To celebrate the first IVY Mentor and IVY Volunteer from Bulgaria joining the IVY Community, we have asked Georgi and Keti to share their opinion on the IVY initiative, respectively as a mentor and a volunteer.
Georgi, what does it mean for you to be an IVY mentor?
Association CSEG is a small but very active Bulgarian organization. We are involved in many local, regional and EU initiatives tackling mainly sustainable development of rural regions. Our team consists of experts who are experienced in applying integrated approaches, analysis, and solutions that encourage local authorities and communities to develop and implement sustainable strategies, plans and projects. The experts’ professional expertise covers a wide variety of topics like climate change mitigation, environment protection, sustainable energy and mobility, economic and financial analysis, policy advice and strategic documents development, project management, etc.
Being part of the IVY (Interreg Volunteer Youth) initiative as a mentor is a great honour to me, but it is also a great honour for our whole team. We do believe that it will be beneficial not only for the volunteer who we are currently hosting in our premises, but also to our team members, because they will have the opportunity to work with a young, educated, and self-esteemed person like Keti, who can bring interesting ideas and viewpoints in the course of her volunteering in the following months.
In any case, I do recommend to all institutions, involved in various INTERREG projects, to be braver and to explore the possibility of hosting an IVY volunteer in their premises. If we as a small Bulgarian organization can, then other European institutions will definitely be able to undertake this adventure.
Eventually, this whole process of volunteering definitely brings added value for both sides, the host organization and the volunteer, but in a long-term period it brings added value at an EU level by providing a real working environment to youths who are actually at an initial stage of their professional working career.
Georgi Simeonov, Project Manager, IVY Mentor for the host organization Association CSEG, Bulgaria, georgi.simeonov@cseg.eu
Keti, what does it mean for me to be an IVY volunteer?
This is a new and valuable experience for me, which I hope to use in my future career and my work with different institutions and organizations. Also, the international character of this activity is important, as it could allow me to get in touch with a wider range of organizations and activities at an international, and European level and not only at a local level in Bulgaria.
I am also excited about the fact that I am the first person in my country to be involved in this program as a volunteer. I will be glad to learn more about the INTERREG project Coop4RURALGov, that I will work on, and also to contribute to its development and raise awareness of it among citizens from our region, the Province of Pazardzhik, Bulgaria.
Participating as a volunteer in Association CSEG could provide me with an opportunity to grow personally and gain skills that I will be proud of in the future. I believe here I can improve my communication skills, through online and presence meetings every day with stakeholders from Bulgaria and foreign partners, which will also increase my knowledge of EU funding, public institutions, and policy development.
Keti Muhovska – IVY volunteer for the Interreg Europe project Coop4RURALGov at the host organization Association CSEG, keti.muhovska@cseg.eu, keti.petrovva@gmail.com
