U3A in SCOTLAND
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - 22 May 2014
SCOTTISH TRUSTEE REPORT
National Executive Committee
I became Scottish Trustee after the National Conference in Nottingham in September 2013 when my predecessor, Morag Tamisari, completed her 3-year term. This is, therefore, my first report to a U3A in Scotland AGM and my first task is to formally place on record my appreciation and thanks to Morag for her work in representing Scottish U3As on the National Executive Committee (NEC) and in strengthening the U3A movement within Scotland.
I have now attended five NEC meetings. The main agenda items have focussed on the future and, in particular, on preparing a strategic forward plan. Over its 30-year existence, the U3A movement in the UK has experienced extra-ordinary growth. However, in the light of impact of internet-accessible learning programmes and increased Governmental intervention into older-age lifestyles, it has proven difficult to assess future U3A growth and how U3A’s educational strategies might develop. The structures and procedures of the NEC (and the National Office) have also been under review because they, too, are feeling the pressure of past growth.
The NEC has also been taking time to review its vision, mission and principles – trying to ensure their fitness for future purpose. What has become apparent is that the fundamental principles and methodologies of U3A are as ‘solid’ as they were 30 years ago – and the NEC has recently taken the opportunity to re-iterate them in the centre ‘pull-out’ of the Spring 2014 issue of Third Age Matters – well worth reading, if you haven’t already. This signals that the strategic plan will not introduce major change. Rather, it will provide an analysis of how U3A might look in the future and what developments (especially in IT) might be appropriate to retain U3A’s position at the forefront of older-age learning provision. It is hoped to present some initial thoughts at the next National AGM in Cirencester on 9-10 September 2014. Have you considered attending? It’s a great opportunity to meet other U3As and discover what’s going on.
I have also attended my first full meeting of the Standing Committee for Education (SCE). This was an extremely helpful meeting which has brought me up to date with lots of new learning opportunities. These include: on-line courses; the new in-depth studies programmes; shared learning projects; the new library system in the Learning Resources Centre, as well as the increasing range of Futurelearn , Openlearn and BBC courses and, of course, MOOCs - Google them if you don’t know! Given this bewildering range, lots of new materials and new approaches to interest group leadership are emerging. I am always keen to hear the views and experiences of Scottish U3A members on such things, so do please keep me up to date with anything new, or just a little bit different, happening in your U3A.
Networks
As the number of U3As continues to increase throughout the UK, communication between the Trust and the individual U3As becomes more difficult. The ‘Regions’ (each with their own Trustee) were created some years ago to improve communication and representation. Nowadays, some regions are so big that their own internal communication has become a problem. To seek a solution, these regions have created local geographical groupings of U3As that are referred to as ‘networks’. These networks, in some areas, are now effectively regions in their own right – so much so that there are plans to appoint ‘regional volunteers’ that are essentially ‘Assistants to the Regional Trustee’.
Our regional organisation - U3A in Scotland - is essentially a single network. Although not numerically big, Scotland has its own communication difficulties caused by its size (by far the largest U3A region). For example, the problem of finding a location that is accessible in a reasonable day by more than half the Scottish U3As is unsolvable. In some parts of the country informal local networks, often labelled as ‘neighbourhood groups’, have already sprung up. I have also started to arrange events with U3As who have little opportunity to come to U3A in Scotland events. The first of these will be in Orkney, where I and three Chairs of neighbouring U3As (if ‘neighbouring’ is the right term) will be meeting with the local U3A in June. I am keen to develop such local networks and I’m pleased that the Trust has now agreed to make funds available for their creation and further development. This gives us a great opportunity to progress the building up of our own networks. If you would like either to set up a local network, or further extend an already existing one, I can help you to access these funds.
