Reporting from my IVY experience in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
When I first started my volunteering, I already knew a little about the Interreg Programs, but it wasn’t until I started contributing to them through the Regional Council in Nouvelle Aquitaine that I understood their extent and impact. Something to highlight about my host organization is that they take part in four Interreg Programs, therefore I’m lucky enough to be discovering them as well as European cooperation through my IVY Reporter role. So far, I have been participating in two of them: Atlantic Area and SUDOE. The Atlantic Area (AA) covers the western part of the Atlantic Ocean and includes all regions of Ireland and Portugal, as well as several French and Spanish regions close to or on the Atlantic Ocean coast. Due to the AA’s geographical and maritime characteristics, the challenges that it aims to tackle are balanced economic development and climate change. This characteristic, jointly with the coast-hinterland interrelationships, corresponds to the main approach to the Program’s conception. Interreg SUDOE is a European Union funding program to support regional development and cohesion in the regions of south-west Europe. To address the common challenges faced by the SUDOE regions, such as climate change, social cohesion and territorial balance, it supports cooperation projects between entities in the Member States that make up this area. The Programs support public and private entities that act together to build solutions that address the transnational challenges of these vast territories in order to improve the quality of life of citizens. What have I been up to? During this time, I began by getting to know about the Programs and the projects they fund, to understand their main objectives, the principles and the results expected from the cooperation so I can communicate about it. I also had the opportunity to assist in French and cross-border meetings where I could observe how the partners exchange and work together. This has been immensely interesting and helpful to deepen my insight on European cooperation. In addition, I’m currently elaborating summaries of projects for the Atlantic Area Program that will be useful to communicate about them. By participating in this task, I have had the opportunity to know more in detail about the different projects, their goals and discovered the broad themes the Program covers. One of my next missions will consist of creating catalogues with summaries of projects from these Programs to publish via different communication tools and share the results in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. What do I enjoy the most? Getting to see how different cooperation Programs and projects develop is very enriching. This experience is helping me enhance my abilities in communication and knowledge about cooperation. I am also enjoying learning about different projects that I get to contribute to because it can be very inspiring, especially the cultural and climate change ones since those are the topics that I personally like the most. – Ana Cecilia, IVY Reporter for the Interreg Atlantic Area and Interreg SUDOE Discover more about Interreg Atlantic Area Click Here Discover more about Interreg SUDOE Click Here Discover more about Regional council in Nouvelle Aquitaine Click Here
Diving into the Blue Economy with “ATLIC”: A Volunteer’s Perspective
My name is Hugo, and I am currently participating in the IVY program, focusing on the European project ATLIC as part of the Chamber of Commerce of Santiago team. This initiative aims to promote Blue Economy projects across the Atlantic area. The project brings together various entities from different countries, including Ireland, France, Portugal, and northern Spain. It is this diversity, united by a common goal, that makes the initiative truly unique. Thanks to this project, I have had the chance to meet many inspiring people with different perspectives on the Blue Economy, which has greatly increased my awareness and engagement with this field. I have participated in several activities, with more to come. The most recent one was a national stakeholder meeting in Samos (Lugo), where we discussed the key topics to be addressed in the final stages of the program. It was a great experience, and I even had the opportunity to present some of these topics to the participants. – Hugo, IVY Project Partner at Cámara de Comercio de Santiago de Compostela, Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigatio Santiago de Compostela, for the Interreg project ATLIC, under the programme Interreg Atlantic Area. Discover more about ATLIC project Click Here Discover more about The Santiago Chamber of Commerce Click Here
My Volunteering Experience in Liepāja: Supporting Youth Careers through “Your Future Profession”
