The Assembly Hall of the Casa de Cultura Marqués González de Quirós of Gandia took yesterday afternoon the inauguration of the 42th Summer University of Gandia in an edition that, as the academic director highlighted, Carme Melo, pays homage to the victims of the DANA and the group of volunteers that offered their help during this historical catastrophe.
Under the motto “Vulnerability and resistance” the Vice-Principal for Culture and Society, Esther Alba, has been the one in charge of presenting the teacher and emeritus full university professor of the Universitat de València in Human Geography Joan Romero. “El momento de Europa” is the title with which they opened the 2025 edition in an inaugural conference presided by the Dean of the Universitat de València, Mavi Mestre, and the Mayor of Gandia, José Manuel Prieto, accompanied by the Vice-Principals for Culture and Society, Esther Alba, and the Lifelong Learning, Educational Transformation and Employment, Ángeles Solanes, the director of Centre Internacional de Gandia, Carme Melo, as well as other members of the UV Governing Council and the municipal corporation.
Romero focused his speech in a deep and precise reflection of the current situation we are globally living in to a political, social and economical level, pointing at the risks and challenges of the future that we will have to tackle as a society and making a clear bet for Europe as the third way or alternative, from the conciliation, against the national populist way headed by the double exe United States-China.
“Europe's opportunity is now; it can be now, if we do it right. We can forge alliances with the population of the global south, that continue watching in Europe a referent of liberties. But there are also many dilemmas to tackle: institutional, social unease, safety and strategic autonomy, ecologic and energetic transition or moral dilemma”.
In this sense, towards the end of his intervention, the words he dedicated over the situation in Gaza provoked the standing ovation of the attending public. “When we are looking at the greatest extermination program ever organised since the Second World War and we keep silent, I feel ashamed as an European”, he expressed.
For her part, the Dean of the Universitat de València, Mavi Mestre, dedicated to the attended public her last inaugural message before finishing her command. “For this reason this act has a really special meaning to me”, she explained. Seven editions of compromise with culture, education and La Safor local government area that for the Dean supposes “a bond that goes beyond the Summer University”.
Mavi Mestre made reference to the resistance that as society the vulnerable world we are living at is demanding. “Facing the climate emergency, we must be pro-active in the ecologic transition, adamant before the information disorders and the post-truth, before the ideological polarisation and digital transformation and the challenges that the most advanced technology presents”.
At the same time, the Mayor of Gandia, José Manuel Prieto, highlighted the role of the cities as “fundamental spaces of resistance, knowledge and collective hope before a world that is marked by uncertainty, constant crisis and the loss of common values”. Furthermore, Prieto reclaimed a progressive politic of emotions to counteract “the growth of totalitarian speeches”, underlining “the importance of adopting a feminist focus”.
To conclude, towards a call to build hope from the collective action and compromised public policies, supporting, at the same time, to keep alive the ideals and opening a new path towards a better future from unity.
This way, the 42th edition of the Summer University of Gandia has begun its programming with thirteen seminars, distributed in orientation courses and professional update, specialisation and dissemination courses. They complete the learning and cultural proposals the afternoon and night open activities, from next Tuesday, 15 July, bringing closer to the public of La Safor, debate and reflection spaces, as well as artistic proposals linked and stuck to the territory.
