My experience as an IVY at the ALCOTRA programme
When I first started my volunteer role with a cross-border cooperation program, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I knew I’d be assisting with communications, as an IVY Reporter, but the full scale and impact of the work didn’t become clear until I was actively involved. Now, looking back, I can see that, so far, this experience has been incredibly rewarding, both professionally and personally. I am part of the ALCOTRA program, which means « Latin Alps Cross-Border Cooperation ». The program is dedicated to addressing the common challenges that border regions face. These challenges can be quite varied—ranging from environmental and economic issues to social concerns. By funding and supporting local projects, the program aims to create a more connected and inclusive future for communities on both sides of the border. It’s an ambitious mission that requires a lot of coordination, commitment and motivation. One of the projects that truly caught my attention was VéloPluf, which I found especially inspiring for its commitment to both sustainability and inclusivity in promoting sustainable tourism. This project offers families the chance to enjoy nature and spend quality time together, while using eco-friendly transportation like bicycles. In my role, I assist the communications officer with spreading the word about our activities. This includes crafting engaging social media posts, updating websites, and assisting with the planning of online events. Each piece of content I create is a small but important part of a larger effort to keep both beneficiaries and the public informed and engaged. One of the most fulfilling aspects of my job is seeing how effective communication can truly impact a program’s reach and perception. For example, our campaign promoting the online consultation for post-27 successfully broadened our reach and boosted public participation in completing the online questionnaires. It’s incredibly rewarding to see that your involvement and efforts are making a real impact and drawing more attention to the program’s purpose. – Tahiana Olivia, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg Programme France-Italy ALCOTRA Discover more about the Interreg Programme ALCOTRA Click Here
Insights from my IVY Experience at Interreg Central Europe
Hello everyone! My name is Beatrice, and today I’m happy to share with you some insights from my experience as an IVYReporter for the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme in Venice, Italy. Since I embarked on this journey last June, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to dive deep into the world of public administration, thanks to the institution that hosts me, the Veneto Region, which is also the Italian National Contact Point for the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme. From day one, the team and especially my mentor have welcomed me with open arms, guiding me through the daily activities and making me feellike an integral part of this impactful programme. So, what is the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme all about? Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE is a remarkable European transnational cooperation initiative designed to tacklecommon challenges and reduce socio-economic disparities in a region once divided by the infamous “Iron Curtain.” This programme covers nine EU Member States (Northern Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, EasternGermany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland) and has its Programme Management Authority inVienna, Austria. In my daily role, I support the National Contact Point of the Programme by organizing national and local events and communicating the objectives and results of projects through various social media channels. But there’s more! I also have the honor of working on activities related to the post-2027 consultation, particularly through participating in interviews with other IVYs and contributing to the implementation of a CEA. What exactly is a CEA? As the name suggests, a Citizen’s Engagement Activities (CEA) is a local event aimed at informing and involving citizens in an interactive way. But about what, exactly? In line with AEBR’s mission, it focuses on showcasing the achievements of European Regional Policy. In other words, it’s about raising awareness of the benefits that Cohesion Policy brings to local communities and engaging citizens in a dialogue about European Cooperation. My CEA, in particular, aims to highlight the role of youth in European cooperation by encouraging their participation in open discussions and interviews about the future of Interreg. It involves various groups of young people, mainly students and members of non-profit organizations from the Triveneto region(Veneto, Friuli, and Trentino), who might not yet be aware of the projects implemented by Interreg in their area What do I love about this opportunity? What excites me most about this opportunity provided by AEBR is the chance to directly contribute to the organization’s visibility by utilizing my communication, public speaking, and networking skills. For me, this is incredibly valuable because I’m always seeking ways to express my creativity and challenge myself, especially when it involves promoting meaningful initiatives. Although it’s only been a little over two months since I started, I already feel like I’ve grown in many ways. On one hand, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the internal dynamics of both Regione del Veneto and the Interreg programme. On the other hand, I’ve also enhanced my ability to propose ideas and makedecisions, independently and as part of a team, both in the NCP and the IVY Alumni community. I can’t wait to see the results of my project and participate in future initiatives promoted by InterregVolunteer Youth! – Beatrice, IVY Reporter at the Italian National Contact Point of the Interreg Programme Central Europe Discover more about Interreg Central Europe Click Here