Hey everyone, I’m Rezija Egmane, and I’m currently volunteering in “Impact Hub” Liepāja in project “Your Future Profession” as a part of the Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) program. My experience is taking place in Liepāja, Latvija – a city near the beach, with beautiful views and people with energy! “Your Future Profession” runs for 6 months and 40 young people (18 to 25 y.o.) from Sweden and Latvia get the opportunity to promote the competitiveness and development of innovation abilities, purposefulness, leadership skills, as well as self-determination. Activities during the project are meant to increase the number of youth employment. Project is and will provide the opportunity of being acquainted with at least 3 employers (networking and dialogues between counterparts of the labor market), and possibly becoming an employee or a start-up founder. During the months of the project (from November to April) participants have the opportunity to work with career consultants, mentors, determine your desired future profession, determine personality types, improve your CV, and communication skills. In addition to all of this, participants choose either to start your own entrepreneurial journey or become an active job seeker. The best thing – they have the opportunity to try out different professions by having internships. The most active participants will have the opportunity to go on an international internship exchange! Overall this project helps participants “try on” different professions, career paths for their future, works on their leadership, development, experience, motivation and work towards their career goals. As a part of my role, I’m working on the marketing and communication with participants and speakers of the “Your Future Profession” project”. I’m helping organizing events, coordinate internships and work with participants. By working with these tasks I’m building my confidence in communication and in event organizing in which I had very little experience but had the drive to develop it. Being in the project “Your Future Profession” I love seeing and working with youth that have different values for life and know that they want more and work on it. It gives incredible inspiration to focus even more on this project and what it gives. I’m amazed with supportive partners and teamwork with each other. Each masterclass and internship is a step closer to reducing unemployment and new startups to improve employment and economy in Latvia, Sweeden and the whole Europe. – Rezija, IVY Project Partner at Impact Hub, for the Interreg project Your Future Profession, under the programme Interreg Central Baltic. Discover more about Your Future Profession Project Click Here Discover more about Impact Hub Liepāja Click Here
My contribution to the FIREPOCTEP+ Project (in Spain-Portugal) as IVY Interreg Project Partner
Hello! I’m Carolina and I’m currently IVY Interreg Project Partner in Finnova Foundation for the Interreg Spain-Portugal Program and, namely, for the Interreg FIREPOCTEP+ Project. What is it? Briefly, “Interreg” stands for European Territorial Cooperation (ETC), is one of the two goals of European Cohesion Policy (that aims to correct imbalances between countries and regions), and has the function to implement joint actions and policy exchanges between different Member States of the European Union. FIREPOCTEP+ aims to strengthen forest fire prevention and suppression systems in the cross-border region between Spain and Portugal known as “La Raya”, where wildfires have become increasingly common due to climate change and deforestation. To reach this goal, the project partners cooperate by sharing their knowledge, experiences, human, material, and financial resources. Lots of actors will benefit from this Project: the partners of the consortium; the cooperation territory and its population; the regional and local administrations, territorial managers and emergency response operatives; the technical professional groups that are specialized in forest fire prevention and suppression, climate change adaptation and mitigation. But what about my contribution? As an IVY Interreg Project Partner, I am supporting Finnova Foundation’s technicians in the management of the Interreg Project, collaborating with the communication and marketing department in creating FIREPOCTEP+ Project’s promotional materials, press releases, and contents for websites and social media; helping in organizing and managing events related to the project; participating in technical meetings and maintaining contact with the project partners. I am also developing sustainability actions for the project and analyzing contents to find appropriate solutions to the cooperation territory’s challenges. I am grateful to the IVY Program for allowing me to have this experience, being an opportunity to deepen my understanding of European territorial projects, cooperation and Cohesion policies. Moreover, not only can I take part in promoting cooperation between Spain and Portugal, but I am also learning new things, improving languages, meeting people from different countries and backgrounds, and developing useful skills for my professional career. Contributing to the European Cohesion Policy, and to the FIREPOCTEP+ Project in particular, makes me happy and proud because I care a lot about the environment, and I believe in the positive impact we can make every day with our actions. – Carolina, IVY Project Partner at Finnova foundation, for the Interreg project FIREPOCTEP+, and the programme Interreg POCTEP. Discover more about FIREPOCTEP+ project Click Here Finnova Foundation Click Here
Showcasing Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean: My Experience with the HERIT ADAPT Project
