FEDORA - Next Stage Capacity-Building Programme for 2025

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Next Stage Capacity-Building Programme for 2025–2026

Details

27 May 2025

Paris / France

Next Stage Initiative

On 27 May the first session of the Next Stage Capacity-Building Programme for 2025–2026 took place online, in collaboration with expert partners Opera Europa, Aktionsnetzwerk Nachhaltigkeit, Thema 1, BPI Learn, and IMZ – International Music + Media Centre. This online onboarding session marked the beginning of a new learning journey focused on sustainability, inclusion, and digital transformation. Following an introduction to the Next Stage Initiative by FEDORA’s Director Edilia Gänz, expert partners and a keynote by Transformation Psychologist Dr. Irina Nalis-Neuner, participants entered in breakout rooms for interactive sessions exploring each stream's programme’s themes and objectives. For each stream, they had the opportunity to reflect on their experiences, hear from colleagues from all over Europe, and begin shaping action plans for their organisations. Participants explored key challenges and opportunities within the fields of sustainability, inclusion, and digital transformation.

Through group exercises and peer exchange, they examined current practices, identified areas for improvement, and began co-developing strategies to drive meaningful change within their organisations and the wider sector. This programme, co-funded by the Creative Europe initiative of the European Union, empowers emerging creatives and professionals in opera and dance to lead transformative change and help set new standards for sustainability, inclusion, and innovation across the performing arts sector.

This first online introductory session will be followed by a two-day in person meeting in October 2025, during the Autumn conference of Opera Europa in Geneva. On this occasion, participants will be able to connect and deep-dive into the topics that they brought forward during the first session.

NEXT STAGE GRANTS

In 2021, FEDORA and Opera Europa launched the Next Stage Initiative to trigger change and recovery in the opera and dance sector. This initiative provides financial support and skills development to boost innovation through sustainability, inclusivity, and digital transformation.

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