Learning in the third age

U3A is a self-help organisation which gives older people fantastic learning opportunities in a supportive friendly environment. All over the UK there are local U3As, run by volunteers and they are all charities in their own right. They are learning cooperatives whose members work together to provide each other with interesting and enriching learning opportunities with learners and teachers interacting and interchanging roles. There are opportunities to study over 300 different subjects in various areas such as art, crafts, music, languages, history, philosophy, life sciences, computing and photography in the company of like-minded people.

The number of members in any one local group can range from 12 to 2000 but is typically around 250. The emphasis is on learning for pleasure so there are no qualifications or accreditations involved.

The third age refers to the period in a person's life when they are not involved in full time work or raising a family. Members can still be working part time and anyone at this stage of their life can join U3A.

It is a marvellous opportunity to extend one's range of knowledge, keeping social contacts going and stimulating one's mind at the same time.

There may be more than one U3A in your area as the groups' interests vary according to their members. There are also various online courses which are designed for older people and especially good for those with disabilities or mobility problems. They are available through a partnership between the Third Age Trust (national U3A organisation for the UK) and the U3 Online Inc which is based in Australia. None of the courses whether online or not ask for entry qualifications.

The U3A began in Toulouse in France in 1972 in the form of a summer school for retired people. It was so successful that it spread throughout the country and other countries began to follow suit in the early 80s with U3A groups too resulting in the setting up of an international body known as the International Association of Universities of the Third Age (AIUTA).

However, the original French model was centred around the concept of a university. The English version of U3A started to break away from this concept with the more strictly academic emphasis and power concentrated in academic bodies. The result was the setting up of local friendly groups based on self management and mutual interests and cooperation.

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