IVY stands for “Interreg Volunteer Youth” and it is a pilot action to offer the possibility to young Europeans aged 18-30 to serve as volunteers in cross-border, transnational or interregional programmes and related projects. Being solidarity and volunteering at the heart of the IVY, this initiative is part of the European Solidarity Corps.
The initiative is aimed at involving young volunteers to support, promote and report the concrete achievements of Interreg programmes and projects, as well as generally promote cooperation across European borders and related values such as solidarity. The IVY will give volunteers the opportunity to familiarise with the Interreg programmes and projects, make them aware of the many benefits of collaboration among EU internal borders as well as enhance their sense of European solidarity, citizenship and civic engagement. Moreover, thanks to the IVY, volunteers will acquire a unique experience of personal growth as well as enhancing and gaining skills that they can employ in their future experiences.
What´s in there for me?
The IVY is structured around two main strands:
1. the Interreg Project Partners, that will help with Interreg project implementation focusing on specific aspects or difficulties to be solved in fields such as solidarity projects, people to people projects, health projects, community-based projects, projects focusing on the social dimension of Interreg cooperation. The Interreg Project Partner will therefore be deployed in the territory of one of the Interreg projects beneficiaries;
2. the Interreg Reporters that will help with disseminating information on the benefit of territorial integration on the ground, through reporting successful Interreg projects. The Interreg Reporter will therefore be deployed either in the offices of the Interreg Managing Authorities and/or the Interreg Joint Secretariats. Support and visibility through volunteering are the leitmotiv of this initiative.
Applying is very simple: whether you are interested in becoming an Interreg Project Partner or an Interreg Reporter, you can apply via the European Solidarity Corps Youth Portal. If your profile fits the need of the participating Interreg programmes and projects we will be in touch very soon!
If you are particularly interested in IVY and believe that your profile is very much in line with the scope of this pilot intitiative, you can also send an email to ivy@aebr.eu expressing your interest in joining IVY and explaining why this initiative is so appealing to you.