Extraordinary edition of the "Taking the floor" cultural programme to mark the ten years HRH The Princess of Asturias has been honorary President of the Foundation, and commemorating the ten years this project has now been running

To mark the ten years Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias has been Honorary President of the institution and coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the launch of this project, the Princess of Asturias Foundation has announced an extraordinary edition of the “Taking the Floor” cultural programme for schools in the Principality of Asturias, which on this occasion is to be extended to invited schools nationwide.

The proposed activities –related to two essential fields of knowledge, the Humanities and the Sciences– are linked to the work of two Laureates who have already participated in this programme: namely Mary Beard, 2016 Princess of Asturias Laureate for Social Sciences; and Sandra Myrna Díaz, joint 2019 Princess of Asturias Laureate for Technical and Scientific Research. Both will return to Asturias in 2025 to participate in the closing events of this extraordinary edition.

The goal of “Taking the Floor” is to bring the work and careers of the recipients of Princess of Asturias Awards into the classrooms. Since its launch in 2015, this programme has boasted more than 55 700 participations by pupils from 259 schools in Asturias. In 2017, Her Majesty Queen Leticia held meetings at the El Quirinal state primary school (Avilés) and the Jerónimo González state secondary school (Sama de Langreo) with a delegation of teachers and pupils from the 74 schools that participated in the programme in 2016. The “Taking the Floor” programme was suspended in 2020 due to the public health situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

«The Adventure of the Classics… to be continued»

A proposal focussing on the work of 2016 Princess of Asturias Laureate for Social Sciences Mary Beard.

-    Aimed at 3rd- and 4th-year secondary and baccalaureate students.
-    Registration deadline: 17th December 2024 (inclusive).
-    Deadline for receiving projects: 21st January 2025 (inclusive).

The activity can also be carried out in English.

As she did in 2016 when she visited Asturias to collect her Award, Mary Beard invites students to look at the past in a different way and challenges them to establish correlations between the ancient and modern worlds, exploring the Greco-Roman past in search of its links and repercussions in contemporary culture. To inspire them in this search, the Foundation proposes three examples as guidelines. Students are to analyse these examples in order to produce a free-format project in which they present –in a creative and innovative way– a reflection on or lesson they have learnt regarding the presence in today’s society of some concept or idea from the ancient world.

1.- Medusa Warns: Don’t Play Me for a Fool
According to Greek mythology, as punishment for her beauty Medusa was transformed by Athena into a monstrous creature with a petrifying gaze, giving rise to cultural interpretations throughout history that have linked her with fear and protection, until recent revisions that understand this figure to be the consequence of misogyny. Her death at the hands of Perseus, depicted in Cellini’s sculpture, symbolized victory of the male.  Today, Medusa is reinterpreted as a symbol of resistance and struggle against different forms of domination and her image has given rise to icons such as the Versace logo.

2.- Venus, “Unfiltered” Beauty
Venus, Goddess of Love, has been an artistic archetype in different styles and periods that have idealized feminine beauty, as in the works of Praxitle, Botticelli and Titian, and whose influence endures today in art, fashion and advertising. However, the figure of Venus has also evolved thanks to the work of artists such as Beyoncé –dancing in a music video in front of the Venus de Milo at the Louvre Museum– who have given it new meaning, disassociating it from racial prejudices and associating it with female empowerment.

3.- Hercules Faces the “Dōdekathlon”!
Hercules, a demigod from Roman mythology known for his strength and skill, had to undertake extremely difficult tasks known as the “Twelve Labours of Hercules” to atone for a crime he had committed against his family. Thanks to his cunning and perseverance, he completed the missions and was granted immortality. His figure has been represented in sculptures, mosaics and paintings and his exploits have inspired literary works and films. The myth has endured because it reflects that even “heroes” make mistakes and must take responsibility for their actions.

 

“Ready… Naturalists… Go!”

An activity dedicated to Sandra Myrna Díaz, joint recipient of the 2019 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research together with Joanne Chory.

• -    Aimed at 3rd- and 4th-year secondary and baccalaureate students.
  -    Registration deadline: 17th December 2024 (inclusive).
  -    Deadline for receiving projects: 14th February 2025 (inclusive)

This activity can also be carried out in English.

In defence of biodiversity, Sandra Myrna Díaz reflects on the importance of plants in our daily lives and highlights their essential role in the fight against climate change. She raises the need for profound social, economic and political changes, as well as the importance of people connecting with nature in order to foster decisions that transcend environmental protection. In this proposal, the Foundation invites students to watch the Laureate’s talk titled “Of Plants and Peoples: Plant Biodiversity and its Links with Human Beings” and to become true naturalists. They are invited to explore plant biodiversity and express it in a free-format research project from which they will then have to present a conclusion or something they have learnt about the presence of different varieties of plant species on the planet or present-day society’s relationship with them.

To help them choose a topic, the Foundation provides some suggestions and links in the teaching aid which address questions such as the following: What is “plant blindness syndrome”? What proportion of plant species are threatened with extinction? What role have plants such as tea, sugar cane and cotton played in the history of humanity over the last thousand years? and How many of the plants on the planet travel and become established in their receiving (host) country?

 

Commemorative events in honour of HRH The Princess of Asturias

To mark the ten years Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias has been Honorary President of the institution and following her coming of age, the Princess of Asturias Foundation held a special programme in October this year within the framework of “Awards Week” featuring Laureates from previous years and their work. Carmen Linares (2022), María Pagés (2022), Ingrid Daubechies (2020), Juan Mayorga (2022), Siri Hustvedt (2019), John Banville (2014), Leonardo Padura (2015), Jeffrey Gordon (2023), Lindsey Vonn (2019) and Teresa Perales (2021) visited Asturias to participate in this commemoration.