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It has been two months since I assumed the role of IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat POCTEFA as part of the Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) Program. The Joint Secretariat POCTEFA is located in Jaca, a small town in the heart of the Pyrenees, which will be my home until the end of May. Interreg POCTEFA is a European cross-border territorial cooperation program between Spain, France, and Andorra. POCTEFA’s main aim is to expand the economic and social integration of this area by co-financing cross-border cooperation projects lead by actors from both sides of the Pyrenees and from the coastal areas participating in the Program. Over the past two months, I have acclimated to a new professional environment while gaining insights into European funding and cooperation. My primary contributions have been in the Communication and Finances department, working both in Spanish and French. Thus far, this experience has proven to be a noteworthy professional journey, introducing me not only to the realm of European cooperation but also demonstrating the practical and beneficial impacts of European funds on the daily lives of inhabitants of the area. Regarding the latter, I recently assisted to the opening of the Centro de interpretación del Camino de Santiago in Jaca as part of the Jacob@ccess project co-financed by Interreg POCTEFA during the period 2014-2020. This project aims to make the Camino de Santiago accessible to people with physical and mental disabilities and represents one of the multiple examples in which European funds and cooperation help to improve the quality of life of the area’s inhabitants. I would also like to highlight that as part of my participation on the IVY Program, I was recently invited by the Interact Program to share my experience as an IVY Reporter during the XVIII Jornadas of the CIPFP Ausiàs March in València. Throughout the day, representatives from various European initiatives and opportunities provided information to young attendees about mobility opportunities in Europe. Having the opportunity to inspire young students and future leaders filled my heart as I strongly believe that Interreg is an exceptional program that deserves broader recognition. – Marina Alda L., IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg Spain-France-Andorra POCTEFA Discover more about Interreg POCTEFA Click Here

The CEI BOOST Interreg project represents a strategic initiative aimed at harmonizing the twin transitions towards green growth and digital transformation across Europe. By aligning regional policies with EU objectives such as the Green Deal and the Digital Agenda, the project seeks to drive sustainable economic development. At its core, CEI BOOST focuses on enhancing policies and fostering the application of emerging digital innovations to support the growth of the circular economy. This involves collaborative efforts among diverse stakeholders, including policymakers, industry leaders, and innovation ecosystem actors, to improve policy conditions and promote the adoption of circular business models through digitalization. Through a comprehensive approach, CEI BOOST aims to strengthen regional digital and circular innovation ecosystems, particularly in non-metropolitan, rural, and emerging regions. By investigating, testing, and adapting intervention approaches, the project seeks to address challenges and optimize resource use within industries. Partnerships play a crucial role in the project’s success, with knowledge exchange, testing, and adaptation, as well as policy advocacy, forming the basis of collaboration among project partners. Ultimately, the project benefits regions, industries, businesses, and policymakers by enhancing competitiveness, fostering economic growth, and contributing to the overall coherence and sustainability of regional economies. As a volunteer for the CEI BOOST project, I have been actively involved in advancing the project’s objectives through various initiatives. One notable engagement was my participation in the Patras IQ Event, where I manned a dedicated kiosk aimed at disseminating information about the project. Through this role, I had the opportunity to raise awareness and engage with attendees, fostering connections and garnering interest in the project’s goals. Additionally, I have been committed to attending stakeholder meetings, where I actively engage with relevant parties and contribute to discussions aimed at shaping the project’s direction. Furthermore, my involvement extended to the creation of a comprehensive questionnaire designed to gather valuable feedback from stakeholders, ensuring their perspectives are incorporated into project planning. Overall, my volunteer efforts have been instrumental in driving the CEI BOOST project forward, facilitating meaningful dialogue, and enhancing its impact within the community. – Odysseas K., IVY Project Partner at “ATHENA Research Center / Industrial Systems Institute” for the Interreg Europe project CEI BOOST Discover more about the Interreg project CEI BOOST Click Here Discover more about Host Organization ATHENA Research Center / Industrial Systems Institute Click Here

