U3A Nairn
U3A Nairn
learning for pleasure
learning for pleasure
Activities
Information
About U3A Nairn: what is U3A?
U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, which is a self-help organisation for people no longer in full time employment or with parental responsibilities, providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment. It consists of local U3As all over the UK, which are charities in their own right and are run entirely by volunteers. Local U3As are learning cooperatives which draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members to organise and provide interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the membership. The teachers learn and the learners teach. Between them U3As offer the chance to study over 300 different subjects in such fields as art, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts, photography and walking. A typical U3A has about 250 members but could be as small as 12 and as large as 2000.
The U3A approach to learning is - learning for pleasure. There is no accreditation or validation and there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained. There is no absolute minimum age for joining, and no maximum either, and no pre-qualifications are required.
The Nairn group is also part of U3A in Scotland which was founded in 1987 just five years after the movement was established in the UK. Scotland had 10 U3As by 1995 and currently has more than three dozen. U3A in Scotland is an umbrella group holding regional meetings three times a year, and acting to facilitate and promote the development of U3A groups in Scotland.
The Virtual U3A (vU3A), which went live in January 2009, is an online-only U3A, affiliated to the Third Age Trust. One of its principal aims is to provide the U3A experience for those who are rendered isolated in some way by circumstances or geography and unable to play a full part in a terrestrial U3A. More information and a video are available on the public website here where you can also apply for membership. Why not pay it a visit? And if you know of anyone who might benefit, please pass the information on.