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My name is Aroa, and I’ve been an IVY Volunteer for almost 2 months. I am doing this experience in the Interreg Program of the Upper Rhine Region in the Swiss city of Basel.  I think my experience is a bit different from other volunteers who are hosted by partners involved in an Interreg project, as I am not only in a project, but I am working at the program level. Volunteering in an Interreg program is interesting, as I am getting to know many different projects and people. This experience is also helping me to better understand how Interreg works and how the EU funds different projects. For me, the best thing is to see how a project materializes and to be involved in all stages of the process, such as attending Interreg meetings where projects are accepted or rejected, talking to prospective partners, and much more. As I said, I am volunteering in Switzerland, a country that is not part of the EU. Many of you may wonder how this is possible. And the answer is that, as you know, Switzerland is a country located in the center of Europe that has several EU countries as border partners. Therefore, especially the Swiss border regions, such as Basel and Ticino, are constantly influenced and affected by the movements of bordering countries such as France and Italy. That is why the inclusion of Switzerland as a partner in Interreg projects is part of the main objective of Interreg to promote cooperation in border regions and thus contribute to improving the lives of their inhabitants. However, Switzerland is not supported by the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF). Interreg projects with Swiss participation are partly financed by the Swiss Confederation and the cantons involved. – Aroa, IVY Reporter at the Regio Basilensis – RCP Interreg Upper-Rhine Discover more about the Interreg Upper-Rhine programme Click Here

My name is Silvia, I come from Italy, and I joined the IVY Program as a Project Partner in Greece. In collaboration with the University of Patras, I am participating in the FRESH WAYS Project, which is aimed at promoting exchanges of fresh products and economic growth in Italy and Greece through sustainable transportation. The activities of this project are based on empowering citizens and improve their everyday life in both villages and cities, pursuing sustainability, while promoting good practices and fostering cooperation among the participating regions in the countries. At the moment I am involved in activities such as research, analysis and transfer of replicable results, community needs assessments, and communication on social media. I have learned a lot during my first month here, and I find the environment very stimulating and innovative. I’m looking forward to the months to come, and I definitely recommend taking part in the IVY Program to other young people who are willing to discover more about international cooperation and earn new experience on the field. – Silvia, IVY Project Partner at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South BalticUniversity of Patras, for the Interreg project Fresh Ways, under the Interreg programme Greece – Italy Discover more about the FRESH WAYS project Click Here

Hello! My name is Ancor and I am from Gran Canaria, Spain. I am currently an IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South BALTIC in Gdańsk, Poland! As an IVY Reporter, I support office communication in promoting the work of the Joint Secretariat and the projects financed by the organisation. Interreg South Baltic  is a multilateral cross-border cooperation between the coastal regions of five EU Member States: Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, and Poland, with actions focused on the blue and green economy. Being an IVY Volunteer at the Joint Secretariat has been an exciting and gratifying experience since the very first day. With a background in Geography and Territorial Planning, and a specialisation in Environmental Partnership Management, I feel particularly passionate about EU Cohesion Policies, territorial cooperation, partnership working, and their interplay in ensuring policy change and implementation as a roadmap to resilient and sustainable communities along the South Baltic area. Thus, this is the right place to be. Moreover, this experience is allowing me to immerse myself in different domains in EU interregional cooperation and European Cohesion Policies, bringing me the opportunity to acquire new skills and network. I have found a great family and I have the opportunity to share my expertise and experience with a group of excellent professionals that guide me and mentor me. Thus, this experience is allowing me to growth professionally and it will boost my future career. At a personal level, the reception and constant support received facilitates my integration and development, making me feel integrated and comfortable in my daily tasks. Although I have just got started, I have had the chance to work on several different tasks, such as communication tasks, data revisions, drafting reports and social media content creation. I am becoming confident with communication, project management and the functioning of the European Regional Development Fund, and the overall intricacies of the EU Cohesion Policies. After the first month of this new chapter, I can say that I feel thrilled to be part of Interreg South Baltic in an stimulating, supportive and empowering environment to actively take part and be part in shaping Europe’s cross-border actions to tackle common challenges and find shared solutions. – Ancor, IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South Baltic Discover more about the Interreg programme South Baltic Click Here

Hi! My name is Anna, I am 22 and come from Italy, I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy; while working at my dissertation I came across Interreg program and eventually IVY…  And here I am! I am now volunteering as an IVY Project Partner for the VerdeVale project with R3GIS, a software house based in Bolzano. I am currently working on the communication and dissemination aspect of the project.  It is a pleasure to collaborate with many experts in the sustainability field and being involved in such a dynamic, inspiring and friendly environment. The programme aims to study urban green areas management and to find better solutions to tackle common issues related to environmental crisis effects for Bolzano and Lugano.  -Anna, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Ialy-Swizerland project “VerdeVale” at R3GIS Discover more about the Interreg project VerdeVale Click Here Discover more about our host organisation R3GIS Click Here

My name is Maria, and I am a volunteer of IVY since February 2023 in the island of Cyprus. I was never engaged in the IVY programme before and the experience is unique. My host organization is Nicosia Tourism Board a non-profit organization in Nicosia the capital of Cyprus and the mission is to promote the city and peripheral area of Nicosia as a tourist and business destination. My studies are on digital marketing technologies and the program of Education tourism is giving me an extra opportunity to practice my knowledge on advertising and promoting places a tourist or a citizen must visit in the area of Nicosia. The goals of this project are the development of an Educational Tourism product that will highlight the natural and cultural heritage and extend the tourist season in the eligible areas between Greece and Cyprus. Furthermore, the program aims on creating a training program for trainers, teachers and tourism professionals to obtain the sustainability and repeatability of the project results, the creation of a platform that will aim to create an online community to promote educational tourism and the organization and implementation of targeted publicity actions, which will aim to inform the target groups. Moreover, the IVY programme is bringing the connection to countries of Europe that facing the same difficulties and these countries are working together to find the best solution. – Maria, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg Greece-Cyprus project EduTourism at the Nicosia Tourism Board Discover more about the Interreg project EduTourism Click Here Discover more about our host organisation Nicosia Tourism Board Click Here

Hello! My name is Marta, I’m Italian and it’s been a month since I started my experience as IVY Reporter within the communication office of the Interreg Atlantic Area based in Porto, Portugal. The Interreg Atlantic Area is a programme that has many important goals like fostering cooperation and cohesion between the countries of the Atlantic Area. Furthermore, the core of the programme is to support innovative initiatives that contribute to the growth of this area solve common challenges across border through the implementation of joint actions and contribute to new or current policies. The countries that cooperate in this project are France, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. I was warmly welcomed at the office in Porto and supported in getting done my tasks. Talking about the latter, as I am supporting the communication office my goal is to spread information about the programme and the projects that are supported by Interreg Atlantic Area. That is why, I both share posts on social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter and write articles on our website. I find being an IVY volunteer very enriching, as all the projects have at their core cohesion and cooperation between the countries of the EU, which is really important to become a better European citizen. I chose and thrilled to be an IVY volunteer as I am gaining many new skills that will be important in my future career. Improving the English language, volunteer in a multicultural environment, learning how to create content on social media, research and write articles are some of the skills I have bettered during this first month with IVY! – Marta, IVY Reporter at the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme Discover more about the Interreg Programme Atlantic Area Click Here