I’m Flavia, a volunteer in the CO2 PACMAN project. I’m physically located in my own country, Italy, but I’m mentally throughout the Mediterranean! The project, in fact, aims to decarbonize Mediterranean islands, with Brac, Crete, and Elba serving as pilot sites. Partners from seven countries are working together toward this goal, driven by a fundamental principle: a shared sense of responsibility and commitment to community values that unites and strengthens these efforts. This is also what drives me, or I should say us, as volunteers. We work together, never alone, to build a shared future, and through instruments like Interreg, I’ve come to realize the incredible potential we hold in our hands.
From the beginning of my volunteering experience, my mentor’s priority has been to involve me in meetings and activities, allowing me to understand directly how the project works and what it means to engage with the project partners. This has given me a comprehensive understanding of roles, responsibilities and opportunities – an invaluable experience considering my deep interest in European affairs.
One of the greatest moments of my journey was to participate in the project’s “Rooting Lab” in Elba and Florence, a three-day event which I partly helped to organize. Here, project partners met local businesses, authorities, and citizens to discuss concrete strategies for the ecological transition. Attending this event was incredibly enriching: it allowed me to interact with some of the stakeholders and understand the locals’ different perspectives on decarbonization. A key part of CO2 PACMAN is citizen engagement, and I had the privilege of contributing by inviting Silvia Moroni, a sustainability expert and advocate, well known in Italy for her project “Parla Sostenibile”. In Portoferraio (Elba), she brought people together in an engaging discussion that made sustainability relatable and accessible.
Being surrounded by such motivated individuals and promising discussions, I truly felt like an active citizen, advocating for the project’s goals of decarbonization and sustainability. This has not only reinforced my commitment to climate action but also deepened my connection to the European vision of cooperation. I also feel incredibly lucky to be hosted by the Ecodynamics Group of the University of Siena, a multidisciplinary team of researchers dedicated to building a prosperous, and at the same time sustainable, society. Being part of this environment has made my experience even more inspiring!
Among the things I’m most proud of is the realization of a podcast episode that I recorded within the already existing podcast “CO2 PACMAN”. You can listen to it here to learn more about my volunteering experience and the project itself – it is available in Italian too. Through this, I hope to inspire listeners and young people to embrace the power of cooperation. Additionally, I contributed developing an educational board game designed to engage high school students in exploring strategies to reduce CO2 emissions in an entertaining way. In particular, I designed the game board’s graphics and I tested gameplay mechanics with a team responsible for the activities to be carried out with the students. The game has then proven to be an effective tool for educating and involving young people.
I think every small contribution I made helped advance IVY’s mission of fostering youth engagement in European cooperation projects. Looking back on these months as a volunteer, I see how much this experience has shaped me. It has given me the chance to contribute, learn, and connect with amazing people.
– Flavia, IVY Project Partner for Interreg Project CO2 Pacman at University of Siena
