My eventful IVY-experience
Hey! I am Klara and currently an IVY-reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg Flanders – the Netherlands. The team was very welcoming, open and warm (even when the heating didn’t work for a moment 😉 ). I felt immediately part of the team! Last week there was the New Year’s dinner and that was quite a memorable evening! I started at Interreg in full closing event period which was really nice, because then there’s a lot to do. There were lots of interesting events planned! My first week I went to two events already: Care2Adapt (about tackling the growing staff shortage in the health sector) and C-4CE (about circular economy)! The latter was in Breda and there I met Krusha, the other IVY-reporter at Interreg Flanders – the Netherlands, for the first time. Since then we’ve been going to several events together and these are always even more fun! After those first closing events during my first week at Interreg, many more followed. Not all of them were in my area of expertise, but all the more interesting to learn about them. There are four main topics, namely strengthening innovation, support for energy efficiency and renewable energy, protecting the environment and supporting labor mobility. For instance, I learned about bio-based non-isocyanate polyurethane (short ‘BioNIPU’) and about offshore seaweed cultivation (‘Wier & Wind’) and the interesting applications of seaweed, including seaweed chips (really yummy!). Other projects dealt with corrosion research (‘Praktijklab Corrosie & Isolatie’), retention in the healthcare sector (‘Blijf aan Z’) and challenge-based learning (‘G.R.A.M.’), to name a few more. You learn a lot about all kinds of projects, relevant social and scientific topics and you meet a lot of people. So far, this new IVY adventure has been very interesting and fun! I am very excited for the rest of this experience! – Klara, IVY Reporter at Joint Secretariat Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland. Discover more about our host organisation Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland Click Here
Cooperation goes far beyond mountains
Hello! My name is Marina, and I just completed two months as an Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) Reporter in the Joint Secretary of Interreg Program V-A Spain-France-Andorra (POCTEFA) in Jaca, Spain. An European program for cross border cooperation at the frontier between France, Spain and Andorra, which aims to reinforce the economic and social integration of the area and to promote sustainable development, thanks to the financial support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). From the moment I stepped into the building, I felt really welcomed by my fellow Interreg Volunteers and colleagues. They introduced me to the charming town of Jaca, and the functioning of the Interreg programme. During the different meetings I participated in and the tasks I performed, I found myself really integrated in the team and I learned a lot about the working stages of what it takes to launch an European funding programme geared towards the improvement of the living conditions for the population in the cross-border area. During these two months, I took part in several working groups, in which both spanish, french and andorran regions debated to build the next call for cross border projects POCTEFA 2021-2027. In addition to that, I worked on different documents intended for the next programme 2021-2027, I translated press releases and other official documents and also helped with the financial side of the programme. I believe the IVY Volunteer Programme is an excellent opportunity to get immersed in a mostly unknown part of European Cooperation. It opens you up to a lot of interesting professionals in diverse fields, as well as different perspectives on cooperation. – Marina, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg France-Spain-Andorra (POCTEFA) Discover more about our host organisation Interreg France Spain Andorra (POCTEFA) Click Here
Diving deep into the world of Territorial Cooperation – my first month as an IVY Reporter
Hello everybody! My name is Sara, I come from Italy and in the beginning of December 2022 I started my IVY experience as an Interreg Reporter at the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg CBC Italy – Croatia Programme in Venice. The Programme area comprises 25 Italian provinces and 8 Croatian counties overlooking the Adriatic sea and it aims to efficiently address their common challenges. More specifically, the Programme enables regional and local stakeholders from Italy and Croatia to exchange knowledge and experiences, develop and implement pilot actions, test the feasibility of new policies, products and services and to support investments. As soon as I arrived to the office, I was warmly welcomed by the Venice staff with whom I have been actively cooperating. Furthermore, in the first weeks of January the staff of the JS Antenna which normally works from Zadar came to Venice and, on such occasion, I have also had the pleasure of meeting them and working with them in person. During the past month I have had the opportunity to really dive into and contribute to the work carried out by the JS. My main IVY task consists in the collection and categorization of all outputs produced by projects financed during the 2014-2020 programming period in order to foster their effective communication to potential beneficiaries and to the general public in the months to come. Besides that, my everyday activities range from helping colleagues with minor communication activities to being involved in the development some of the contents which will soon be published by the Programme. I am enthusiastic about what I managed to achieve in such a short period of time and I cannot wait to see what the next months as an IVY Reporter have in store for me! – Sara, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg Italy – Croatia Programme Discover more about our host organisation Interreg Programme Italy-Croatia Click Here
My Belgian experience at Interreg – an eventful adventure!
