Can a simple bench become a tool for inclusion within a public space located on the border between Italy and Slovenia? This question inspired Playground’s Benches, one of the projects developed by participants in the FLYE project, of which EGTC GO is a partner, and inaugurated today, 22 September, at the symbolic Rafut border crossing between Nova Gorica and Gorizia.

The public event brought together the young project creators, students from ISIS Galilei Fermi Pacassi, and institutions from both sides of the border. The initiative, implemented next to the basketball court located in the Rafut cross-border area between Italy and Slovenia, demonstrated how an idea developed by young people can make a tangible contribution to creating more inclusive, accessible, and welcoming public spaces.

The project, conceived by Youth Group participants Marta, Tania, Ivan, and Urša, was born from the desire to transform a space currently used mainly by people engaged in sports activities into a place open to a broader range of users. To achieve this, the group proposed the permanent installation of a table and several benches designed according to principles of accessibility and environmental sustainability, with the aim of expanding the ways in which the area can be used. The urban furniture was also designed to be customized through participatory artistic interventions, reinforcing the site's social, inclusive, and cross-border character.

The inauguration also marked a symbolic handover between members of the GO! 2025 European Capital of Culture youth group and a new generation of students. Students from ISIS Galilei Fermi Pacassi attended the event to learn about the project and contribute to its personalization.

In the presence of Marinka Saksida, Director of the Department for Social Activities of the Municipality of Nova Gorica, Chiara Gatta, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Youth Policies of the Municipality of Gorizia, and EGTC GO Director Romina Kocina, the young designers from the GO! 2025 youth group began creating the decorative artwork on the bench before symbolically passing the paintbrush to the younger students. Each participant was able to leave a trace of their own way of “being present” by painting dots, lines, waves, circles, stars, and other symbols in the colours of GO! 2025 and the European flag. Stroke by stroke, the bench was transformed into a collective artwork, expressing the participation and shared commitment of the younger generations.

Playground’s Benches demonstrates how even a modest investment can significantly improve the quality and usability of an urban space while promoting social inclusion, civic participation, and cross-border dialogue.

The project was made possible through the collaboration of numerous local partners, particularly the Municipality of Nova Gorica, the Centro Volontari Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (CVCS), ISIS Galilei Fermi Pacassi, and the associations Kallipolis and KUD Manifest. These organizations supported the youth group throughout the various stages of the initiative, from analysing the space to implementing artistic and creative interventions aimed at enhancing the area and making it more recognizable and attractive for the community.

Playground’s Benches is one of the projects developed within FLYE – Future Leaders of Youth Empowerment, a European initiative in which EGTC GO participates as a partner and which is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. The project aims to strengthen the active participation of young people under the age of 35 in decision-making processes and community life by promoting empowerment, financial literacy, and participatory budgeting. Following more than 90 hours of training, two international study visits, and an extensive participatory design process involving the GO! 2025 Youth Advocacy Group, the proposals developed by the young participants were presented and put to a vote in March 2026. At the end of the selection process and the subsequent feasibility assessment, two projects were chosen for implementation: ARTBUS and PLAYGROUND’S BENCHES, both designed to create new opportunities for meeting, inclusion, and well-being for young people and the wider cross-border community.