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Hey everyone! I am Maria, a 23 year-old Greek IVY Volunteer. My volunteer experience is based in my hometown Thessaloniki, Greece where I volunteer for the Managing Authority (MA) INTERREG 2021-2027, as an Interreg Reporter. Let me walk you through my first month of volunteering.  So, for starters, The Managing Authority (MA) INTERREG 2021-2027, based in Thessaloniki – Greece, manages and monitors European Territorial Cooperation (INTERREG) Programmes. The Programmes aim to address common cross-border and transnational challenges, support synergies through joint partnerships and consolidate strong cooperation with a view to enable a balanced, economic, social and spatial development at European level. It is involved with projects including North Macedonia, Albania, Italy, Cyprus, Bulgaria and is included in bigger ones concerning the Adriatic, Mediterranean, Black Sea and European regions. My role in this is to help with communication activities, such as email and social media marketing, photo and video editing as well as to assist with events. I would like to believe that my background in political science and communications has made me a contributing member of the team that is able to assist in multiple activities. I am, certainly, thankful to get to experience an intensive and versatile work environment, where I can be creative and free to suggest alternatives to already established practices. Thankfully my mentor is a great professional, who gives me the opportunity to be involved in everything I like, provides me with flexibility and is interested in my views and feedback.  It happens so, that I have been added as a member of the Authority’s team for its representation at the Thessaloniki International Fair. The Thessaloniki Internationl Fair (TIF) is an annual trade fair held in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest and most important trade fair in Greece, and it attracts exhibitors from over 50 countries. The fair showcases the latest products and technologies from a wide range of industries, including food and beverages, agriculture, machinery, tourism, and energy. The 87th TIF is being held from September 9 to 17, 2023, and the honored country is Bulgaria. You would find us in Pavillion 15, alongside other authorities and institutions from Ministry of Economics, informing beneficiaries regarding various opportunities provided by the National Strategic Reference Framework, a funding program from the European Union that supports Greece’s economic development and social cohesion. As someone, who has been living in Thessaloniki the last 6 years and has been in the fair multiple times, it has been extremely interesting experiencing it from another point of view. My overall experience has been fulfilling and with each passing day, my enthusiasm grows, and I eagerly anticipate inventing ways to make a positive impact in the months to come. As an individual interested in my region, I am grateful that I can witness projects being made from scratch and experience the hard work and dedication, something extremely simple and unimportant to a participant, requires. Becoming a part of this project has proven to be an immensely purposeful choice. It not only grants me the opportunity to attain fresh practical skills but also engrosses me within an entirely novel setting, featuring new coworkers, an unfamiliar environment, and distinct working culture. All in all, I sense a profound enrichment both in my professional and personal  capabilities. I get to learn new things everyday and that is the highest reward. – Maria-Parthena, IVY Reporter at the Managing Authority “Interreg Greece 2021-2027” Discover more about the Interreg Greece 2021-2027 Click Here

 Hello. My name is Konstantinos Nakas and I’m coming from Greece. In the last few months as an IVY Volunteer I have learned a lot of things and I met new peoples. I am learning what the working environment is like and how this initiative of the European Union helps us young people to slowly join the working world.     By joining the program I helped with small things in various projects that were already running. That got me interested is the HERMES project. Because it deals with culture, theater, music and thus the people who are close to each other learn the habits and customs from the ancient world until today.    In my opinion this is the most creative and beautiful way for people to get to know each other. As far as we young people are involved, IVY is a way to familiarize ourselves with the countries next to us and to become “children of the whole world”, that is, to be all of Europe as one. – Konstantinos , IVY Project Partner at the Computer Technology Intitute and Press “Diophantus” 

Olá a todos! Hi everyone! My name is João, I´m 23 years old and I am a Portuguese IVY Volunteer for the Interreg MAC project IMPLAMAC at Direção Regional do Mar in Madeira. This project aims to evaluate, with a common methodology, the microplastics abundance in different species of characteristic fish in the Macaronesian region. Results obtained will allow identify and quantifying the microplastics ingestion in the study area. Another big objective of the project is to involve the different populations, by presenting the results at schools or by them helping in some field work improving ocean literacy among these places. I am currently helping in the project by doing laboratory work, sampling, filtrations, and identification of microplastics, updating and creating new data bases and engaging in discussions of how can this data be used to improve cooperation and common strategies between countries in attacking the major problem that is plastic waste in our oceans. I´m extremely happy and thankful for the opportunity given by IVY and Direção Regional do Mar, who have been tremendously welcoming. The experience gave me the chance to develop my skills as a biologist, getting to know people with different backgrounds that contribute for me to open my horizons and open new opportunities for the future. This is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life and I strongly encourage everyone to try it out, you surely won´t regret it! – João, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Madeira-Azores-Canarias project “IMPLAMAC” at Direção Regional do Mar Discover more about the Interreg project IMPLAMAC Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Direção Regional do Mar Click Here

