U3As, Citizenship and Social Cohesion
As the president of the International Association of Universities of the Third Age, I would like to welcome the initiative of the Universidad Permanente de la Universidad de Alicante for having chosen in the present year 2015 the topic of the role that U3As play with regard to Citizenship and Social Cohesion.
Pursuant to the Charter of Universities of the Third Age which was recently adopted in an official way by the Toulouse General Assembly in June last year, this theme needs to be brought before the international bodies and, especially, before UNESCO. That Charter constitutes the main basis of all the actions undertaken by U3As focused on the promotion of intergenerational relations inside society and on lifelong education; as the motto goes: «It is never too late to start something anew».
IAUTA gathers the universities of the third age of all continents. Its action over four decades has largely contributed to defend the cause of seniors through lifelong learning, through exchanges between universities but, above all, by means of innovations in the context of pedagogy and scientific research so that each and every one of us can find our place in society. Seeking to reinforce those actions, in my capacity as President of IAUTA, I suggest that this international conference, with everybody’s participation, and particularly that of speakers, should give a new impulse to our actions and to our achievements.
* In the domain of pedagogy with the presentation of innovations within the context of training and teaching based on numerous initiatives of our teams and our members which had as their aim to allow the greatest possible number of us to become involved in U3A activities. This pedagogical aim is the foundation of citizenship at Universities of the Third Age, which constitute one of the keys of policies in favour of seniors.
* In the domain of scientific research, the action-research programs developed within a multidisciplinary framework have as their purpose to benefit not only our members but also society as a whole. Such is the case of the IAUTA program for the creation of Seniors’ Observatories, amongst which especially stands out the Seniors’ Tourism Observatory project.
The Alicante international conference will thus become the starting point of new challenges for U3As in the associative and participatory strategy of opening towards society. Let me express my most sincere gratitude to all the organisers at the University of Alicante and at all the U3As in Spain and in the Latin American countries which also receive us for the 96th Governing Board of IAUTA.
Welcome and Thanks to Everyone
Professor François VELLAS