Local students shared messages of kindness, inclusion and understanding through the “Respect Through Art – A Community Celebration” exhibition at Bunbury Forum Shopping Centre from 12 January to 2 February.

The exhibition featured artworks created for the Zonta Club of Bunbury Inc.’s 2026 Students’ Respect Art Calendar Competition. Each piece reflected what respect means to young people in their schools, families and community, continuing the work of Choose Respect Bunbury and promoting a respectful community for all.

A student visiting the display expressed, “I wanted my artwork to remind people that small acts of kindness can make a big difference and that respect grows when we all choose to act with care and consideration.”

The project was developed to encourage conversations about respect and disrespect, support creative expression and help young people understand how respectful behavior builds positive relationships. Selected artworks are featured in an annual calendar, making respect a daily reminder throughout the year, and are also shared on the club’s social media channels during the Zonta Says NO campaign.

Project Coordinator Jo Wittorff said, “It’s wonderful to be able share the students’ ideas with the public. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the Bunbury Forum in granting our Zonta club this unique opportunity.”

The competition is open to government and non-government primary and high school students in the Bunbury Education District, including home-schooled students. The 2026 competition for the 2027 Respect Calendar will open 12 June and close 9 September.

The Zonta Club of Kuopio, Finland, organized a series of awareness and community engagement activities from 25 November to 5 December 2025 as part of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

On 25 November, seven public buildings and sites across Kuopio were illuminated in orange, including Puijo Tower, the Music Centre, the Theatre, the Viäntö landscape column, the Lentoon artwork and two pedestrian underpasses.

That same day, the club hosted a silent candlelit procession in Kuopio’s main square. The procession began with the Siskotyttö statue being adorned with an orange scarf and concluded with an orange scarf placed on the Veljmies statue. The event provided residents with an opportunity to show their opposition to violence against women and encouraged community participation. A total of 65 people joined the procession. The activities also received coverage in local print media and on local radio.

From 1 to 5 December, the club organized an art exhibition at Kuopio’s main library titled “Wonderful Relationships – Without Fear.” Students from five lower and upper secondary schools explored the theme throughout the autumn term and created thought-provoking works reflecting on violence against women and healthy relationships. The project engaged more than 100 young people, and the exhibition attracted more than 500 visitors of all ages.

All events were carried out in cooperation with Soroptimist International Kuopio and Inner Wheel Kuopio.

The Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley, USA, paricipated in “UNITE Against Domestic Violence,” a free public event dedicated to raising awareness about the ongoing crisis of domestic violence in Santa Clarita. The event was launched alongside the Child & Family Center.

The program featured powerful guest speakers who shared stories of domestic violence survivors that have been helped, spoke about legislation that will help fund services for survivors in the future; provided insight into the role of local law enforcement and the efforts being made to support victims and prevent further harm; and key legislation to expand protections and resources for survivors escaping abusive situations.

As advocates through the California Coalition to End Child Marriage, members attended a fireside chat with Chelsea Clinton focused on “The Golden State’s Child Marriage Problem,” where participants learned about the issue of child marriage in California, legislative challenges and barriers married children face when seeking access to essential resources.

To further raise community awareness of gender-based violence, the club displayed its Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women banner over McBean Parkway. The banner increased visibility for the campaign and helped spread the message throughout the community.

In recognition of the campaign’s signature color, members also wore orange and gathered in a public park to “orange” the community during the 16 Days of Activism.

With the installation “Against Silence. Five Femicides – Five Voices,” the Zonta Club Pforzheim, Germany, drew attention to gender-based violence against women. The project is based on real, recent femicide cases from the region surrounding Pforzheim.

The exhibition comprises three display panels featuring photographs, brief texts and audio pieces, all accessible via QR codes. The audio contributions are artistic, fictional interpretations inspired by real events. They give the women an inner voice while deliberately avoiding explicit depictions of violence.

The aim of the installation is to raise awareness, create emotional engagement and break the silence surrounding femicides.

In Germany, nearly every day, a woman is killed or seriously injured by her current or former partner. Many of these crimes are statistically recorded as “domestic” or “relationship-related,” but in reality constitute gender-based violence — femicides.

Symbolic orange shoes within the exhibition represent women who have become victims of violence and femicide. Zonta Club Pforzheim has been actively involved in the Zonta Says NO campaign for many years.

The exhibition was first presented in Pforzheim on 25 November, 2025. In addition to raising awareness, it provides information about support and counseling services for those affected. Further information about the installation is available at here.

The Zonta Club of Rome I, Italy, together with the Zonta e-club Roma Parioli hosted a conference to raise awareness about one of the most hidden and underreported forms of gender-based violence: abuse against women with disabilities.

Speakers emphasized that violence against women with disabilities is often harder to recognize, report and prosecute. Survivors may face barriers to communication, lack of accessibility or disbelief when they share their experiences, making them particularly vulnerable and isolated.

The event featured a powerful discussion led by Valeria Alpi, author of “La voce a te dovuta,” which documents testimonies of abuse shared directly by women with disabilities, and Simona Lancioni, a journalist long committed to amplifying disability rights and visibility. Their insights helped bring lived experiences to the forefront and challenged harmful stereotypes that contribute to silence and impunity.