My IVY Experience
Hello everyone! I am Evanthia, I am from Greece and for the past few months I’ve been an IVY volunteer on the program SMEOrigin (SMEs and European Original Geographical Indications) in the framework of Interreg Europe. Its main goal is to improve regional development policies and funding programs aiming at increasing the competitiveness of SMEs in the food sector. More specifically, the project has been designed to foster products with a geographical indication (PDO/PGI) in the involved regions by improving the quality standards of SMEs, fostering their digital transformation, and promoting the authenticity of the products. Over these months, my role was to help with the organization of the stakeholder and the interregional meetings as well as the reinforcement of the regional thematic reports. Moreover, through my experience, I have grown interest in the nutritional and health benefits of the main PDO/ PGI of my area. Since I am studying Dietetics & Nutrition I’ m planning on doing my own research on these products like the feta cheese, olive oil, mavrodaphne, resin and bottarga. In this way I hope I will contribute even more to the promotion of these products. Unfortunately, in many areas the geographical indication products and the food sector are either underrepresented or not mentioned at all. By emphasizing an openminded mindset and market interest towards GI food products many can benefit from it. The ones who mainly benefit are the SMEs that produce the PDO/PGIs. Then of course, there is the primary producers like the farmers and fishermen whose product we are promoting and finally a boost to the regional economy is expected. The partners meet once every six months for the official stakeholder meetings. In the meantime, many thematic meetings are organized. Wine and mavrodaphne producers gather, a great example is Oinoxeneia <https://oinoxeneia.gr/>, which is a good practice for SME projects as well – please, take a look at this link: https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/place-branding-and-development-of-aigialeia-wine-region-through-the-quality-network-oinoxeneia My experience has been great so far and I’m excited for the rest of my journey in the IVY program! – Evanthia, IVY Project Partner at the University of Patras for the Interreg project “SMEOrigin”, under the Interreg Europe Programme Discover more about the Project SMEOrigin Click Here
Cohesion policy and Interreg youth projects carried out at the Galicia Europa Foundation
Cohesion policy is the main investment policy of the European Union. It was created to alleviate the great territorial and demographic disparities in the European Union. Historically, the regional dimension was introduced in 1975 with the creation of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and later in 1994 was created, in addition, the Cohesion Fund created especially to solve projects in member states whose economic conditions are lower than the EU average. The cohesion policy currently has guidelines that cover issues present in all regions of the member countries with the aim not only to counteract the inequalities of the regions, but also to achieve greater competitiveness among them, taking into account values such as sustainable development and environmental protection. The Interreg (European Territorial Cooperation) program, designed within the framework of the Cohesion Policy, aims to promote regional development through cooperation between European regions at different levels. Thus, Interreg is articulated around five cooperation axes: cross-border (Interreg A), transnational (Interreg B), interregional (Interreg C), ultraperipheral (Interreg D) and neighborhood (Interreg E). In the Euro-region of Galicia and Northern Portugal, which is where I currently live, more specifically in the Galicia Europa Foundation, an institution in which I collaborate as an IVY volunteer, three INTERREG projects are being developed in the youth area, which I will explain below. Eurocidade 2030 Is consolidated as a transversal cooperation project, as long as it is led and allows the realization of the corporate purpose of a European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) such as the Eurocidade Chaves-Verín. This EGTC is a group of cross-border municipalities with their own legal personality in Spain and Portugal and is responsible for jointly managing local competences with the aim of promoting the institutional, economic, social, cultural and environmental convergence of their entire territory. The project also facilitated the advancement of the strategic plan of the Eurocidade 2030 urban agenda, the strengthening of its web pages, the elaboration of a study to enlarge the eurocidade or the strengthening of elements such as the cycle path, the thermal route or the smuggling route. In short terms, EUROCIDADE_2020 was a cross-border cooperation project that facilitated dialogue between the different actors in the