My name is Flavie, and I recently completed a six-month Interreg Volunteer Youth placement in Rennes, France, working with the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) on the GRAAL project (Governance and Regional Atlantic Area Lighthouse).

The GRAAL project is a strategic initiative within the Interreg Atlantic Area program as it is the only project in the program officially designated as an “operation of strategic importance” by the European Commission. The project brings together a transnational partnership of 11 main organisations and 15 associated partners from France, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. Our primary mission is to bridge the gap between cooperation project results and public policy by ensuring that successful outcomes from the Atlantic Area are effectively integrated into regional, national, and European strategies.

The project focuses its efforts on five priority thematic areas:

• Renewable marine energy.
• Ocean pollution.
• Climate change adaptation and risk management.
• Nature preservation and protection.
• Sustainable tourism.

It also addresses three essential cross-cutting dimensions: digitalisation and innovation, the circular economy, and governance.

I chose to become an IVY volunteer because I wanted to gain practical, first-hand experience in European cooperation through a high-impact project. Working on GRAAL was the ideal opportunity, especially since it is the only project in the entire program designated as an ‘Operation of strategic importance’.

Spending six months in Rennes with the CPMR placed me at the center of a transnational network involving partners from France, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. I was actively involved in transnational exchanges where I regularly worked in both English and Spanish. I contributed to drafting key project deliverables and gained a thorough understanding of the administrative and management processes essential to Interreg projects.

This experience really opened my eyes to how we can take concrete project results and turn them into actual public policy. Now that my placement has ended, I am determined to build my career in Atlantic cooperation and continue specialising in the field of Interreg.

If you’re looking for an experience that allows you to deepen your understanding of European cooperation while connecting with professionals from across different countries, improving your language skills, traveling, and building meaningful professional expertise, an IVY volunteering placement is an excellent choice and I highly recommend it!