Aims and Guiding Principles of the U3A

Plymouth U3A - Aims of the Third Age Trust

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The University of the Third Age (U3A) is a learning co-operative of like-minded people that enables members   to share educational, creative and leisure activities. Nationally there are more than 500 branches of the U3A with over 120,000 individual members. For further information on the The Third
Age Trust, look at www.u3a.org.uk

Aims and Guiding Principles of the U3A   (Extracts, Third Age Trust document, 2004)

1.    To encourage and enable older people no longer in full-time employment to help each
       other to share their knowledge, skills, interests and experience.
2.    To demonstrate the benefits and enjoyment to be gained and the new horizons to be
       discovered in learning throughout life.
3.    To celebrate the capabilities and potential of older people and their value to society.
4.    To make U3As accessible to all older people.

       Guiding Principles
a. U3As offer learning activities which reflect members' wishes and which aim to satisfy the
       widest possible range of interests: educational, cultural, recreational, physical and social.
d.    U3As neither require nor award any qualifications and by sharing their learning members help
       one another to develop their knowledge, skills and experience in self-help groups.
e.    U3A's are funded mainly by the subscriptions of their members, Outside funding may be
       sought on occasion and only if there are no conditions which might conflict with the Trust's
       aims and principles.
f.    Members undertake, without payment, the many and varied tasks necessary to run their U3A.
       Paid tutors are engaged only when special expertise is necessary to ensure the health and
       safety of members taking part, when U3As do not have an appropriately qualified members
       available.