Month: April 2024

Hi! I’m Chiara, a 22-year-old Italian IVY volunteer for the Interreg ALCOTRA project “Observ’alp” at Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, and here’s a glimpse of what I’ve experienced up to now. It all began with my decision to take a year off from my studies to focus on my future career steps and gain firsthand experience in the world of work. Opting to dedicate six months with IVY seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the most of the skills acquired during my university bachelor’s degree in political science, while also deepening my understanding of cross-border cooperation and project management at European level. Additionally, I was looking for an opportunity to live in a country other than my own, so I could immerse myself in an entirely new setting as well as improving a foreign language. Over the past three months, I have been volunteering at the Funding and Projects Department of the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, nestled in the stunning heart of the French Riviera. As an IVY volunteer, my primary focus has been on one specific project named Observ’Alp. At its core, Observ’Alp aims to address the challenges faced by cross-border territories of France, Italy, and the Principality of Monaco. How? By establishing a system for territorial data sharing and digital services. The processed data will cover many critical areas that significantly impact life on both sides of the border, ranging from mobility and employment to natural hazards and biodiversity. This cross-border observation system, first of its kind in this area, will hopefully contribute to a better understanding of the needs of the territory as a whole and the needs of its citizens. As an IVY project partner, I support my colleagues in the implementation of the project with a focus on communication, working both in French and Italian. What really gets me excited about my role is how I get to dive into different tasks and constantly learn new things about Cohesion Policy and on how EU cooperation works. My favorite parts? Definitely the opportunity to attend meetings and events with other project partners, the dynamic and youthful environment among my coworkers, and the chance to connect with other IVY volunteers here in Nice. In conclusion, This experience has been incredibly rewarding because it has not only broadened my perspectives, but also made me aware of the numerous possibilities and realities that exist within the EU. IVY volunteering is proving to be an incredible opportunity, and I definitely suggest it to anyone who wants to take their first steps in the field of cooperation! – Chiara, IVY Project partner for the Interreg ALCOTRA  project Observ’Alp at Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur Discover more about the Interreg project Observ’Alp Click Here Discover more about the host organization Click Here

As of right now, I have just finished my first three months volunteering in the Interreg Euro-MED Joint Secretariat in Marseille. These three months of learning and contributing in the best way possible to the Euro-MED programme have been truly one-of-a-kind experiences for me. In this blog article, I would like to share what Interreg Euro-MED does and what I have learned in these 3 months. First things first, let me start by introducing myself. I am Fahrettin from Turkey. I have two Bachelor’s. One in International Relations and one in English Language Teaching. Especially the first one is the reason why and how I started learning about what Interreg is and what it does.  After studying International Relations and getting to know the European Union, I learned that interregional cooperation is at the very core of what makes Europe, Europe.  Interregional cooperation between municipalities, regions, and countries turns the ideas in our minds into a reality that impacts people in everyday life.  That was why I decided to volunteer in this programme in the first place. In the Interreg Euro-MED programme, we have 4 different areas of missions: Green Living Areas Natural Heritage Innovative Sustainable Economy Sustainable Tourism As Joint Secretariat, our main tasks are to coordinate and provide the related information, assess project applications, and support partners in these 4 different missions. To provide and coordinate the related information, like the application dates of the calls and reach out to programme documents, we have a great Communications team. And that’s where I volunteer and try to contribute as much as I can. Using our social media channels and website, we create effective social media posts, write news articles to announce details, help out the projects in technical ways, and many many more. I believe these three months have been a great learning experience for me and I am glad to have gotten this opportunity to see how interregional cooperation is happening first-hand. If you are also interested in what my programme does, here are some links for you to read further: https://interreg-euro-med.eu/en/  https://interreg-euro-med.eu/en/what-we-do/ – Fahrettin, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg Euro-MED Discover more about Interreg Euro-MED programme Click Here

My name is Laura, I am from Spain and I am an IVY Volunteer for the project Atlantic Innoblue Comunities “ATLIC” at the Chamber of Commerce of Santiago de Compostela. My volunteering experience began four months ago. During this time as an IVY volunteer I have acquired numerous insights and forged new relationships. Furthermore, this experience has enabled me to understand and witness first hand how various initiatives of the European Union can aid others and encourage Young people to actively participate in society, while also facilitating their transition into the world of work. This is a unique experience that I would definitely recommend to anyone, as it provides great learning and a fresh perspective on challenges that surround us. The project in which I specifically participate “ATLIC” involves partners from Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain. The objective it seeks to achieve is for young people to come up with new ideas and start businesses in the blue economy of the Atlantic Area. The main goal is to create a test community, the “Atlantic Innovation Blue Community”. As an IVY my involvement encompasses various roles and activities. I engage proactively, working alongside the other project partners and I contribute in the execution of project activities assigned to our organization, gaining also insight into the implementation of the different project phases. Within our role, we also aim to raise awareness about the meaning and significance of the objectives of the project in which we participate. The inclusion of volunteers and diverse young individuals in these projects is an indispensable factor for their success, as their ideas and innovative viewpoints are of great value in achieving the sought-after objectives. It is also the best way to bring young people from different countries together to forge friendships, thereby achieving a higher level of cooperation. – Laura, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Atlantic Area project “ATLIC” at Chamber of Commerce of Santiago de Compostela Discover more about the Interreg project ATLIC Click Here Discover more about our host organisation GAL Valli di Lanzo, Ceronda e Casternone Click Here

