Being a volunteer for the ENI CBC MED project ENSERES
Hola! I’m Farah Mejri, a 22-year-old Tunisian volunteer participating in the ENSERES project as an IVY volunteer. This incredible initiative stands for “Enhancing Socio-Ecological Resilience in Mediterranean Coastal Areas.” It’s all about tackling the pressures that overexploitation, population growth, governance, and climate change exert on the Mediterranean coastal and marine areas, endangering biodiversity and the Mediterranean lifestyle. Our goal is to promote sustainable practices and protect vulnerable areas while boosting the local economy. To achieve this, we use ecosystem-based management approaches, which strengthen both social and ecological resilience. The ENSERES project implements transformative governance mechanisms and engages communities to improve people’s lives and nature. As part of my role, I’m involved in increasing the project’s visibility and communication on social media. I create visual posters, translate the project’s catalogue and news, and support its overall promotion. It’s truly rewarding to contribute to such a meaningful cause. By sharing my experiences as an IVY volunteer, I aim to raise awareness about the Interreg program and showcase the cooperation within the EU. I’ve gained valuable insights into the EU’s Cohesion Policy, learned about various projects, and witnessed firsthand how they support local communities across Europe. It’s important to spread the word and let others know about the EU’s positive impact in our area. The ENSERES project has a significant mission. Its main goal is to mainstream ecosystem-based management tools in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) processes. It strives to preserve coastal and marine ecosystems, ensuring sustainable livelihoods for coastal urban communities. The project’s beneficiaries include national and local public authorities, Marine Protected Areas stakeholders, civil society organizations, small-scale local companies, national and sub-regional thematic MPA networks, as well as EU and Mediterranean authorities and agencies. Through collaboration and cooperation, project partners work together to implement the necessary changes and achieve our objectives. My involvement in the ENSERES project has been personally rewarding, contributing to my personal growth, skill development, and knowledge about the environment. Attending workshops and witnessing project progress in Sfax has been inspiring. It has also instilled values of solidarity through collaboration with like-minded individuals. Overall, the ENSERES project has provided me with valuable experiences and contributed to my personal and professional development. – Farah, IVY Project Partner for the ENI CBC MED project “ENSERES” at European Topic Centre of the University of Malaga Discover more about the ENI CBC MED project “ENSERES” Click Here Discover more about our host organisation European Topic Centre – University of Malaga Click Here
My first two months as an IVY Volunteer in Slovenia
Hello everyone, or as Slovenes would say, zdravo! My name is Chiara, and I’m from Italy. Currently, I am an IVY Project Partner for the H2MA project from the INTERREG Alpine Space programme. I have been living in Velenje, a small city in the center of Slovenia, for the past two months. My hosting organization is the leading partner of this project, an important energy agency in the country that is focused on the future development of the European green transition. The H2MA project, which stands for “Green Hydrogen Mobility for Alpine Region Transportation,” aims to accelerate the development of green hydrogen mobility infrastructure in the Alpine region. Its goal is to reduce CO2 emissions and promote the transition to low-carbon transport. The project partners represent all the European countries that share the beautiful Alpine area. Through cooperation, strategic planning, and allocation of resources, the project aims to enhance the capabilities of territorial public authorities and stakeholders to collaboratively plan and test zero-emission hydrogen routes across the Alps. The ultimate aim of the project H2MA is to improve the governance of green hydrogen mobility, facilitate the adoption of green hydrogen for heavy transport, unlock green financing opportunities, and strengthen the cooperation framework between public authorities and companies involved in green hydrogen mobility. The project has a duration of three years divided into six periods, and I joined during the second period as an IVY Project Partner. In this role, I support my hosting organization in both internal and external communication aspects of the project. I stay in touch with all the partners, gather updates from them, and share important news on social media platforms to spread awareness about the project. I also participate in monthly online meetings to stay updated and collaborate on the next steps within the consortium. Joining this project has been a meaningful decision for me. Not only does it allow me to acquire new practical skills, but it also immerses me in a completely new environment with new colleagues, a different country, and culture. Overall, I feel enriched from both a professional and a human perspective. After these two months, I have the sense that there is still much more to come. We have two upcoming meetings where I will finally have the opportunity to meet all the partners I have only seen through online video calls. I am eagerly looking forward to it! – Chiara, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Alpine Space project H2MA at Energy Agency of Savinjska, Šaleška and Koroška region (KSSENA). Discover more about the Interreg project H2MA Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Energy Agency of Savinjska, Šaleška and Koroška region (KSSENA) Click Here
My first month as an IVY Project Partner
Hello everyone! My name is Irini and I am an IVY Volunteer at the SEACAP 4 SDG Project from the ENI CBC Med Programme at the University of Patras. It’s been an exciting month since I started as an IVY Project Partner and I am eager to share my experiences. The host organization team welcomed me warmly and informed me in every detail about the project I was going to participate in. SEACAP 4 SDG aims to address climate change adaptation and mitigation challenges in territories surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Specifically, the project focuses on implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in public buildings in France, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Spain and Tunisia. The main goal of SEACAP 4 SDG is to develop a unified strategy and evaluation framework that capitalizes on the results of reference projects, integrating Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans (SE(A)CAP) within a common vision. The project aims to establish uniform and adapted assessment methods and financing approaches to support sustainable development goals in the context of a smart society. In this way SEACAP 4 SDG will largely benefit public administration agents, energy agencies, actors in the building and construction sector and general public. As an IVY Project Partner in SEACAP 4 SDG, there are several roles and activities Ι engage in. I actively participate in collaborative workshops, and discussions, working alongside other project partners to define goals, strategies, and action plans. Also, I contribute my knowledge in areas related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development to find innovative solutions that can benefit the project. Additionally, I assist in the implementation of project activities assigned to the organization, which includes conducting research, collecting data and developing guidelines or frameworks. Moreover, I actively participate in efforts to raise awareness about the importance of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable development. To sum up being an IVY volunteer is an experience that I will remember throughout my life. Even though, it has been only a month that I am involved in this project, I have had the privilege of connecting with individuals from diverse countries and acquiring knowledge that will be a catalyst for my professional growth and development. – Irini, IVY Project Partner for the ENI CBC MED project “SEACAP 4 SDG” at the University of Patras. Discover more about the ENI CBC MED project “SEACAP 4 SDG” Click Here Discover more about our host organisation University of Patras Click Here
