La Collective by le Reseau Femmes

La Collective is a project led by the Fondation pour l’égalité de genre (FEG), which aims to facilitate access and increase the range of services available to women and gender minorities, bring together feminist and women-led associations, encourage synergies, promote diversity and create a platform for conversation at the center of Geneva. The building, located in heart of Plainpalais, will offer housing, a library, coworking spaces, offices, services for women, daycare, conference and workshop space and a café.

In 2023, La Collective opened for the first time and hosts various activities such as art exhibitions and performances, language lessons by the association Découvrir, workshops and conferences by the Espace santé femmes, and an escape game created by the Filigrane feminist library. More than 2000 persons have discovered the place up to this day, and the cultural and associative programming will last up to June 2024. La Collective will then close for a period of two years, during which the building will be entirely renovated and the premises reshaped for the future activities.

In 2025, while the building will be under construction, the next significant milestone in our journey will be the organisation of the 2nd edition Bastions de l’Égalité, a two day event expecting to gather around 70 associations and the larger public that serves as a platform for people and organisations to come together, share ideas and take actions to advance the cause of equality. In 2026, La Collective will officially open after two years of work, with programming (cultural, social, political) that will allow our Foundation to expand its impact and reach.

The La Collective project was initiated by a network of associations in Geneva, le Reseau Femmes*, bringing together an existing community of 15 associations who work on diverse issues ranging from violence, migration, employment, to housing or digital support services.

Feminism and women’s and gender minorities’ rights in Switzerland have a long way to go. Despite legislative, political, cultural progress of recent years, the movement is siloed, little data is available on the issues faced by women in the country, awareness campaigns are scarce, reproduction rights are still an ongoing conversation, and on the forefront of this battlefield, violence and discrimination are at the center of preoccupations. Indeed, every two weeks and half, a woman loses her life to domestic violence in the country.

We believe that strengthening the connections between organizations, amplifying the messages through a joint platform, sharing knowledge, data and valuable community led insights, will empower the movement, give us a louder voice, increase the visibility and the impact of the work done on the field, and hopefully contribute to positive change and progress in the country. The FEG also committed to participative governance with stakeholders, particularly associations, as a cornerstone of its approach to building trust and legitimacy. This participatory approach of the Foundation’s leadership structure ensures that our organization remains deeply connected to the needs and priorities of the communities we serve while fostering a sense of ownership and collaboration.

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Léonore Dupanloup (elle/she)

Chargée de communication

Fondation Maison des femmes*

Bd des Philosophes 20

1205 Genève