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Hi! I am Marco, an IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat Interreg South Baltic in Gdansk, Poland! As IVY, I support office communication in promoting the work of the Joint Secretariat and the projects financed by the organization. As a graduate of Eastern European studies, I already had a certain knowledge of this area. However, what the Interreg Reporter experience has given me so far is a first-hand perspective of how the EU supports different regions of our continent. In particular, the diversity of projects focused on different branches of sustainable development – green technologies, sustainable tourism and infrastructure, SME development – that the programme funds makes my role in this organization extremely stimulating! What is unique about Interreg South Baltic is its multinational dimension. The programme backs projects coming from very diverse EU member states – Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Lithuania – that enhance cross-border cooperation in different fields: SME development, sustainable tourism and transport, green technologies, and cooperation capacity. Coming from a different European region certainly increases my curiosity about what kind of projects are developed through this programme across this region. For instance, I have recently taken part in the final conference of the ArchaeoBalt, an innovative project aimed at establishing a network to promote the touristic potential of archaeological sites along the coastal regions of Poland, Sweden and Denmark. The project gives a particular focus on the involvement of young people in both the excavations activities and the audience to reach, which was evident in the field trip we had to the archaeological sites in the Pomerania region of Poland. Marco – IVY Reporter at the Joint Secretariat of Interreg South Baltic

My name is Doriane, I am French, and the 10th of May I have started my IVY experience in my beloved Turin (Italy). Well I did not chose the location without interest, I known and lived there since a year and half, but this is another story. Let’s focus on the experience. Let’s start by few words on the project for which I help my tutor to coordinate. The name is TOUR della Strada dei Vigneti Alpini / TOUR de la Route des Vignobles Alpins (TOUR of the Alpine’s vineyards road) ; abbreviated Vi. A TOUR. The main purpose of this lovely project is to develop another kind of tourism in the French and Italian Alps by promoting the Alpine’s traditional vineyards, and gastronomy of course! Three areas are concerned: Savoy, the Aosta Valley and the metropolitan city of Turin. During the first project the partners have identified roads of interest in their area the aim with this second project is to reach the latter by train or bicycle. The first day I discovered the offices, they are big ; I met my colleagues and the other IVY volunteer, who work in a different division. The second day my tutor brought me on the field to meet new wine producers in the Pinerolese. It is in the Piedmont countryside. It was very interesting because while speaking with them I understood better the reality of this specific area beside the beauty of the landscape and their needs. The principal objective of this day was to know these new producers and what kind of events they can offer at their visitors but also to understand their reality and their needs. More days out are planned and I am looking forward for them! At the moment I read a lot of documentation link to the project and the territory, I translate some documents from Italian to French and I contribute to the communication of the project. The days go by quickly and more opportunities will come in the next weeks, I have no doubt about it. – Doriane, IVY Project Partner for the Interreg project Vi.A Tour at Metropolitan City of Turin.

Hello everyone! I am Eva! And I am from Greece. I was born and raised in the island of Rhodes and I studied Journalism and Mass Media Communication in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. I graduated a few months ago and I have just started volunteering for the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg V-A Greece Cyprus Programme at the headquarters of the Managing Authority in Thessaloniki. Interreg V- A Greece Cyprus is a program that finances 52 projects in Greek islands of the Aegean and Cyprus. The main goals of the program are to: enhance competitiveness and entrepreneurship in the cross-border area, use energy efficiently and promote sustainable transport, as well as to preserve environmental and cultural resources. The 52 projects are indeed making so much difference in the life of the citizens. For example, our project Ey-kinisi has recently installed a new information system and digital signs in Rhodes buses in order to ensure that people at the bus stop know when a bus is coming. Therefore, three small islands (Rhodes, Santorini, Syros) and Limassol, Cyprus are already experiencing better passenger service quality . In addition, our project PAIONAS provides emergency medical assistance to people in need, even when they are found at the remotest islands; specifically, naval ambulances purchased are employed to transfer people in need of medical assistance to the nearest hospital. My experience so far is mind changing. My role is to assist in achieving the greatest possible public awareness for our projects and their results, through our website and social media channels; moreover, I will be fully playing out my role as an Interreg reporter mainly by producing articles, videos etc. Right now, I support the Programme’s Communication Officer for the organization of a new event that will increase visibility both for the program and for the projects. I will also support the organization of the European Cooperation Day of the Program for 2022. This is the best experience for me so far and I am very glad for working in an EU-like environment, alongside with some of the best colleagues under the Interreg umbrella. I definitely encourage everyone eligible to apply! If you have any questions or if you considering of applying to Interreg please don’t hesitate to reach me at evperganti@gmail.com or at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eperganti/ Also, do not forget to follow Interreg Greece Cyprus on our social media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Interreg_GRCY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interreg_grcy/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSIAGANDE Site: https://greece-cyprus.eu/ Evangelia Perganti, Interreg Reporter, Managing Authority Interreg V-A Greece-Cyprus