Hi there, I am María Belén Benzaquén, an Italian Argentinian. I started my journey as IVY in the “Dialogue 4 Living Areas” project two months ago. Since then, I have had the unique opportunity to deepen my understanding of Interreg Euro-MED and actively contribute to the aim core’s project to the transformation of Mediterranean territories into resilient Green Living Areas at Metropolis Nice Côte d’Azur, the project’s lead partner in Nice, France. The essence of Dialogue4LivingAreas lies in its commitment to transferring policies by fostering dialogue among policymakers and public stakeholders. This approach is centered on continual policy refinement and transformation, with a primary focus on establishing long-term cooperation at the Euro-Mediterranean level, for an improved quality of life of citizens. Our collaborative efforts with Community4LivingAreas run in parallel, providing concrete and effective implementation of policies across various aspects of Green Living Areas (Environment, Energy, Mobility, Water & Waste Management, and Buildings). In my capacity as IVY Project Partner, I am actively involved in the meticulous management process, working closely with the Dialogue for Green Living Areas Mission Consortium on a peer-to-peer basis. One of our course activities involves developing a comprehensive methodology roadmap and databases for policies that support the Thematic Projects of the Community4LivingAreas. How do we proceed? Designing criteria, and indicators, and assessing the adaptability of policies at the Local, Regional, and National Mediterranean Levels. Our goal is to contribute to the prioritization and capitalization of Thematic Community Projects by comprehensively understanding and addressing their impact. As I pursue my Master’s Degree in Journalism and Digital Communication, my focus is on efficiently fostering cooperation within the project, gaining expertise in strategic research, and enhancing communication strategies to shape the capitalization of essential steps collaboratively. – María Belén B, IVY Project Partner at Metropole Nice Cote d’Azur for the Interreg Euro-MED project Dialogue 4 Living Areas Discover more about the Interreg project Dialogue 4 Living Areas Click Here Discover more about the Host Organization Click Here

Hello, my name is Moritz and I am 25 years old. After completing my Master’s degree in Border Studies in the Greater Region on the border between Luxembourg, Saarland and Lorraine, I am now a volunteer at the joint secretariat of Interreg Saxony-Czech Republic in Dresden. The border region here is characterized above all by rural areas, but also by increasingly close ties, mutual support and great commitment on the part of the neighbours. The programme’s joint secretariat receives ideas and applications for numerous projects that aim to strengthen cross-border cooperation. The applicants receive all the necessary information and advice for a successful application and implementation of the project. The secretariat also ensures that all regulations are adhered to. To ensure that as many people as possible learn about the opportunities for cross-border projects and that the results are widely shared, the secretariat is also responsible for public relations work for the programme. This is also my main area of responsibility: I support my colleagues in disseminating information via the website and am mainly responsible for ensuring that it is up to date and looks good. I also make sure that information on the project cycle is presented in an understandable and accessible way in guidelines or flow charts. At regular intervals, the Monitoring Committee also takes place, where various stakeholders with voting rights from Saxony and the Czech Republic decide on the funding of new projects. I play an active role in its organization and running. During this work, I have become aware of how many procedures and processes take place in the background of the Interreg programme. These are often lengthy and bureaucratic. This makes it all the more important for me to support the projects through the joint secretariat, so that nobody has to be afraid of the project cycle and all citizens of the border region have access to it. Many people can benefit from the project ideas and often disadvantaged regions receive the necessary attention and resources to implement innovative projects. The IVY experience is great for me as I studied borders and cross-border cooperation before. I knew many projects, their goals, problems and outcomes. But I never had insights into the perspective of the administrative organizations. Thanks to IVY I could broaden my horizon under this aspect. It also enabled me to get to know a great team and exciting stakeholders. I am pleased that I will remain part of the team in the future and can continue to support the cross-border cooperation. – Moritz Schneider, IVY Reporter for the Interreg Germany/Saxony-Czechia Discover more about the Interreg Programme Germany/Saxony – Czechia Click Here