Hi! Krusha here, with an official update on my Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) Reporter experience. I had just turned 23 when I started in November 2022, and it has been a little over a month since I had my first day at the office in Antwerp, Belgium, at Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland. So far I have joined a ton of events on a weekly basis, and I can say that it has been a very educational few weeks. Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland strives towards a greener, more social and smarter Europe without borders. The projects that are subsidized by Interreg are all relevant for the environment, labor mobility, innovation, energy and sustainable growth. The closing events I have joined so far were all very interesting, examples of these are the ‘GHLOBO project’ (a more practical education for logistics students and the highlighted role of internship allowances), ‘Lerend Netwerk Biobouwers’ (the use of biobased materials for biobuilding, targeted towards the construction sector and its students), and ‘GREENER’ (the making of microplastics that are sustainable and biodegradable, and for instance used for prostheses). Some of the projects are definitely beyond my field of expertise and knowledge, but luckily I am not the only IVY Reporter at Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland. I am also accompanied by Klara Boghaert, who joined us one week after my start in Antwerp. Klara and I have gone to several events together, which made the writing of blog articles and the understanding of the projects easier and more fun. Our horizons have been broadened by working together. This experience so far has clearly taught me the finer things about topics I was not very familiar with before, and I have also gained some new skills through being an IVY Reporter. I personally did my bachelor’s in political sciences (at the Catholic University of Leuven) and my master’s in international relations and diplomacy (at the University of Antwerp), and I really wanted to gain some more experience in communications and journalism, which Interreg has definitely given me the opportunity to do so. Everyone I work with has been extremely kind and welcoming, and I would highly recommend a volunteering experience like this one, since you make new connections and you learn a lot about topics you might not be familiar with. I am excited for 2023 and the new Interreg projects it will bring! Until then, – Krusha, IVY Reporter at Joint Secretariat Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland. Discover more about our host organisation Joint Secretariat Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland Click Here
My first month as an IVY volunteer
Hello everyone!! My name is Mattia, I am Italian, and I am an IVY volunteer at the Managing Authority Interreg RO-BG – Romania-Bulgaria. It has been a month since I started my experience here in Romania, and I am already enthusiastic about my contribution and the tasks I am carrying on. The program I volunteer with is “Interreg VI-A Romania-Bulgaria,” which focuses on supporting the development of eligible border areas in Romania and Bulgaria. The program aims to create a “bridge” between the two countries to help border areas overcome similar development problems by encouraging people to cooperate, exchange information, and benefit from better access to the border. Previous Next As soon as I stepped foot inside the Managing Authority, I was welcomed into a warm and friendly working environment where employees work hard to ensure cross-border cooperation activities are successful. During this first month, I am learning a lot about cross-border cooperation since I do many things with the host organization, from supporting my colleagues in their activities to participating in conferences and communication workshops. By this point, I’ve found the experience exciting and beneficial, and I hope, in the coming months, to meet new people and face new challenges that will make me grow and allow me to enrich my personal and cultural background. – Mattia, IVY Reporter at the Managing Authority Interreg Romania-Bulgaria Discover more about our host organisation Interreg Programme Romania – Bulgaria Click Here
My first month as an IVY Reporter at Interreg ALCOTRA
Hello! My name is Sara, I’m Italian and since the end of October 2022 I have been volunteering as an IVY Reporter at Interreg ALCOTRA. ALCOTRA stands for Alpes Latines COopération TRAnsfrontalière and is a European cross-border cooperation programme covering the Alpine territory between France and Italy. Endowed with €182,33 million from the European Regional Development Fund for the period 2021-2027, ALCOTRA supports projects and initiatives in line with these five main goals: revitalising the economy of the ALCOTRA area, tackling environmental challenges, addressing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, testing new ways of territorial cooperation and overcoming cross-border obstacles. Based at the Joint Secretariat in Turin, I support the Programme communication run by the Managing Authority, Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. During my first month, I mainly supported the team in the organisation of the ALCOTRA 2021-2027 Launch Event, which took place on the 28th and 29th of November in Courmayeur (Italy) and Chamonix (France). Around the same time, I had the chance to attend a three-day seminar in Lyon and Chambéry aimed at encouraging team building and networking among the personnel of the Managing Authority and the Joint Secretariat. It was a great opportunity for me to introduce myself to those working in Lyon and to become better acquainted with those from Turin. By the way, in this IVY adventure at ALCOTRA, I’m not alone: the programme is hosting another volunteer in Lyon, Lavinia, who is involved in the activities of the Youth Council. So far, this experience has been very enriching. In such a short time, I have learned a lot about Cohesion Policy, Interreg, cross-border cooperation and experimented how local communities are truly impacted by the projects implemented on both sides of the French-Italian border. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next few months! – Sara, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg France-Italy ALCOTRA Discover More About Interreg Programme France-Italy ALCOTRA Click Here
