ACTIV EU (Active European Citizens through volunteering)​
GRUNDTVIG SENIOR VOLUNTEERING PROJECT
‘’The University of third Age’’ -U3A is a non profit association whose members are almost or retired people; as they are in their later years of life, after work and family responsibilities have lessened, they are willing to teach, learn, adapt and share their wisdom, just for the satisfaction that it brings.
U3A members are not required any qualifications to join the association and no certificates or accreditations are awarded. They need to be motivated, enthusiast to get involved in volunteering activities in the benefit of community, run and choose the activities as decided by a committee elected by their members every year.
The U3A association started in Tolosa in 1973. Then a group of volunteers from Turin set up the first university of the third age in Italy .
Nowadays there 320 U3A groups both from the north to the south of Italy as well as all over the world. In Noto it was started in 1991.
’The University of third Age is an important association for its members, who otherwise would feel cut off from real life, as all of them are retired people, but wiling to give back, use their knowledge, experiences, enthusiasm, for less fortunate ones.
All the members of this organization are willing to participate to their town life in an active way; Indeed, one of the main aims of the organization is promoting solidarity and integration of disadvantaged people to avoid any form of marginalization.
This association applies healthy ageing strategies to create the conditions and opportunities for people to have regular physical activity, healthy diets, social relations, participation in meaningful activities and financial security.
‘
ORIZONT CULTURAL T ‘’in English ‘’Cultural Horizon T’’ was opened in 2006, it was built by trainers and Methodists with great experience in adult education programs.
We opened the association as a result of our implication in adult education program under Grundtvig.
We developed important activities in the benefit of disadvantaged persons, on local, regional, national, European level.
Our association is working in order to promote the European mobility and conscious citizenship of people, and is appreciated for its active national and European participation.
The main aims are:
- Volunteering to promote cultural heritage, traditions and customs, to adapt the adults abilities and knowledge to empower them as European active citizens,
-to create a society in which the senior volunteers, people 50+, retired persons or almost, to be involved as volunteers in non-profit activities as a form of informal learning activity in the benefit of community.
- to develop personal and professional skills, adapting our older member competences,
-to get new ones to the challenges and opportunities of develo pme nt in the interconnected European world.
-Training adults at national and European level for Equal opportunities,
-Intergenerational learning, promoting cultural diversity,
- motivating active adults, seniors to use their resources, organizing meetings, workshops, conferences, symposiums, and other actions of this kind, at local, national and international level ,
- building, shaping or improving knowledge Society Skills or Competences with the partly aiming at ‘repairing’ existing or potential social exclusion.
-establishing communication between volunteers on the field of the culture of various nations
-building solidarity between aged volunteers from all over the world.