My name is Gerasimos Papadopoulos and I am from Kavala, Greece. This is my first experience as an IVY volunteer and I have the opportunity to make new friends and support an interesting project related to my hometown Kavala. I have been volunteering for almost one and a half month and so far everything is going really well. Our team is working on a project about marine ecology and fisheries management. These topics are closely related to Kavala’s local tradition, as it is a seaside town and people are used to fishing here. The main goal of our project is show the right ways of fishing that are environmentally friendly. My role is to support the social promotion of the project in the local community. My colleagues are helping me with everything I need and they answer all my questions. We want the best for our society and we contribute for it. I am very excited to learn more about the European Cohesion and assist as much as possible my hometown. – Gerasimos Papadopoulos, Interreg Project Partner at Municipality of Kavala for the Interreg project CHERISH

Hello everyone! I am Giulia, a final year student of MSc Strategic Communication at IULM university in Milan. In March 2022 I started, my experience as an IVY volunteer in my home country, and I have joined the communication team to support the VerdeVale project of the Interreg Italia – Svizzera. The VerdeVale’s general aim is the establishment of a cross-border community of good practices between small and medium enterprises (SMES) and local Authorities in order to create innovative methodologies for the management and planning of the urban green. The experiment was conducted between cities of Bolzano and Lugano, both characterized by a strong vulnerability to the effect of the climate change due to their position. They are both positioned in the valley, where rainfall flows and pollution of traffic is concentrated. In addition, to make the Alpine region more sustainable and attractive for people, the project wants to develop a cross-border relationship between companies, administrations and organizations that are active in the sector of urban green that can enhance the ecosystem services of urban green planning and find solutions for common problems. Finally, the fact of operating on the same IT platform makes the results easily replicable in other cities. At the moment, we are almost at the end of the project. So, the main activities are focused on collecting all the results concerning the researchers conducted in the two cities, writing the third best practice that can be useful to manage the urban green areas and organizing the final events to present results achieved. As a volunteer, I support several communication activities with the general aim of improving and implementing the communication strategy. The main ones are: Dissemination nature activities, the creation of Social Media and Website contents that are industry-relevant and connected with the project, the promotion of events through Direct Email Marketing and Social Media, Drafting content for Best Practices, Networking with other EU-funded projects which cover similar topics, and drafting the final communication Report. In my opinion, one of the strengths of the project is that it helps to develop an innovative way to simplify the urban green management. This is a very important aspect that helps cities to be more circular, sustainable, and smarter, and helps to mitigate the effects of climate change. Furthermore, it makes also possible to improve the quality of citizens’ lives and make cities more beautiful. – Giulia, IVY Project Partner at R3GIS srl for the Interreg IT-CH project VerdeVale

Hi! I’m Valeria, and I’m an IVY Project Partner supporting the implementation of an exciting project under the ENI-CBC Program, that promotes cooperation across the Mediterranean. What is unique about my experience is that I am actually volunteering outside the European Union, specifically in one of its neighbouring countries: Lebanon! The objectives of the SIRCLES project, notably the establishment of employment opportunities in the circular economy for NEETs and women, immediately sparked my curiosity. As an International Relations master’s student, I had the opportunity to study in Lebanon for a semester through the Erasmus+ program, so I was quite familiar with the context and aware of how problematic waste management and unemployment are in the country. Just in 2015, a real waste crisis prompted thousands of people to take the streets to protest against waste collection mismanagement; aside from these structural problems, I could see with my own eyes how little the population is used to – and has access to – proper recycling services or resusable, zero-waste alternatives. Furthermore, Lebanon is currently experiencing a terrible economic crisis, which has made it difficult for the most to find employment. My host organization, RMF, is providing capacity – building training on a variety of subjects, including biowaste composting, soft skills, and entrepreneurship, in order to improve beneficiaries’ ability to identify innovative solutions. As an IVY volunteer, I’m in charge of identifying potential stakeholders (hotels, farms, restaurants etc.) for the project’s next phase, known as the Green Label Campaign: businesses which adopt green practices (reusable materials, proper waste management, etc.) will be awarded a Green Label, hopefully inspiring others to follow their example and raising awareness about the need of making sustainability an habit. Valeria – IVY Project Partner for the ENI-CBC Project “SIRCLES” at “René Moawad Foundation”