The 41^st edition of the Summer University of Gandia has began. On Wednesday, 12 June the directors of the organising institutions, the Universitat de València and the City Council of Gandia, have presented the new edition under the slogan ‘five hundred and twenty-five years of shaping the future’. UV Principal Mavi Mestre emphasised ‘the responsibility the Universitat de València bears with the weight of Valencian society in Spain as a whole and considers itself a leading institution that is also characterised by its presence in the territory.’ ‘We are committed to contributing to the structuring the territory and to fostering the development of the Valencian society. To achieve that, we work side by side with different Valencian administrations, such as the City Council of Gandia.’ Mavi Mestre also stressed that ‘the Universitat de València reaches all fields of knowledge. Our institution equals research, knowledge transfer, training and updating. The Gandia Summer University is a place for all of this’. Finally, the Principal once again expressed her gratitude to the Mayor of Gandia for ‘his vision for the future and forward-looking approach of a university presence in Gandia. It is a common objective for both institutions, and have the best example in the Gandia Summer University.’

The Mayor stressed that the slogan for this edition ‘marks an important date, that is, the Universitat de València achieves a milestone that makes every Valencian citizen proud: it celebrates 525 years of history.’ He also stated that the UEG allows Gandia to ‘stand out and become a leader in the field of education, thus, turning the city into the epicentre of analysis and thinking. Gandia is home to curious and restless minds, a space for reflexion’. The Mayor of the city also announced that the renowned journalist Manuel Vicent will give the inaugural lecture for the 2024 edition. The event will take place in the garden of the Casa de la Marquesa on Monday, 15 July at 7:30pm, and is open to the general public.

Mestre and Prieto were accompanied at the press conference by the director of the Gandia International Centre, Carme Melo, who was in charge of presenting the programme of this edition. The educational part includes eighteen seminars, Melo explained that 'this edition continues to offer informative seminars for the general public that serve to show society the most innovative academic work, but we have also incorporated specialisation seminars for postgraduate students, doctoral students and research staff, as well as orientation and professional updating seminars for different collectives'. The UEG offers six specialised seminars on medieval history, contemporary Spanish poetry, forest fire management, treatment for anxiety and depression, artificial intelligence and innovations in journalism. As well as receiving training in these areas, the participating students will be able to present their work and research in the form of posters and papers. The CIG-UV director explained that they also offer four refresher courses to meet the need to train professionals in new areas or areas that have experienced significant legislative or cultural changes, such as the civil guardianship of people with disabilities, the education for emotional well-being, the prevention of and action against gender-based violence, and new family relationships. As well as eight informative seminars to bring society closer to the latest scientific knowledge on current issues that appeal to people, such as the challenges of artificial intelligence, the importance of chemistry in daily life, physical activity, public health and the so-called chemsex, gender-based cyberviolence that affects predominantly young people, female artistic creation and the possibilities of social and sustainable entrepreneurship.

As in previous editions, we reinforce once again the collaboration with CEFIRE, which will certify some of the seminars for primary and secondary school teachers, and with the UV Equality Unit and the Department of Equality of the City Council of Gandia, with which we have co-organised the seminars on gender violence and male chauvinist cyber-violence and we welcome numerous institutions and entities with which some of the seminars are organised, especially the College of Notaries of Valencia, the Chair in Notarial Law of the University of Alacant, and numerous services, such as UVEmprén, Chairs and research groups of the UV.

Free activities

As usual, the 41st edition of the Gandia Summer University includes a series of activities open to the general public. The activities will begin on 9 June with an event dedicated to the Mediterranean Corridor, in which Mayor José Manuel Prieto and Commissioners of the Spanish Government for the Mediterranean and Atlantic Corridor Josep Vicent Boira and José María Sebastián, respectively, will participate. On Thursday, 11 July, an event organised by the Cucó Chair will pay tribute to the late urban economist Josep Sorribes. The following week will see the start of the ‘Conversations with’ series, which will take place from Tuesday 15 to Friday 19 at 7:00pm at the Assembly Hall of the Casa de la Marquesa. This cycle will feature the veterinarian Maria Sánchez, the writer and television critic Bob Pop, the political scientist Pablo Simón, the feminist Clara Serra and the writers Rosa Ribas and Alexandre Escrivà.

Meanwhile, the evenings are reserved for the musical performances. Limbotheque will perform on Tuesday, 16, and Va de Dones on Wednesday, 17. The Valencian duo Yo Diablo will take the stage on Thursday, 18, while Pep de la Tona will close the event on Friday, 19, with a new musical project by singer from the disbanded band Gossa Sorda.

The cultural programme of the 41^st edition of the Gandia Summer University is completed with two distinguished exhibition projects. The exhibition halls of the Casa de la Marquesa will hold the ‘Art, pain and commitment. Women in the Martínez Guerricabeitia Collection’ on 12 July at 6:30pm. The exhibition aims to highlight the value of the work of women artists that form part of this collection. The exhibition includes works by artists Manuela Ballester, Natividad Bermejo, Carmen Calvo, Victoria Cano or María Carbonell, among many others.  Meanwhile, the Tossal Hall will hold the Indignadas. No hay planeta B exhibition, a project created purposefully by the artist María María Acha-Kutscher, whose work focuses primarily on women – their history, their fight for emancipation and equality, and the cultural construction of femininity. These exhibitions are coming to Gandia thanks to the Office of the Vice-Principal for Culture and Society of the Universitat de València.