My IVY Experience
Hi everyone! I am Effrosyni Maneta, I am from Greece and I’m currently volunteering with MISSION (Multi-modal Inclusive Smart urban mobility SolutIONs) project as part of the Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) programme, at the University of Patras. Given my background and specialization on urban planning, this experience has been a great opportunity to work for a project that supports a greener and climate resilient Adriatic-Ionian region. The MISSION project is part of the Interreg IPA ADRION programme and aims to decarbonize urban transport in the Adriatic-Ionian Region by reducing car dependency and taking advantage of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) that could overcome the structural lack of Mass Rapid Transport infrastructure. It seeks to enhance the attractiveness of public transport by integrating it with sustainable modes like cycling and walking. A key outcome is the development of a SmartApp, co-designed with citizens and stakeholders, to provide information on multimodal travel solutions and improve mobility choices. MISSION brings together a diverse partnership across six countries. These partners include the Politecnico di Milano (Italy) – Lead Partner, PLUSERVICE S.R.L. (Italy), the Municipality of Maribor (Slovenia), the University of Patras / Department of Civil Engineering (Greece), City of Novi Sad-City Administration for Traffic and Roads (Serbia), City of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and the Capital City of Podgorica (Montenegro). As a volunteer, I contribute to the MISSION goal by helping the development of a SmartApp that provides real-time information on integrated travel solutions. The design of the app needs collaborative efforts involving citizens, businesses and public authorities, ensuring it meets the real needs of urban travellers. Through questionnaires and personal communication with stakeholders and organizations, we collect data and review our feedback to enhance its usability and impact. Throughout this experience, I’ve gained insights into the significance of teamwork and the power of collective participation. MISSION benefits commuters, local communities and policymakers by making cities more liveable and transport more efficient. What I like about this project is its focus on effective, technology-based solutions and its emphasis on citizen participation. Working with a diverse group of people is incredibly inspiring and I’m excited to contribute to an initiative that is shaping the future of sustainable urban mobility! Thank you for taking some time to read about my experience! – Effrosyni, IVY Project Partner at University of Patras for the Interrreg Project “MISSION” Discover more about Interreg project “MISSION” Click Here Discover more about Interreg IPA Adrion Click Here
URBANFLOODS: urban communities working together towards flood risk reduction
Hello IVY community! I’m Matteo from Sicily. I’m passionate about European Territorial Cooperation and I love bringing people together to work for a more sustainable future. I studied international cooperation and I have a master in Grant Office Management. I am currently volunteering in Ragusa, Sicily, for my host organisation SVI.MED. Euromediterranean Centre for Sustainable Development. I support them in the URBANFLOODS project, funded by the INTERREG IPA ADRION Programme. URBANFLOODS – “Promoting Urban Resilience Through an Integrated Advanced Decision Support System for Flood Control” started on September 2024. This project seeks to enhance urban resilience to flood risks in the Adriatic-Ionian region through a unified Decision Support System (DSS). Briefly, a DSS is a tool helping actors (in our case municipalities, local and regional authorities, Civil Protection…) to improve their decision-making capabilities, assisting them in making quick and precise decisions, which are vital in emergencies like floods. URBANFLOODS big partnership is composed by 11 partners and 11 associated partners from Albania, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia. The Lead Partner is the University of Western Macedonia, Greece. SVI.MED. is in charge of one the pilot activities for the DSS development, in a torrent that flows between the beautiful cities of Modica and Scicli, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. I definitely encourage to visit them! SVI.MED. is also responsible for URBANFLOODS’ communication so I assist the staff in coordinating these activities (preparing the Communication Plan, managing official website and Social Networks, setting up the Newsletter, engaging communities and stakeholders). SVI.MED.’s staff is composed by high level professionals, they are great in valorising your skills, and helpful. I immediately felt valorised and welcomed. Last November, I have the great opportunity to participate to the Kick-Off Meeting of the Project in Kozani, Greece. Assisting to a KOM is a really valuable experience for those who want to work in project management. It is the first time in which all the partners officially meet, present each other and start paving the way for project activities. SVI.MED. gave me the possibility to proudly present to all partners our territory, in Sicily, which will be the objective of our pilot activities. I have the chance to meet lots of professionals from different countries of the Balkan peninsula. Everybody was really kind with me. We met also in the evening for a fantastic typical Greek dinner. The next day, we visited the Ilarion Lake and its Hydroelectric power plant. Inner Greece is wonderful, with beautiful mountains and fresh air. Ευχαριστώ πολύ, Ελλάδα! The project has just started, but I already feel part of a great community with a great objective. I think this is the best aspect of being an Interreg Volunteer: the consciousness of working for something good, overcoming differences to work together for the wellbeing of our people. In these dark times for international community, European Territorial Cooperation is silently but relentlessly working for a better world. Thanks, IVY! – Matteo, IVY Project Partner at SVI.MED for Interreg proejct URBANFLOODS Discover more about URBANFLOODS Click Here Discover more about SVI.MED Click Here