Hey there! I’m a volunteer through the IVY programme, and I’m excited to be part of the Interreg MED project HERIT ADAPT – Heritage and Resilience of Territories through Sustainable Tourism, Climate Change Adaptation, and Citizen Engagement. HERIT ADAPT is an international collaboration that brings together 11 partners from 8 Mediterranean countries, all working towards making tourism more sustainable and helping our regions become more resilient in the face of climate change. The project kicked off in January 2024 and will run until September 2026. How I’m involved:I’m part of the team from the Region of Western Greece, which actually leads the project. My role includes helping out with communication, research, and getting the local community involved. One cool part of my job is supporting the creation of local working groups (TWGs) made up of local stakeholders, citizens, and tourism professionals. Together, we chat, figure out local needs, and co-design a Sustainable Tourism Model that really fits the unique character of our region. What excites me about HERIT ADAPT:This project isn’t just some theory on paper—it’s hands-on, it makes a real difference in the community, it activates people, and it taps into our rich cultural and natural heritage. It also gives us the tools to rethink tourism in a greener, more sustainable way. Plus, I get to collaborate with people from different countries and backgrounds, which is super inspiring! Who benefits:With pilot activities happening in 8 Mediterranean regions—some well-known, others a bit under the radar—HERIT ADAPT benefits local communities, tourism professionals, visitors, and of course, the natural and cultural resources of each area. It brings everyone together, helping us tackle big challenges like climate change through teamwork and fresh, innovative ideas. Want to learn more? Check out the project’s page here:👉 https://heritadapt.interreg-euro-med.euYou can also follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn!📧 Get in touch: heritadapt@interreg-euro-med.eu #HERITADAPT #IVYvolunteers #SustainableTourism #ClimateAction #InterregMED – Theodora-Eleftheria, IVY Project Partner at the REGION OF WESTERN GREECE (RWG) – PERIFEREIA DYTIKIS ELLADAS (PED), Development Planning Directorate, Department of Regional Development Incentives, for the Interreg Euro-MED project Herit Adapt
My experience as an IVY: diving into Interreg NEXT MED
Hello everyone! I am Alicia Kerekes, an Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) currently volunteering in the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, Branch Office in Valencia. And I would love to tell you more about it! Firstly, I would like to introduce myself better. I grew up in Spain with Romanian origins, which strongly shaped my values and sparked my interest in international cooperation. It was during my experience as an intern at the Spanish Embassy of Libya (in Tunisia) that I realized I wanted to dedicate myself to enhancing transnational cooperation between Europe and its Southern and Eastern Neighbourhoods. However, after completing my Master’s in International Relations, with a focus on Europe and the Middle East, I felt disconnected from real-world action: I was looking forward to learning more practical skills and tangible ways to contribute to regional cooperation. So, the opportunity to become an IVY reporter in Interreg NEXT MED was perfect! During these months, I was fortunate to learn a lot about the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, thanks to my colleagues. Interreg NEXT MED’s mission is to foster transnational cooperation across the Mediterranean by supporting key joint projects. And why is it particularly valuable? Because it does not only include EU countries, but also countries from the Southern shore of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean region continues to face numerous challenges that transcend borders, from environmental threats and climate change to political instability and social inequalities. These pressing regional issues require true cooperation and dialogue to build a brighter future for the region. And this is precisely what the Programme aims for: joining forces to contribute to a more prosperous, sustainable, harmonious, and resilient Mediterranean. I encourage you to explore the projects that have been funded in the past here and the human stories behind them! As for my tasks, I am in charge of supporting the communication team: from helping with the preparations for the Second Call for Proposals to giving a hand in preparing events, and to contributing to the Programme’s Social Media. My main goal is to increase the visibility of transnational cooperation among young people and encourage their involvement in the Programme. I believe Mediterranean youth are a central component of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and a driving force for positive change in the region, something that should be potentiated. My first months have been really rewarding. I am gaining experience and developing valuable skills in the international cooperation field. Equally important, I have the chance to be part of the Interreg NEXT MED Programme and contribute to a more collaborative Mediterranean region. I am deeply grateful for the IVY opportunity 🙂 – Alicia, IVY Reporter for the Interreg NEXT MED Branch Office for the Western Mediterranean Discover more about Interreg Next Med Click Here
