Welcome
Welcome! If you're new to u3a, read on. If you're not, skip down to West Midlands Region.
Just like BMW, the u3a likes our initials to speak for us. We are a national organisation for people who have finished full time work and want to continue learning with like-minded people, in a very sociable environment. The u3a movement has members who draw upon their knowledge and experience to teach and learn from each other but there are no exams to pass – it's just for pleasure. Learning is its own reward.
It's all voluntary; a typical u3a will have many groups covering many different subjects - from art to zoology and everything in-between. Created nearly 40 years ago, there are now over 1,000 u3as across the UK, with over 450,000 members who join in thousands of interest groups.
The u3a national body – the Third Age Trust - looks after all the u3as in the UK, providing educational and admin support. The best way to understand what the movement has to offer is to look at any individual u3a website and scroll through the many interest groups available. Most u3as charge a token annual membership fee to cover costs, and activities are all low-cost. Read more on the national website & click through to a map of all UK u3as:
See https://www.u3a.org.uk/get-involved/join. .
West Midlands Region
This website covers the activities of around 85 u3as in a region that includes Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands conurbation. Our region is very diverse, from rural village to city metropolis, from agriculture to service industry, manufacturing to technology….. and our members are diverse too!
If you're a u3a member and you want to know more….
On the national website, there are many free online courses about a range of subjects, and each month, information is emailed to the Chairs of local u3as, so that they can pass it onto members, especially committee members, for discussion and so we get their feedback.
There is a wealth of information on the national website, https://www.u3a.org.uk. There is a Members area, which you need to create an account to access: that gives details of all Board meetings, etc. Take a look.
There are also u3a communities on social media, e.g. there are national Facebook forums. "Keeping in Touch" is a general one, "Fit for the Future" explores options for the future of u3a, and "Let's Talk Tech" holds technology teach-ins on Wednesdays, and answers tecchy questions. You can also find u3a information on YouTube: all kinds of content is shared there.
If you have specific questions, please email or call Jean.Jackson@u3a.org.uk; 07310 183428. If you need help with u3a recruitment, resources from the Pathfinders Retention & Recruitment campaign are on the SOURCES part of the national website: https://sources.u3a.org.uk/2021/02/28/u3a-recruitment-toolkit-retaining-current-u3a-members/
Regards
Jean Jackson, Trustee for the West Midlands Region
Email: Jean.Jackson@u3a.org.uk; 07310 183428