What is the U3A and how did it start?

The "first age" of life is the childhood years up to when you start work, the "second age" is the years at work, and the "third age" is the years of retirement. L'Université du Troisiéme Age, (The University of the Third Age or U3A in English) was founded in Toulouse in France in 1972 where universities began to provide educational opportunities for older adults.   The experiment met with almost immediate success and soon spread to other European countries.   By 1981 it had come to Britain but here it was adapted by a group of Cambridge enthusiasts to become a movement based on self-help and mutual   aid, a kind of 'intellectual democracy'.   British U3As use the word "University" in its ancient context, meaning 'a community of scholars'.

The U3A encourages older people to remain active in their retirement and continue lifelong learning.   Everyone is encouraged to contribute voluntarily to the running of their U3A in some way.

The U3A in Britain and the world

In Britain, each U3A is operationally independent but there are regional groupings of local U3As and a national umbrella body called The Third Age Trust.   The Third Age Trust produces a quarterly magazine titled "U3A News" and organizes an annual conference in the summer for delegates from the local U3As.   Around the world U3As now have millions of members.   Some U3As use the title "Seniors Universities", especially in China.   In the USA they are called "Institutes of Learning in Retirement". The international body is called AIUTA, based in France, which holds an international congress every 2 years.

Size of the U3A
In Britain, membership of the U3A is growing at 15% a year, making the U3A one of Britain's fastest growing organizations.   In June 2011 there were 826 U3As and 273141members.   West Bridgford U3A is growing rapidly and we now have 512 members as at November 2012