Reporting from my IVY experience in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
When I first started my volunteering, I already knew a little about the Interreg Programs, but it wasn’t until I started contributing to them through the Regional Council in Nouvelle Aquitaine that I understood their extent and impact. Something to highlight about my host organization is that they take part in four Interreg Programs, therefore I’m lucky enough to be discovering them as well as European cooperation through my IVY Reporter role. So far, I have been participating in two of them: Atlantic Area and SUDOE. The Atlantic Area (AA) covers the western part of the Atlantic Ocean and includes all regions of Ireland and Portugal, as well as several French and Spanish regions close to or on the Atlantic Ocean coast. Due to the AA’s geographical and maritime characteristics, the challenges that it aims to tackle are balanced economic development and climate change. This characteristic, jointly with the coast-hinterland interrelationships, corresponds to the main approach to the Program’s conception. Interreg SUDOE is a European Union funding program to support regional development and cohesion in the regions of south-west Europe. To address the common challenges faced by the SUDOE regions, such as climate change, social cohesion and territorial balance, it supports cooperation projects between entities in the Member States that make up this area. The Programs support public and private entities that act together to build solutions that address the transnational challenges of these vast territories in order to improve the quality of life of citizens. What have I been up to? During this time, I began by getting to know about the Programs and the projects they fund, to understand their main objectives, the principles and the results expected from the cooperation so I can communicate about it. I also had the opportunity to assist in French and cross-border meetings where I could observe how the partners exchange and work together. This has been immensely interesting and helpful to deepen my insight on European cooperation. In addition, I’m currently elaborating summaries of projects for the Atlantic Area Program that will be useful to communicate about them. By participating in this task, I have had the opportunity to know more in detail about the different projects, their goals and discovered the broad themes the Program covers. One of my next missions will consist of creating catalogues with summaries of projects from these Programs to publish via different communication tools and share the results in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. What do I enjoy the most? Getting to see how different cooperation Programs and projects develop is very enriching. This experience is helping me enhance my abilities in communication and knowledge about cooperation. I am also enjoying learning about different projects that I get to contribute to because it can be very inspiring, especially the cultural and climate change ones since those are the topics that I personally like the most. – Ana, IVY Reporter on Interreg Atlantic Area, SUDOE Discover more about Interreg Atlantic Area Click Here Discover more about Interreg SUDOE Click Here
Riding through my IVY experience
Hi guys! I’m Stefanos, I come from Greece and I’m currently spending my 3rd month as an IVY volunteer in the Interreg Europe project «Shared Mobility Action Programmes Exchange – SMAPE». I’ve obtained an Integrated Master in Civil and Transport Engineering and now, with the help of the IVY Programme I can extend my academic experience by working alongside the University of West Attica in Athens, which is my Host Organization. It’s been almost three months since I started my IVY journey through the SMAPE project and, if I’m being honest, it has exceeded my expectations. Volunteering in the scope of organizing project events and material such as questionnaires, requires creative thinking which I am really excited to be doing. Recently, I participated in the organization of an online stakeholder meeting, where mayors from small islands of North Aegean Region were invited to exchange opinions regarding local policy developments of shared mobility. It was a great opportunity to meet and discuss with people from local authorities, aspects of shared mobility. As a whole, the IVY experience is really a chance to get in touch with a concept I’ve never touched on—Shared Mobility, and as you can see I’ve already put it into practice! Due to the transnational aspect of Interreg Europe, I have managed to come across people from various sectors and around different countries of Europe, and I’m really thankful to the UniWA and the IVY team. Both teams have really made my IVY journey remarkable, and I’m sure I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. I’m super excited for what’s to come!! – Stefanos, IVY Project Partner at SMAPE Project under Interreg Europe programme Discover more about Interreg Europe Click Here
My IVY Experience at M.A. Greece Interreg 2021-2027
