Welcome to the home page of the Northern Ireland Region of u3a s!
U3a s provide learning opportunities in a social context for those in the third age – Youth Clubs for older people.
There are currently 24 different u3a s in Northern Ireland
with around 8,000 members. Each u3a is different, each a charity in its own right, affiliated to The Third Age Trust and most with their own websites. To find the nearest u3a to you check the Find a U3A page above or see U3A in Northern Ireland. If there is not a u3a near you please contact nithirdage@gmail.com and we can help start a new one.
What is u3a? u3as provide retired people with opportunities to take up new interests or to develop existing ones, not in old style classrooms but in social groups where they make new friends. No need to go to night classes. No qualifications are asked to join, the only condition being that you are not in full time employment, and while most members are 50+, there is no age restriction. For more detail see What is U3A.
Interest Groups: Each u3a comprises a number of interest groups which run weekly, fortnightly, monthly or just occasionally, meeting in halls, club premises or members’ houses. They cater for a very wide range of topics, reflecting the interests of the group leaders who are volunteer members, except in the case of activities like pilates or yoga where there are health and safety considerations.
Activities: Each u3a is different, with the activities on offer depending on the skills of the members. Below are some examples from u3as in Northern Ireland – by no means comprehensive. Contact your local u3a to see what is available or check the Activities page.
Examples include Art, Art Appreciation, Badminton, Books, Bridge, Choir, Computing, Crafts, Cycling, Dancing, Digital Photography, Film, French, Gardening, Genealogy, German, Golf, Hill walking, History, Irish, Italian, Keep fit, Life Story Writing, Lace making, Lunch Club, New age curling, Nordic walking, Opera, Poetry, Scrabble, Spanish, Table tennis, Tai chi, Theatre, Ukeleles, Walking, Website building, Whist, Wine tasting, Wii Work Out, and more … For further information contact the individual U3As.
NIC 100691
