u3a are excited to announce our involvement in a news-style programme Redefining Later Living produced by ITN Business. Growing older is a privilege – and it can be a time of freedom, adventure and reinvention.
Redefining Later Living features organisations at the forefront of the sector, sharing case studies and contributions from industry thought leaders. It seeks to challenge the traditional connotations around ageing and explores ways to embrace later life, manage postmenopausal changes, and discover age-related medical developments.
Our CEO, Iain Cassidy, makes an appearance where he discusses the many benefits of non-formal learning and how we promote this within u3a.
What is u3a
u3a is a UK-wide movement of locally-run interest groups that provide a wide range of opportunities to come together to learn for fun. Members explore new ideas, skills and activities together.
There are over 1000 u3as with around 400,000 members; membership costs around £20 on average per year and is open to anyone and everyone who’s not working full-time.
u3a has members who draw upon their knowledge and experience to teach and learn from each other but there are no qualifications to pass – it is just for pleasure. Learning is its own reward.
It's all voluntary; a typical u3a will be home to many activity groups covering hundreds of different subjects - from art to zoology and everything in between.
The u3a story
Founded in 1982, the UK u3a movement (based loosely on the French model) aims to encourage groups of people no longer in full-time work to come together and continue their enjoyment of learning subjects of interest to them.
From the start, the guiding principles were to promote non-formal learning through self-help interest groups covering a wide range of topics and activities as chosen by their members. There is no minimum age, but a focus on people who are no longer in full-time employment or raising a family. Our founders envisaged a collaborative approach with peers learning from each other. The u3a movement was to be self-funded, with members not working towards qualifications but learning purely for pleasure. There would be no distinction between the learners and the teachers – everyone could take a turn at being both if they wished.
The movement grew very quickly and by the early 1990s, a u3a was opening every fortnight. u3as started in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and in 2008 membership was increasing by 11% every year. 2010 saw our membership hitting the quarter million mark. 2022 saw 40th Anniversary of the movement in the UK and was marked with a year-long programme of events and celebrations.