Fit for the Future, new Council: after consultation with all u3as with regard to the future of the u3a Movement, there have been some governance changes implemented. A new 'Council' has been created to act as a link between local u3as and the national Board. Each Region / Nation now has two Council Representatives. Sue Russell is the Chair of the Council.
For London our representatives are Jenny Wilson (our previous Regional Trustee, from Croydon u3a) and Chris Bulford (from Islington u3a) have been elected. The role decription is:
Fit for the Future, new Council: after consultation with all u3as with regard to the future of the u3a Movement, there have been some governance changes implemented. A new 'Council' has been created to act as a link between local u3as and the national Board. Each Region / Nation now has two Council Representatives. Sue Russell is the Chair of the Council.
For London our representatives are Jenny Wilson (our previous Regional Trustee, from Croydon u3a) and Chris Bulford (from Islington u3a) have been elected. The role decription is:
- To facilitate nation (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales), regional, or groupings of u3as to meet, share good practice and experiences.
- To consult their u3as on agenda items so that they are prepared.
- To identify the needs of u3as & overall trends and to contribute this information to relevant Council discussions,
- To report back to their relevant region or nation or Network Link.
- To consider and recommend u3a-wide priorities & resourcing requirements to meet those priorities (e.g. participation of u3as in movement-wide initiatives)
- To develop and participate in a u3a impact assessment of all major new u3arelated developments prior to commencement,
- To support and promote u3a-wide initiatives in the CRs region or nation
- To encourage participation in regional & local multi-u3a initiatives
- To contribute to Council reports to the Board
- To contribute to Council discussions when developing the Council budget and manage the budget allocated to them.
- To act as a spokesperson for the u3a movement to agencies in the region in line with agreed messages from the Trust.
More information here: Council Reps Role
The Council is supported by a Council Officer (Mimmi) and she recently joined Croydon’s Monthly Meeting. She enjoyed talking to members before and afterward and finding out more about how the u3a works. She can’t wait to be retired!
One u3a Movement: Our Vision is to make lifelong learning, through the experience of u3a, a reality for all not in full time employment.. You can be read over arching principles here: u3a Principles. The Third Age Trust governance structure comprises 9 English Regions and 3 Countries – with varying degrees of geographical size, number of u3as and members. The London Region network is one of the smallest in both number of u3as (43) and geographical size – making all the u3as relatively easily accessible. To learn more about the u3a's structure have a look here: National structure.
LRU3A: To see information on the history of the 'London Region' network have a look at our Welcome page. Also, if you want to see all the u3as in the London Region look at the list on our Contacts page. This also has web links to all their websites. The listing of when each u3a was formed is on our Welcome page or here: London U3A Affiliation Dates
u3a National 'Friends' Newsletter: this is sent directly to individual members by email each month. It often contains information about, or relevance to, u3as in the London area. To register for a copy, it's easy and free via the u3a national website here: u3a NEWSLETTER You can also browse previous issues by that same link.
National Programme: there are a number of learning presentations online and workshops. You can find out more about the range of workshops available here: Workshops and events here: Learning Events
Network Link:
See information about national Networks here: Network Link. Sign up to the Network Link newsleter here: NL Newsletter Sign Up
Recruitment and Retention Initiative: it's acknowledged that all u3as struggle to retain members and recruit new members. As a national average all u3as loose about 10% of membership each year. To try to assist u3As the Third Age Trust launched an inititative to provide a tool kit of documents to help in this effort. You can find out more here: R&R Initiative.
Grants: see what's on offer to u3as in the way of supporting grants on the national website here: National Grants
Beacon Members Database System: This is a great way of simplfying your membership records and a lot more. It's a database system with built in functions to help run your u3a efficiently. There is a support team to help u3as who are considering using the system. The support team can help u3as to get access to the on-line "dummy" system to try out for themselves and can answer questions from enquirers and users.