territory of the Eurocity, consolidating cooperation between them, improving the preparation of the Chaves-Verín Eurocity for future challenges. The duration of the project is from January 2023 to December 2024. More information in: https://eurocidadechavesverin.eu/pages/589 Incubtrans The Galicia-North Portugal Euroregion Cross-Border Incubator (Incubtrans) project aims to create a cross-border business incubator for the Galicia-North Portugal Euroregion. The aim of the project is to stimulate and support the sustainable creation of new companies, qualified employment and generate added value in the internal border territory of the Galicia-North Portugal Euroregion. In this way, it is intended to promote cooperation to maximize the use of the endogenous resources of the territory and the development of key initiatives and sectors. How is this carried out? Through technology transfer that allows the development and implementation of new business models for SMEs, particularly in terms of internationalization, contributing to the empowerment of SMEs and the existing industry in accordance with the cross-border smart specialization strategies Galicia-North of Portugal. The duration of the project is from January 2023 to December 2026. Rural Youth Future Project The Rural Youth Future project (Enhancing the role of youth policies in sustainable rural development) aims to boost youth employment and to ensure quality jobs accessible to youth in rural areas. The target audience of this project is youth living in rural areas and facing the problems of poor job quality, unemployment and the digital divide, issues that affect multiple regions in Spain and Europe. The project is interested in promoting sustainable rural development, facilitating the access of youth living in rural areas to new job opportunities. From my experience in the months that I have been collaborating with the Galicia Europa Foundation, I have observed that all the projects that are in place seek to improve the development of the region. More information: https://www.interregeurope.eu/ruralyouthfuture In case of RuralYouthFuture they seek to incorporate knowledge and good practices that are developed and implemented in other countries to incorporate and apply them to benefit local Galician youth. In the case of Eurocidade 2030 and Incubtrans it is about sharing and applying knowledge in wool of the regions (north of Portugal and Galicia) that are part of the project for the better development of industries and training of young people in the local area. I emphasize again the relevance of the INTERREG program and what it represents in the development of projects that have a direct impact on citizenship, providing opportunities and improving communication between cross-border regions. -Agustina Essain Diaz, IVY volunteer at Fundación Galicia Europa for the RuralYouthFuture project.
My Experience as an IVY Reporter for the Italian National Contact Point Interreg Euro-MED
Hello! I am Emirjeta, an IVY Reporter for the Italian National Contact Point (NCP) of Interreg Euro-MED Programme in Florence. I started this journey in May, and from the very beginning it has been immensely enriching. It allowed me to dive into the intricacies of regional cooperation and the EU Cohesion Policy, while working closely with a dedicated and inspiring team. The colleagues at Regione Toscana have been exceptionally welcoming and supportive, which has made my transition into this role smooth and enjoyable. The Interreg Euro-MED Programme The Interreg Euro-MED Programme is dedicated to fostering cross-border cooperation across the Mediterranean. Euro-MED brings together partners from 69 regions across 14 countries (10 EU Member States and 4 IPA countries) on the Northern Mediterranean shore, that have the same unified goal of creating a climate-neutral and resilient society that benefits all its citizens. The mission of the Euro-MED Programme is to build a lasting change in the Mediterranean by making the region smarter, greener, and enhancing governance among its stakeholders. The National Contact Point in Florence Regione Toscana is the Italian National Contact Point (NCP) for the Interreg Euro-MED Transnational Cooperation Program for the 2021-2027 programming period. The role of the NCP in Florence is pivotal in supporting the mission of the Programme, it provides essential information to national potential beneficiaries about the Programme, calls for projects, and the administrative requirements for submitting applications. The NCP also assists beneficiaries during project implementation, facilitating the communication and dissemination of knowledge, experiences, and project results. My experience so far… In my role within the NCP, I have been involved in various activities that have allowed me to contribute meaningfully to the Programme. I am helping with the creation of the Italian website for the Euro-MED Programme, writing short articles on specific topics, and disseminating news on social media. Additionally, I am assisting with the newsletter that will be shared in the following weeks. I have already participated in multiple meetings regarding the Programme and reported on them, gaining valuable insights into the workings of the Interreg Euro-MED. Notably, I have also taken part in very important and formative bilateral meetings organized by the NCP with beneficiaries and project partners. During these meetings, we provide assistance to those seeking help with creating and presenting their