Santiago de Compostela, 26th December. Last December a meeting took place between the IVY volunteers of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce and the Foundation, in which each participant could present the main ideas of the projects they are working on and share their experience as volunteers. In our case, we talked about the Rural Youth Future project, which aims to improve the effectiveness of youth employment policies for sustainable rural development. It was an opportunity to learn about the projects in which the other volunteers collaborate, to share experiences and to take initiative in the elaboration of upcoming events that we can be part of. One of the activities we will attend as volunteers will take place in the first four months of 2024. This international event is part of the Rural Youth of Europe (RUYOU) project, and will be a platform to share best practices and exchange ideas. As an IVY volunteer, my main focus has been in the field of communication, although I have also been able to be present at project launch meetings and other tasks that fall within the Foundation’s remit. Our active participation as IVY volunteers demonstrates the commitment to foster the collaboration of young people in European projects such as Rural Youth Future. RURAL YOUTH FUTURE RuralYouthFuture is a European initiative dedicated to improving the effectiveness of youth employment policies for sustainable rural development. This ambitious endeavour unites municipal, regional and national entities around a common objective: to address the unique needs of young people in rural territories. By reducing inequalities and combating ageing and depopulation, RuralYouthFuture aims to build a better future.   This project is supported by the following partners: Fundación Galicia Europa (ES) Dirección General de Juventud, Participación y Voluntariado (ES) Association Centre for Sustainability and Economic Growth (Asociación Centro para la Sostenibilidad y el Crecimiento Económico) (BG) Municipality of Peshtera (Municipio de Peshtera) (BG) Smart House, Institution For Research And Sustainable Development Martjanci (Smart House, Institución de Investigación y Desarrollo Sostenible Martjanci) (SI) University of Latvia (Universidad de Letonia) (LV) Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth, IP (Instituto Portugués del Deporte y la Juventud, IP) (PT) Association of Municipalities of Tartu County (Asociación de Municipios del Condado de Tartu) (EE) – Carla, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Europe project “RuralYouthFuture” at Fundación Galicia Europa Discover more about the Interreg project RuralYouthFuture Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Fundación Galicia Europa Click Here

Hello everyone! I am Sara, I am 25 years old, and I am currently an IVY Volunteer at the Interreg Italy-Croatia Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. I have finished my studies in Intercultural Development of Tourism Systems at the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice and I am really motived in my current experience at the Managing Authority of the Programme. I started my volunteering just two months ago, but I had already done my internship at the same programme so I already knew that it was a great place to learn. However, in this new experience I have different tasks, more connected to the Communication field, and I am really loving every moment of it! /*! elementor – v3.19.0 – 28-02-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} But, what about the Programme? The Interreg IT-HR program aims to strengthen cross-border cooperation between the coastal regions of Italy and Croatia to address common challenges and exploit opportunities for sustainable development. The Programme finances cross-border cooperation projects that focus on innovation in the blue economy and it capitalises previous projects, creating stronger synergies with EUSAIR. In particular, it focuses on five thematic priorities: blue innovation, security and resilience, natural and cultural heritage, transport and connectivity, and governance. Partnership projects are identified and financed to reach the Programme objectives: all applicants who wants to participate are invited by public calls for proposals and their applications is assessed on the basis of selection criteria formally approved by the Programme Monitoring Committee. In the programme, I specifically try to ensure higher visibility and communicating about Operations of Strategic Importance (OSI) and their achievements. Moreover, I try to prepare supporting documents to be published on the site of the Programme in a way that may be easy to understand for all, especially young people and citizens. What I love most about this experience is the possibility to attend meetings with the Monitoring Committee or with other programmes to create synergies: these events are a great opportunity to learn more about different realities that can be found in Europe. I think that IVY is a great chance to venture in the world of work: it provides you with the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills; in addition, it is very important to me to be involved in the communication field because I want the Programme to be as famous as possible among the youth since it is a great opportunity that cannot be missed! – Sara, IVY Reporter for the Managing Authority Interreg Italy-Croatia Discover more about the Interreg programme Italy – Croatia Click Here