact Point Italia, in Florence (Regione Toscana), we provide support and guidance to Italian applicants and project partners, and we are involved in every strategic step of the programme. But who am I and how do I contribute? My name is Maya and I’m a 24 years old graduate in International Relations, with a strong passion for climate justice and environment protection, who aspires to work on climate change governance, storytelling and hopefully soon take part in significant initiatives that take concrete action to bring about a needed paradigm shift. My role as an IVY Reporter here at the Euro-MED NCP Italy is to contribute to the communication activities and support the capitalization process. Actually, before entering this world I didn’t even know what capitalisation (which is the transfer and sharing of knowledge and good practices/solutions) was, while now I believe it is one of the most fascinating aspects of cooperation. Communicating on the programme means I need to be aware of everything that is going on, from decisional processes, ‘high level’ seminars, citizens consultation and projects description; which enables me to constantly learn something new on communication tools and strategies but most of all about how European cooperation works, while discovering the latest innovations and projects to tackle climate change. I manage social media accounts and website, write newsletters, prepare summary documents and take part in programme initiatives, such as the Multiprogramme mechanism, which we are currently shaping together with other Interreg Programmes. Moreover, my colleagues are young people I can relate with but also learn from, and I am so lucky to be doing my IVY experience together with not 1, not 2 but 3 other IVYs that are deployed here at Regione Toscana working on other Programmes. Interreg Volunteer Youth gave me the hands-on experience I was looking for and enabled me to put in practice skills learned during my study years and work in an enriching environment. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, which I believe to be an empowering, affordable and most of all needed and unique way for every young person willing to take the first steps in the field of cooperation and the working world. I’m looking forward to the months to come! – Maya, IVY Reporter for the Italian National Contact Point of the Interreg Euro-MED programme  Discover more about the Interreg programme Euro-MED Click Here