Interreg Volunteer Youth

Making an Experience

IVY volunteers gain a unique experience with a long-lasting impact by stepping out of their comfort zone and by exploring different fields of cooperation and solidarity actions across Europe.

Through their engagement, Interreg volunteers are able to develop new skills on both a personal and professional level.

By contributing to projects that promote local development, they experience the true meaning of Europe: building a better future for all, together.

How can I apply?

Do you feel you want to make a difference? Join Interreg Volunteer Youth!

If you are younger than 31 and older 18, and you come from a European Country or from Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania or Turkey, you can become an IVY volunteer. 

Applying is very simple: register first in the European Solidarity Corps Youth Portal here and send us your reference number. If you would like to apply for a specific placement offer, let us know: if your profile fits the needs of the offer, we will be happy to share your profile with the host organisation.

In case you are generally interested to participate in IVY but don't see the perfect offer for you, contact us anyway and let us know that you would like to take part.

How does the selection process work?

STEP 1: Pre-selection of candidates

The coordinating organisation (AEBR) shares suitable profiles with the host organisation. The profiles are chosen for each offer taking into account the host organisation's specific needs in terms of language skills and other competences which are essential to be able to support activities planned. 

STEP 2: Selection of the volunteer

The host organisation chooses the succesful candidate(s) by setting up interviews with all or some of the pre-selected candidates and informs then the selected volunteer.

What is an “IVY experience” about?

The Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) initiative is part of the broader European Solidarity Corps Initiativelaunched by the European Commission and announced by President Juncker in his State of the Union Speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 14 September 2016. 

IVY offers the possibility to young people aged 18-30 to serve as volunteers in cross-border, transnational or interregional (so-called Interreg) programmes and related projects.

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. IVY gives 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 IVY, volunteers acquire a unique experience of personal growth as well as enhancing and gaining skills that they can employ in their future experiences. 

The scope and topic of each IVY experience are various and range from health to environment, from social inclusion to technology and innovation, etc.

What's in there for me? 

Interreg Volunteer Youth is structured around two main strands:  

1. Interreg Project Partners help implement an Interreg project, 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. Interreg Project Partners are therefore hosted by project beneficiaries involved in an Interreg project. 
2. Interreg Reporters help disseminate information on the benefits of territorial integration on the ground, through reporting successful on Interreg projects realised in a specific region. Interreg Reporters are therefore deployed either in the offices of the Interreg Managing Authorities and/or the Interreg Joint Secretariats.

About us

"Interreg Volunteer Youth" (IVY) is an action to offer the possibility to young people 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 IVY, this initiative is part of the European Solidarity Corps. 

European Territorial Cooperation (also referred to as Interreg) builds on solidarity and shows real European integration on the ground. By involving young people in Interreg, IVY aims at fostering a greater sense of European belonging, citizenship and civic engagement among young people. The volunteers experience cooperation and learn about the very local and concrete achievements of the Interreg programmes and projects, while also contributing to it and becoming aware of the many benefits of collaboration across borders.

Volunteers support, promote and report the concrete achievements of Interreg programmes and projects, as well as generally promote cooperation across European borders and related values. While helping their host organisations, volunteer acquire a unique experience of personal growth and gain skills that they can employ in their future experiences. 

Any Interreg Programme, National Authority and Project beneficiary can become an IVY host organisation. From May 2019, also Interreg Programmes and Projects located in Switzerland, some countries members of the European Economic Area (EEA), namely Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and some countries involved in Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Co-operation Programmes (IPA-CBC), notably Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Turkey, are eligible to host volunteers under the initiative “Interreg Volunteer Youth”.