Hello everyone! My name is Daniele Sabato and I want to share with you all my experience as an IVY Volunteer who is supporting the Adriatic Ionian Euroregion (AIE) in Campobasso (Italy) in the implementation of the Community4Tourism project. The project has been financed by the 2021-2027 Interreg Euro-MED funding programme and it will last from January 2023 until September 2029 (!) The Euro-MED programme covers 69 regions of 14 countries from the Northern shore of the Mediterranean and focuses on 4 main missions: 1) strengthening an innovative sustainable economy; 2) protecting, restoring, and valorising the natural environment and heritage; 3) promoting green living areas; 4) enhancing sustainable tourism. The programme supports two kinds of projects, transversal Governance Projects and Thematic Projects addressing specific priorities. For each mission, there are two governance projects: a Thematic Community project and an Institutional Dialogue project. COMMUNITY4TOURISM Community4Tourism is the Thematic Community governance project that has been selected for the Mission 4, “Sustainable Tourism,” and as such its main goal is to facilitate exchanges and synergies among the corresponding Thematic Projects and enhance the value, outreach, and transferability of their results to other territories or stakeholders. The Adriatic Ionian Euroregion (AIE) is a network constituted as an association of 33 members (Regional and Local governments from Italy, Greece, Croatia, BiH, Montenegro, and Albania) for the promotion of transnational cooperation between regions and local authorities. In particular, AIE leads the Community4Tourism’s second Work Package, “Transferring,” creating the conditions for transferring and mainstreaming best practices and tools to other beneficiaries in the Adriatic Ionian (EUSAIR) Area. It will also act as the contact partner for the Result Amplification Strategy and be involved in the third Work Package, “Coordination,” for the activities to be performed in the EUSAIR area. In November 2023, Community4Tourism welcomed the first round of thematic projects (TPs) that will operate as part of the Sustainable Tourism Mission. C4T is currently organising the first Kick-off Meeting (KOM) of the Community of Projects of Sustainable Tourism Mission, which will meet in Rome on the 10th and 11th of April 2024. The event will be the occasion to welcome new projects to the Community, start building connections, and finding synergies, share Community4Tourism’s plans and strategies to support the projects’ activities, the transferring and capitalisation of their results; and organise the 1st Annual Meeting of the Mediterranean Clusters, one of the project’s central proposals to fulfil its main objectives. As an IVY Volunteer, I have been helping the AIE team in the daily management of the project and in its role as the thematic coordinator for the MED cluster “Innovation,” one of the key actions of the work package “Transferring.” Therefore, I have been gathering information from the various relevant TPs and contributing to the organisation of the KOM. The experience so far has been very engaging and interesting and I look forward to continue supporting AIE and C4T for the rest of my stay! – Daniele S., IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Euro-MED project “Community4Tourism” at the Adriatic Ionian Euroregion Discover more about Community4Tourism project Click Here Discover more about the host organization Click Here

Hello everyone! I am Carlota, I am 29 years old and I am a project partner of the interreg project “Rural Youth Future” in the offices of the General Directorate of Youth, Participation and Volunteering (DXXPV) of Xunta de Galicia since January 2024. The DXXPV is my host organization, and is also the regional government department responsible for the development of programs, initiatives and actions to address the needs of young people in Galicia. “Rural Youth Future” is a project that arises in response to the great challenge posed by the depopulation and aging of rural areas. Its main objective is to improve the effectiveness of youth employment policies for sustainable rural development. The project focuses on 6 policy instruments at the municipal, regional and national levels to address the common challenge of responding to the needs of youth in rural territories. It aims to identify and promote actions that generate youth employment opportunities and increase the skills and competencies of young people in rural areas. The different project partners come from 7 European countries: Spain, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Lithuania, Portugal, Estonia and Belgium. They all follow an integrated partners approach based on the participation of all and their Local Stakeholders Groups (LSG) in different activities at inter-regional and regional level. For example, study visits to the countries that are part of the project, which allows them to observe good practices in other territories and promote communication between partners and stakeholders. The project has financing of 1.6 million euros, under the Interreg Europe Program, co-financed with FEDER funds. My role is to support the project in terms of communication by providing ideas and suggestions to increase the visibility and success of the cooperation. I can say that as a result of this experience I am acquiring new skills and competencies, while learning about the benefits of cooperation in the EU. And most importantly, encouraging other young people to do it too! – Carlota S.Á., IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Europe project “RuralYouthFuture” at Xunta de Galicia Discover more about the RuralYouthFuture project Click Here Discover more about the host organization Click Here

