Welcome message to the University of Alicante.
International Conference IAUTA "U3A's, Citizenship and Social Cohesion”
It is an honour for the University of Alicante to host the organisation of the I.A.U.T.A. International Conference on Thursday 11th - Friday 12th June, 2015 and the I.A.U.T.A 96e Governing Board.
The I.A.U.T.A. brings together the third age universities of all continents and has maintained for more than four decades the defence of seniors through lifelong education by means of university exchanges and, above all, innovations in the fields of education and scientific research seeking to ensure that each person can find their place within society.
International Conferences make it possible to share pedagogical and methodological experiences, as well as the educational innovations implemented by third age universities, which are in turn shared with all the interested members and audience. The results and advances inherent to the area of Training for Seniors and Ongoing and Lifelong Learning which have become the object of national and international projects in recent years developed by U3A’s are similarly placed at the disposal of those present. These research initiatives and best teaching and pedagogical practices which result from the work carried out by multidisciplinary teams are shown and shared for the benefit of AIUTA members in particular and, in a broader sense, of training for seniors worldwide.
The theme of this International Conference: "U3A's, Citizenship and Social Cohesion" highlights one of the priorities for U3A’s in the 21st century, namely: the need to delve deeper into ongoing and lifelong training and to focus on senior training as a key aim in the reduction of poverty and social exclusion among the older segment of the population. Recognizing the value that corresponds to older adults’ experience together with the inescapable need for their social presence as active and integrated citizens in their own right appears as an unquestionable priority. In this respect, U3A’s have clearly assumed the role of spreading this message about the need of recognition for older adults, about the fact that their integration is an essential goal, and also about the commitment that this entails to promote seniors’ ongoing training.
It is an ambitious aim which requires the participation of all Universities of the Third Age, gathered in I.A.U.T.A during the International Conference at the University of Alicante. We thus warmly welcome you to our university and hope that our hospitality will help you feel at ease in your work during these days and also that this will lead to a fruitful outcome and to the fulfilment of the objectives proposed.
Manuel Palomar Sanz
President of the Alicante University