projects, as well as offering information and clarifications about the Programme and the various ways they can participate. These interactions have been instrumental in enhancing my understanding of project development and stakeholder engagement. Currently, the 5th call for project applications is open, and I am actively helping the NCP with the organization of the Italian Info day, an informative session for stakeholders and Programme beneficiaries. I am happy about my decision to become an IVY and am very grateful for this opportunity. I have been learning a lot so far, and I hope to continue in this direction. This role is not only enriching me professionally but it is also broadening my perspectives on international cooperation and sustainable development. I look forward to contributing further to the Programme and making a positive impact through my volunteering work. – Emirjeta Ibrahimi, IVY Reporter at the National Contact Point Italy, for the Interreg Programme Euro-MED Learn more about the Interreg Euro-MED Programme Click Here
Building Cooperation Bridges across the Danube: My Experience as an Interreg IVY in Romania-Bulgaria Programme
Greetings, Interreg community! ✨ My name is Kyriakos Kourtidis. I am a recent Master’s graduate in International and European Studies from Thessaloniki, Greece, and currently, I act as an Interreg IVY Reporter for the INTERREG Programme VI-A Romania-Bulgaria, based in Bucharest. My education has provided me with a solid theoretical understanding of the EU’s Economic, Social, and Territorial Cohesion Policy. Within this framework, having the intention to deepen my understanding and gain more experience in European Territorial Cooperation, I decided to join an Interreg Programme as an IVY Reporter. About the Programme The Interreg VI-A Romania-Bulgaria Programme supports the development of the cross-border areas, in Romania and Bulgaria by financing joint projects. What is the Programme’s main goal? The programme aims to enhance the cooperation between the two bordering countries, Romania and Bulgaria, with the goal to help the border areas overcome their similar development challenges. Who benefits from it? Under the Interreg Programme, people living in the border area between Romania and Bulgaria benefit from enhanced cross-border cooperation by working together on common challenges. This includes effective information exchange, improved accessibility across the frontier, flood prevention measures, risk management plans, preservation of natural assets 🌿, and tourism promotion, among other initiatives. My activities as an IVY As an Interreg IVY Reporter, I am hosted by the Managing Authority of the Interreg Romania-Bulgaria Programme together with another IVY, with whom we are based in the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, in Bucharest. As an IVY, my activities include: (1) Designing creative campaigns on social media in order to improve the Programme’s visibility and to increase stakeholder’s engagement. Notably, we launched a communication campaign with weekly Facebook posts, aiming to inspire interested parties to send their project proposals under the “Call for Proposals – An Educated Region”. 🎓 (2) Writing articles for the website/social media related to the programme’s and projects events, as well as communicating other aspects of the programme implementation. 💻 (3) Supporting the preparation, organization and communication of the public consultations on the future of Cohesion Policy for Interreg Programmes, post 2027. One notable mention of such an activity would be the consultation session with students at the Law Faculty of Craiova ⚖. Our team comprising of two Managing Authority representatives and the two of us IVYs Reporters presented to the students the Interreg Programme, informed them about the cross-border area and collected their views for the future development of the border area. Last but not least, taking the opportunity of this event, we the IVYs presented the IVY initiative, shared our experience with the young students 👨🏻👩🏻 and encouraged them to similarly embrace the Interreg Volunteer Youth initiative. (4) Taking part and supporting the Programme’s events. One very recent and relevant example of such an event was the kick-off meeting of the DISMAR project that took place in Ruse, Bulgaria. The DISMAR project is one of the strategic projects of the programme, which aims to enhance the safety of navigation and efficiency on the common Romanian-Bulgarian sector of the Danube River. 🌊 🚢 Don’t hesitate to follow the updates of the programme on Facebook, LinkedIn and the website. My two months experience as an IVY was complimented by my participation to the EUs Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days, 2024, which took place in Brussels. In this event, I and other IVYs, acting as representatives of the initiative, presented to relevant stakeholders the possibility for them to host Interreg volunteers, as well. Most importantly, Interreg IVY offered me the opportunity to gain ownership of EU policies and contribute to EU cooperation. In conclusion, if I may paraphrase the final remark of Commissioner Elisa Ferreira during the Macro-Regional Strategy Days: we, the European youth, adhering to the value of cooperation – Europe’s birth certificate – should be proud of this, do it well, and make it visible! – Kyriakos, IVY Reporter for the Managing Authority Interreg Romania-Bulgaria Learn more about the Interreg Romania – Bulgaria Programme Click Here