Hello, I’m Eleni, an “IVY” reporter (volunteer) at the Managing Authority (M.A.) Interreg 2021-2027, based in Thessaloniki, Greece. In the programming period 2021-2027, the M.A. manages five Cross-border Cooperation Programmes, co-bunded by the EU, which are Interreg VI-A IPA Greece- Albania, Interreg VI-A Greece- Bulgaria, Interreg VI-A Greece- Cyprus, Interreg VI-A IPA Greece- North Macedonia and Interreg VI-A IPA Greece- Italy. As an IVY Reporter, I have the opportunity to delve deeper into the Cross-border Programmes, to promote cooperation between Greece and the Programmes’ participating countries. In cooperation with the Μ.Α. Communication Manager, Ms. Symi Pasalidou, I help to communicate and promote the idea of Interreg, in the context of the Post 2027 Consultation, which focuses on the future cohesion policy (post 2027) and, in particular, on the future of Interreg Programmes. To achieve this, in cooperation with the M.A., we designed and implemented surveys for the Interreg Programmes; Greece- Bulgaria, Greece- Cyprus and Greece- North Macedonia, collecting data from stakeholders (organisations and citizens) living in the eligible areas of the Programmes’ participating countries. In an effort to engage youth in the EU cohesion policy, we also targeted young people, as it is essential that they have an effective voice about the future of Interreg in the next programming period 2028-2034, with their fresh and innovative ideas. Through the consultation, I realised how the different target audiences (communities) face common social and economic challenges in the context of cooperation, and what is the impact of such initiatives. In parallel, together with my fellow volunteer, Ms. Eleni Kokkini and the MA Communication manager, we contributed to outreach communication activities. More specifically, we participated in the 88th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), an international event, attracting more than 220.000 visitors, from September 7 to 15, which brings together businesses, organisations and government bodies as well as citizens. At the TIF, we engaged with a wide range of visitors in an effort to raise awareness about Interreg programmes and encourage their participation in the post-2027 consultation. The event was an excellent opportunity to discuss the challenges, barriers and needs of the community. Overall, my volunteer experience has been valuable and I am grateful that both the IVY organisation and the MA Interreg 2021-2027 gave me the opportunity to contribute to fostering cross-border cooperation. This experience has not only allowed me to develop my communication and data analysis skills but has also strengthened my commitment to building a more united and prosperous Europe. Eleni Patlaka, IVY Reporter for the M.A. of Interreg Greece- Bulgaria, Greece- Cyprus & Greece- North Macedonia. Discover more about Managing Authority Interreg 2021-2027 Click Here
Contributing as a Volunteer to the Interreg Europe CEI BOOST Project
The CEI BOOST Interreg Europe project focuses on advancing digital innovations to support the circular economy by fostering collaboration among partners from nine countries. By improving the circular economy and encouraging dynamic cooperation, the initiative seeks to enhance policies for the local, regional, and national implementation of digital tools and processes. By employing innovative digital approaches, the project seeks to bring together diverse stakeholders, including regional government authorities, research institutions, universities, business support organizations, innovation agencies, and technology hubs, to promote sustainable development. Especially, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and France are among the project partners. Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) gain from the project’s emphasis on resource efficiency, waste reduction, and continuous business models, which helps create a more sustainable and cooperative future. The solutions implemented in this framework will contribute to waste reduction, improved resource efficiency, and the promotion of sustainable business models. Participating in the IVY Program as part of this project has been an immensely boosting experience that offered numerous opportunities to actively contribute to its objectives. This volunteering role allowed me to engage in meaningful discussions and contribute to significant tasks. I volunteered closely with stakeholders from the Region of Western Greece and project partners, building connections and raising awareness about the project’s mission and objectives. Through my involvement, I helped generate interest in the project’s efforts to advance digital innovations for the circular economy. It is important to refer my contribution to the meeting that took place among the project’s partners. Particularly, I attended the 9th online PC meeting on November 07, 2024. Moreover, I was involved in preparing the upcoming stakeholder meeting of the project, which will likely take place in January, where good practices from the Region of Western Greece will be presented and discussed with stakeholders. Also, I attended the Webinar on Citizen Science for Policy, on December 10, organized by the Policy Learning Platform. Overall, I was excitedly working with relevant stakeholders to offer perspectives impacting the project’s advancement. In this position, I was able to raise awareness, make connections, and learn more about the project’s goals. – Anastasia, IVY Project Partner at CEI Boost project under the Interreg Europe programme Discover more about the Interreg project CEI Boost Click Here