Shared Learning Projects and Research
Please continue to tell me about any involvement in ‘research’ or ‘shared learning’ projects (SLPs). I strongly believe that the SLP approach is a tremendous way to broaden experience and provide new learning opportunities. The aim is to enter into partnership with another organisation (such as a local museum, gallery, library, archive, society - or another U3A) to jointly work on a project that offers some beneficial outcome to the partner and provides a means for U3A members to exercise their investigative skills, learn new ones or undertake research (in its broadest sense). There are funds available to help set these up – for administration, travel, etc.
In my home U3A, Inverness & Black Isle, our History Group has been researching ‘Scottish Women of Substance’. We would like to extend this project with other U3As and, possibly, with the Women’s Library in Glasgow (who were the inspiration for the project). Did you know that of the thousands of statues in Scotland, only 20 are known to commemorate women? Are there any U3As interested in a Scottish-wide SLP to raise the profile of Scottish women and commemorate their achievements?
In a number of other regions, U3As are developing links with Universities and other ‘learning’ organisations. For example, Swansea U3A now has a signed ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with Swansea University and the Northern Ireland region has a formal agreement with NI Libraries in which U3As can use library premises free if the members join the library. I don’t think there is anything similar in Scotland – but I’m prepared to be told that I’m wrong.
New U3As in Scotland
Now that our 43rd and 44th Scottish U3As are underway [Easter Ross & Sutherland and Turriff – but this latter name is only a ‘working name’ at time of writing], I am working with members of our Scottish ‘education & development’ team of volunteers on a new strategy for creating further U3As in Scotland. In recent years, the U3A movement in Scotland has consistently grown by around 8-10% per year. However, we still proportionally lag behind the rest of the UK in both overall membership and the number of U3As per head of population. [There are currently 330,000 members in 930 U3As in the UK.]
We therefore aim to be a little more assertive, in attempting some ‘cold starts’ where there is currently no U3A. This means that we will be trying to initiate new U3As – rather than only relying on our current passive strategy of waiting for approaches from interested individuals. Developing new U3As is rewarding work – if anyone would like to join the Development Team, please get in touch. Training is provided and expenses are paid.
Please also remember that we like to celebrate anniversaries. Two Scottish U3As are about to celebrate their first ‘big 0’ anniversaries [their 10th, if you haven’t worked it out] - Forth Valley and Tweeddale - congratulations. Are there others out there celebrating a significant birthday soon – maybe 5, 10, 15 or 20 years? If so, please let me know. I don’t bake cakes but I’m always ready to eat them!
Governance, etc
One of my functions as Trustee is to promote and advise on good governance and educational practice within existing U3As in Scotland. Affiliation to our national body - the Third Age Trust – obliges us to conduct our U3A’s affairs, irrespective of whether or not we are Scottish charities, in accordance with the Trust’s charitable aims and principles of informal, self- and shared-learning - ‘for the members, by the members’.
Affiliation to the Third Age Trust also requires us to have constitutions that have been approved by the Trust and, of course, to conduct our affairs within the terms of those constitutions. If they are not properly formulated to comply with modern ‘legal/charitable’ requirements, constitutions can create confusion, even conflict. To avoid such problems, many Scottish U3As have now adopted one of the new ‘model’ constitutions, which have been ratified by the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR). Do you need to re-visit your constitution? If so, before you start (and potentially waste time and effort), please contact me.
The Trust funds the annual programme of workshops organised by U3A in Scotland. These are designed to give Officers and Committee members of Scottish U3As the opportunity to discuss and learn about constitutional and operational matters. For example, during 2013-14 we have held workshops on: organising travel and visits; handling difficult situations; the role of national subject advisors, diversity and social inclusion issues, and inter-U3A networking. Do let us know of other topics you would like to see included in future programmes.
If any U3A would like more specific help or advice, I am always available. Even if you don’t need assistance (and most of you don’t), I am always delighted to come and visit you to meet your members and learn from their experiences. I also have a short presentation on what the Trust does for you - you only need to ask.
If you read this far, thanks and best wishes,
Graham Clark (Scottish Trustee)
e-mail:
tel: 01463 870889