Hey everyone!
I’m Vilém, coming from Czechia, fresh out of university and diving straight into an awesome new adventure with the Interreg project. This time, I’m exploring things from behind the scenes! The project, called Biodivercity (Städte.Gärten.Vielfalt. / Mestá.Záhrady.Rozmanitosť.), is super aligned with my studies in spatial planning, so naturally, I jumped right in!
Right now, I’m volunteering at the environmental NGO Global2000 in Vienna, and our partner city is Bratislava. The city where I enjoy spending time and which holds so much hidden potential. I though each city has its own vibe and specific projects, our big mission is shared: bringing more nature and biodiversity into urban spaces.
Here in Vienna’s 20th district, we’re working on greening Jägerstrasse, and it’s pretty coo. Locals can adopt small garden spaces right on their street. Over in Bratislava, people are reviving the historic Koch Garden, turning what was a forgotten spot into a buzzing, vibrant community space.
My first month here was packed full of action! We kicked things off with a super inspiring workshop in Vienna, teaming up with partners from Bratislava. We shared tons of ideas about increasing biodiversity and creating green spaces, explored community projects like shared libraries of things, community gardens, and wrapped up the day with an awesome street-based botanical workshop.
The next week was even more hands-on. I got to work directly with local residents excited to transform Jägerstrasse. We started early, bringing in special soil, planting seedlings, and building wooden enclosures. Locals arrived eager to pitch in, kids got busy creating their own cool plant tags, and by the evening, what had been a dull street was bursting with life and color. It felt amazing seeing the transformation happen right before our eyes!
We regularly connect online to keep each other updated on our progress, and in early June, we even organized bilingual guided tours in Vienna and Bratislava with support from the European Open Parks and Garden Weekend iniciative. And I even attended a meeting with the French Ministry of Culture – it was quite an experience! This is a big part of our cross-border efforts, making EU policies like cohesion and Interreg accessible and understandable through real, engaging experiences.
On top of all that, we had a blast at Vienna’s first-ever Klimafest in the Favoriten district. Our Interreg booth taught kids and teachers that biodiversity isn’t just important in massive places like national parks—it matters just as much on your local street or school playground!
These highlights are just a peek at what I’ve experienced so far as an Interreg Volunteer Youth. I’m really hopeful that the European Commission keeps supporting this amazing initiative. Young volunteers can genuinely make a difference in building stronger communities and promoting unity in today’s unpredictable world.
If you’re curious, check out Interreg initiatives in your area. You might discover your role can have a bigger impact than you ever imagined!
– Vilem, IVY Project Partner at Global 2000 Umweltschutzorganisation, for the Interreg project Städte.Gärten.Vielfalt, under the programme Interreg Slovakia – Austria