Greetings to everyone! I am Ioannis, I am from Greece and I am volunteering in Athens for the Interreg Euro-MED “Community4Innovation” project. For the past two months I have been an IVY Project Partner at Dynamic Vision, where I was warmly welcomed, and I already have so much to share with fellow volunteers.  Community4Innovation is a Thematic Community Project, one of the two governance projects contributing to the goals of the Innovative Sustainable Economy Mission of the Interreg Euro-MED Programme. Community4Innovation aims at enhancing research and innovation capacities for the uptake of technologies in order to support the transition to a circular economy and consolidate a competitive innovation ecosystem. Therefore, it acts as an engaged and structured community that improves collaboration among projects, stakeholders, and relevant institutions to find solutions for common challenges and promote the transfer of novel practices to other actors and territories for their integration into policies and strategies. My host organisation is currently leading activities mainly focused on establishing the conditions for effective identification, sharing and reuse of knowledge coming from projects related to Innovative Sustainable Economy through the mapping of potential target groups, stakeholders, networks, and innovative projects and through compiling solutions to be included in an interactive catalogue. During these two months I am supporting the implementation of these activities through desk research and by providing my view from the youth perspective on the assessed results. In parallel, I have an active role in the preparation of a youth session tackling the topic of innovative sustainable economy, organised as part of the project in the frame of a major event taking place in Athens. My volunteering experience and involvement in Community4Ιnnovation has been highly rewarding for me, and I have managed to gain several skills despite its yet short period. I have gained significant information on all the complicated steps necessary for territorial cooperation to be established which has made me realise its importance and necessity for every citizen. Overall, my communication and cooperation skills have been improved and I have gained unique experiences that can prove useful in my future steps. – Ioannis, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Euro-Med project “Community4Innovation” at Dynamic Vision. Discover more about the Interreg project Community4Innovation Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Dynamic Vision P.C. Click Here

I am Florian and I’m a 23 years old French volunteer participating in the INTERREG POCTEFA programme as an IVY volunteer. This is a European territorial cooperation programme created to promote the sustainable development of the border territory between France, Andorra and Spain. The POCTEFA 2021-2027 programme is the fifth generation of Community financial aid aimed at strengthening the economic and social integration of this area. It co-finances cross-border cooperation projects designed and managed by actors from both sides of the Pyrenees and from the coastal areas participating in the Programme, safeguarding the intelligent, sustainable and inclusive development of the territory. Several local and regional institutions are involved in the management of this European programme, among which the French region of Nouvelle Aquitaine which is the French National Authority of POCETFA, where I am doing my 6 months of volunteering. As part of my duties, I am involved in the instruction of the projects that were presented in the first call of this new edition of the programme and I attend various meetings and events of the POCTEFA, such as its monitoring, its evolutions, the technical and political part, etc… It is really rewarding to contribute to such a meaningful cause. By sharing my experiences as an IVY volunteer, I want to raise awareness of the Interreg POCTEFA programme and teach about cooperation within the EU. I have gained valuable knowledge about EU Cohesion Policy, discovered several projects and seen how European regions sharing the same border work together to promote common policies and actions that bring the two countries closer together. It is important to spread the word and publicise the positive impact of the EU in our area as many cross-border projects have been made possible thanks to EU policies and ERDF funds. As an example of the achievements of the POCTEFA programme, I was able to attend a few days after my arrival in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, a cross-border seminar, held in the city of Jaca in Aragon, where the micro-projects that were financed were presented, then the other corporations that exist on the Spanish-French border were presented to inform them and invite them to set up other cross-border projects.  Seminar “des microprojets à d’autres projets” 2023 – F.Hardouin – 10/05/23 – Jaca, España It was a very interesting event during which I was able to meet several institutions and people who play an important role in the cooperation between France and Spain. It is very encouraging to see the success of the projects and more generally of the calls for proposals financed by the EU, which are the fruit of important joint work between members of several States. Euroregion headquarters – F.HArdouin – 31/05/23 – Hendaye, France I have also been able to work on the call for Euroregional citizenship of the Territorial Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Euroregion Nouvelle Aquitaine – Euskadi – Navarre. I have participated in the instruction of the projects, their follow-up, several meetings and trips to the headquarters of this organisation on the Spanish-French border, in Hendaye.  The Euroregion participates in projects of the POCTEFA programme and from this edition 2021/27, manages a part of the programme for a functional area West of the border, within the priority 6 of the programme ‘territorially, socially and economically vertebrate the space’. It is very interesting to see how this cooperation is organised and how all these institutional actors cooperate with each other, thanks to the European frameworks that have allowed all this. In addition, this period of volunteering allowed me to get to know better the institutional body in which I was volunteering with several professionals in cross-border cooperation. I was also able to follow the political life of the institution by observing the debates in the plenary sessions that took place and thus better understand how this body implemented national and European policies in its territory through the decision-making processes. Plenary Assembly of Nouvelle Aquitaine region – F.Hardouin – 12/06/23 – Bordeaux, France My participation in the INTERREG POCTEFA programme has been personally rewarding as it has contributed to my personal growth, skills development and knowledge of Spanish-French-Andorran cross-border cooperation. Attending the workshops and witnessing the progress of the project has allowed me to learn a lot about the subject and has helped me to write my Master’s thesis that I have done in relation to this experience. It has also instilled in me values of solidarity through collaboration with people from different places both within the diverse team of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and with the Spanish counterparts. Overall, this experience as an IVY volunteer has provided me with valuable values and has contributed to my personal and professional development. – Florian, IVY Reporter for the French National Authority for the programme Interreg POCTEFA. Discover more about Interreg POCTEFA Click Here

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