People-to-people exchanges are the real cement of cross border cooperation projects: they create direct links between institutions and organisations, authorities and citizens, with the purpose to promote understanding and to develop new solutions to common problems.
“There is a need to show European citizens how many benefits the European projects have to offer and that they truly change lives” (Natalia Popielska, a young Interreg volunteer from Poland). Hundreds of young people like Natalia are leaving on this mission around Europe thanks to Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) initiative. IVY initiative offers young people a unique opportunity to participate as volunteers in EU funded cross-border, transnational or interregional programmes and projects, and to promote their concrete achievements through personal experience.
They come from all over Europe: Poland, Germany, Cyprus and the Netherlands. They are 19, 22, 23, and 26 years old and grew up with Schengen. Olga writes, Sellina sticks her eye to the camera, Panos presents, Wijnand makes films. In September, these four “Euro trippers” found themselves around a great adventure. On board of a van, they travelled for a month through 17 EU countries and dozens of regions, meeting the locals and living like them. They went out to see what different regions have to offer: from dancing in an electric festival in Ireland to biking through Leipzig to getting lost in a rock labyrinth in Poland. In Romania, the four youngsters went to Maramures, near the Ukrainian border, to visit two ENPI CBC projects. We met the team during the EURegions Week in Brussels. What did they learn from this experience? How did they feel living together and jumping from one country to the other?
Human trafficking is the third biggest international crime industry of the planet. It involves mostly girls from poor, vulnerable environments, young people without any perspective, kidnapped and shuffled on the market. The EU external border regions are particularly challenged by this phenomenon, and the ENPI CBC “Nor for sale” project – implemented across Romania and the Republic of Moldova – has been tackling the issue.
Youth were a cross-cutting issue on the agenda of the European Week of Regions and Cities which took place in Brussels on 8-11 October. “Young people have to play a role in the regions” underlined Pavel Telicka, Vice-President of the European Parliament, during the closing session. And this statement truly reflected the spirit of the workshop “Bringing together youth along the external borders of the European Union” organised by DG NEAR in cooperation with TESIM on 11 October. The invited young speakers showcased how cross-border cooperation helped them become actors of positive change in their regions.
Who hasn’t made a mistake in their life? Growing up is a journey often marked with tough decisions on education, hobbies, friends, social environment etc. It is easy to make a few wrong choices and get into some disputes along the way. Left unresolved, these choices and disputes can get out of control and have much harder consequences for the young people involved. What can be done to limit this potential damage?
31 years after the Chernobyl disaster, the fall out of the accident is still being felt across eastern Europe. Find out how CBC has been able to make a difference in the lives of some of those affected.
The Chernivtsi Regional Organisation of Ukrainian Association of Blind People has 1000 members, of which about 100 people have higher and specialised secondary education, and 15 people are students. Suceava County, Romania, is home to around 2000 blind people and in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, another 1100 blind people are living.
The overall objective of the project was to improve family education as well as the information and cultural environment, and contribute to cross border social and economic development. One of the elements of the project was the renovation of the premises of two libraries – one in Marijampole (Lithuania) and one in Chernyakhovsk (Kaliningrad region, Russia). In both libraries functional spaces were created, such as a media library, a games corner, technology and meeting areas, and a photography club.
In the course of implementing the project in the Museum of Archaeology and History in Elblag (Poland), the historic East Building on the castle grounds and the courtyard were renovated. The Russian museum „Friedland Gate” in Kaliningrad carried out the most urgent renovation works and commissioned an expert assessment of the adjacent stronghold, which will form the basis for further modernisation of the grounds and renovation of the historic buildings.
Proper equipment, trained personnel and fast response in case of emergency situations is the best way to ensure safety and security for the people in any region of Europe including on its external borders with Ukraine and Republic of Moldova.
Our face of the month, Mégane, is 22. She studies socio cultural communication in Brussels. In November, together with other students, she took part in a project where she could travel to the EU’s external borders and visit cross-border projects. How did this experience change certain ideas she had? And how did she manage to cross her mental borders?
Get fresh stories from the field that challenge you to rethink the world.
Subscription succeed, You're all set to receive our newsletter.
Oops, Your email seems incorrect. Please try again.
