Strong women, strong voices: Sustainability and Exchange in Culture was a project led by the EUNIC Slovenia cluster in collaboration with Nova Gorica, European Capital of Culture (GO!2025), with the aim of promoting sustainable arts and highlighting women's voices in culture. The project consisted of two parts. The first part focused on knowledge transfer through workshops, talks and screening organised in primary and secondary schools and at the university of Nova Gorica, led by artists from Austria, France, Slovenia, Hungary, and Poland. The second part of the project was a full-day EUNIC panel discussion, in which selected artists and cultural managers shared challenges and their career path in the field of culture and arts.

The border cities of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy were the first cross-border cities to be designated European Capital of Culture in 2025 - GO!2025. In a region deeply marked by the turbulent history of the 20th century and by the difficulties of living together on either side of the border established in the aftermath of World War II, this year's goal was to transcend borders in a spirit of reconciliation. The theme chosen was Borderless which mission was to give voice to the combined heritage of two cities.

This milestone offered new opportunities for collaboration with EUNIC cluster Slovenia. Feminism, sustainability, and art are all priorities for cultural players and political leaders in the country. Therefore, the cluster and Nova Gorica ECoC organisers, in close consultation, have developed a project that addresses these three topics, combining the promotion of young female artists with intercultural exchange. The objectives of this project were to support young in arts, to implement sustainable art projects into the work of the art school and university in Nova Gorica and to raise awareness for the need for feminism and support of women in the cultural world in general.

This is why in early April 2025, a complex educational and artistic program was organised in Nova Gorica with the involvement of the local art high school and Academy of fine arts, in which selected guest artists Emilie Pigeard, Apol Temesi, Urška Djukić, Marzena Ewa Krajewska, Joanna Zając-Slapničar and Bara Kolenc held workshops or talks for students, youngsters and wider public. The series of workshops in different art fields such as animated film, literature or visual arts, also served as a prelude to the “Strong Women in Culture” women's rights conference in Nova Gorica, that was organised around the status of women in contemporary society and culture, viewed through the lens of women directors of cultural organisations, artists and producers. The highlights of the conference were: a panel discussion on Women shaping culture today; an interactive workshop entitled: “The Power of Women's Voices”; a round table: “Networking and Collaboration on a regional and across borders level”, interactive session “Empowering the Next Generation” and a film screening and discussion “Women Who Inspire”.

The project had many layers, but the members of the EUNIC cluster divided up the responsibilities. All members participated in meetings with local partners from Go!2025, who also coordinated the partners in Nova Gorica. This helped the cluster to get in touch with some new partners such as Academy of Fine arts in Nova Gorica or the local High school. On the other hand, each EUNIC member took over communication with the artist or professional from their country who had been invited to participate. As work conditions of women in culture and fair remuneration were at the heart of the project, we discussed these topics early on which was appreciated by the participants.

An open communication gave a good result: the feedback from workshop participants was positive, as were the responses from students at the schools that stayed in touch with certain artists. For instance, animation students from the Academy of Arts in Nova Gorica exchanged contacts with French artist Emilie Pigeard and sent her their videos after the project ended, and she sent them back her feedback, which was a precious opportunity for them. Moreover, following the workshops on dyeing natural materials with plant dyes Hungarian artist Apol Temesi successfully installed an exhibition of her works in Nova Gorica.
Given the conclusion of the Go!2025 European Capital of Culture project in early December 2025, it is not certain whether the project will develop or continue in the future, but it has given the EUNIC cluster Slovenia an opportunity to spread strong voices, start a decentralised cooperation and connect with local partners in Nova Gorica which was a first time for the cluster, but surely not the last.