How to reinvent the futur of Europe
The main goal of AYCH (Atlantic Creative Youth Hubs) is to improve the cooperation between the Atlantic territories of Europe through the promotion of the youth entrepreneurship. The project is led by five countries (United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Portugal, and Spain) and it aims to exchange ideas and create new synergies that will help build the future of Europe. Us, the young people, are the main actors of this program, and it is up to us to make a difference and a real impact on our future. So far, we have organized different events online and in presence, that basically consist in Hackathons. These competitions provide us with the opportunity to enhance our team-working and intercultural skills, as well as to meet people from other countries and from different backgrounds. In fact, last May we had our biggest meeting in L’ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique, where people from up to 20 nationalities worked in teams for three days, to recreate our urban spaces in a sustainable and healthy way. As for my specific role in the project, I mainly help the Chamber of Commerce of Santiago de Compostela with the organization of the events. I also participate in the encounters as a mentor of the teams, in which my creative and innovative side is challenged. After the events, we make a summary of all the prototypes created by the participants and we offer them the chance to incubate them and make them real, which I believe is a crucial step. If we talk about what I like the most, that will be the creativity involving the process; the interesting ideas that can be created in such a short time just by gathering skills and perspective from such diverse people. This proves that together, different as we are, we can create the future of Europe together. – Sara, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Atlantic Area project “AYCH” at the Chamber of Commerce of Santiago de Compostela. Discover more about the Interreg project AYCH Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Chamber of Commerce of Santiago de Compostela Click Here
My IVY experience in the heart of the European Union
Hello everybody, my name is Julia and since February I am an IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Atlantic Area project “SAFER” within the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) in their Brussels office. Following my Cross-border Cooperation Studies, I wanted to see how projects were implemented and nothing better than to experience it from the heart of the European Union. I am volunteering within the Atlantic Arc Commission for the SAFER project financed by the Interreg Atlantic Area program. SAFER is about Smart Atlantic Seafood Clusters and mainly promotes innovation in the aquaculture sector while also promoting international cooperation. In the project we work with four countries: Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal with some labs also located in Northern Ireland and partners form Canada (New Foundland and Labrador). It is a very interesting project that also shows the importance and resilience of the sector while actively contributing to sustainability. Having the opportunity to volunteer from Brussels has offered me the chance to not only get involved on an EU funded project but to witness the development of legislation that happens at the same time in the institutions. During my time with the SAFER project through the Atlantic Arc Commission, I have had the task of creating a Policy Toolkit with useful policy recommendations that will be taken from the project with regards of the development of Smart Specialisation Strategies and recommendations that can be given to institutions, governments, and regions to pursue the promotion of the seafood sector. Moreover, the project was granted the opportunity to participate in the European Maritime Days, a two-day event during which Europe’s maritime community meet to network, discuss and outline joint action on maritime affairs and sustainable blue economy, that have taken place in Brest. The first day, the project held a workshop, Industry 5.0 towards a responsible seafood sector, for which I had the chance to help with the organization and directly work with the partners. It was an honor to have the chance to experience an event such as this one while promoting such an interesting project. I am looking forward to the rest of my experience and I am very grateful to be able to have this experience. See you soon! – Julia, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Atlantic Area project SAFER at the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) – Atlantic Arc Commission Discover more about the Interreg project SAFER Click Here Discover more about our host organisation CPMR – Atlantic Arc Commission Click Here
Being an IVY Volunteer for BSB CIRCLECON
My name is Despina, I am 23 years old and I’ve been volunteering as an IVY Project Partner for the ENI CBC Black Sea project BSB CIRCECON at European Regional Framework for Cooperation (ERFC) in Athens Greece for 3 months already. This experience is so unique and interesting. I get to participate first hand in the promotion and management of BSB CIRCLECON project. The BSB CIRCLECON project is crucial, as it aims to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and business growth in the Black Sea Basin region through cross-border collaboration and knowledge-sharing. By supporting the development of SMEs and enhancing the competitiveness of the region, the project can contribute to economic growth and job creation, as well as strengthening the overall social and economic development of the area. All this with the main focus being on circular economy. BSB Circlecon is important outside of the EU as it fosters regional development, cooperation, and economic growth, which can have a positive impact on neighboring countries and beyond. Its focus on entrepreneurship and innovation can inspire and benefit businesses worldwide. Hopefully all this information makes you take the next step and apply to become an IVY Volunteer yourself, to get the chance to experience the European cooperation projects offered and promoted by all the partners collaborating within Interreg. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime experience ! – Despoina, IVY Project Partner for the ENI CBC Black Sea project BSB CIRCECON at European Regional Framework for Cooperation (ERFC). Discover more about the Interreg project BSB CIRCLECON Click Here Discover more about our host organisation European Regional Framework for Cooperation Click Here