My name is Ambre Badiqué. I am currently doing a volunteering experience as an Interreg Project Partner under the AEBR’s IVY programme with the NGO SMILO (Small Islands Organisation) in Marseille. As part of my academic studies, I did a double degree with TBS Education and Sciences Po Toulouse to obtain a Master’s in Management and a Master’s in European Affairs.   Since January this year, I have been working for SMILO, an NGO that supports small islands around the world in the sustainable management of their resources and the protection of their environments, both marine and terrestrial, through 5 areas: waste, water & sanitation, energy, biodiversity and landscape. I am responsible for following up the Dialogue4Nature (D4N) project, which is an institutional dialogue project under the European Interreg Euro-Med programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the cohesion policy. As a reminder, Interreg Euro-Med is a European Territorial Cooperation Programme which aims to make the Mediterranean region “smarter”, “greener” and to improve governance between its stakeholders. The 7-year budget for this programme is 294 million euros. 14 countries on the northern shore of the Mediterranean are taking part: 10 EU Member States and 4 countries benefiting from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance. The programme is divided into 4 missions: Strengthening the innovative sustainable economy Protecting, restoring and enhancing the natural environment and our heritage Promoting green living areas Improving sustainable tourism   The projects financed under this programme are either thematic projects directly linked to the 4 missions above or governance projects which are community or institutional dialogue projects and which oversee the thematic projects.   The D4N project aims to optimise the transfer and integration of the results of the 13 thematic projects selected for the Interreg Euro-Med mission “Protecting, restoring and enhancing the natural environment and our heritage” into public policies and practices. Within the framework of the project, the NGO SMILO is an associate partner of Plan Bleu, which is a partner in the D4N project. Plan Bleu is working alongside the Region of Crete, which is the project’s lead partner, as well as the IUCN, MedCities, the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, the Marine Institute in Croatia and the Ministry of Ecology, Planning and Urban Development in Montenegro. The 13 thematic projects are divided into three types: 3 study projects, 8 test projects and 2 transfer projects. They meet 2 specific objectives of the programme. There are 5 projects O.S 2.4: Promote adaptation to climate change and disaster risk prevention, resilience, taking into account nature-based approaches (priority “A greener Mediterranean”) and there are 8 projects O.S 2.7: Strengthen the protection and conservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reduce all forms of pollution. (Priority for a greener Mediterranean). In order to analyse how SMILO could support Plan Bleu in this institutional dialogue project, the first thing to do was to look at the issues addressed and the link with SMILO, so as to be able to contribute actively to the D4N project.   The 6 areas are the following: Managing the risks associated with the effects of climate change, Protecting and restoring the marine environment Reducing human pressures on coastal zones Solutions and tools for wetlands Forest management Soil carbon capture   Of the 6 topics, the first 3 are dealt with by SMILO as part of its work with the islands in its network. Under the topic of “managing the risks associated with the effects of climate change”, the projects deal with drought, flooding, rising sea levels and fires. These are risks on which SMILO is working with the islands in its network, as they are highly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change and need to develop resilience. It could therefore be interesting to discuss these projects with their managers in order to exchange best practice, to see what has already been put in place on the SMILO islands and to see how the specific nature of islands can be integrated into their projects.   Under the theme of “protecting and restoring the marine environment”, projects focus on marine protected areas (MPAs) and Posidonia meadows. Many of the SMILO islands have MPAs. We will therefore be able to contribute to the project on these areas.   Finally, with regard to the topic of “Reducing human pressures on coastal areas”, one project focuses on the sustainability of ports, an element that is always present in our islands. Increased collaboration between the stakeholders of this project and SMILO will therefore be relevant.   At the moment, the 13 thematic projects are only just beginning, and so is D4N. In order to promote the integration of results into public policies, the stakeholders in the 13 projects will soon be brought together in 4 working groups, namely “Conservation by area”, “Adaptation to climate change and mitigation”, “Assessment of the socio-economic value of biodiversity” and “Ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions”. I will be taking part in these groups to see how SMILO can make its contribution by integrating issues relating to island territories into the discussions. – Ambre, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Euro-MED project “Dialogue4Med Nature” at the Small Islands Organisation (SMILO) Discover more about the Interreg project Dialogue4Med Nature Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Small Islands Organisation – SMILO Click Here