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The Universities of the Third Age (U3As) are learning institutions, leisure, cultural and social centers. They are aimed at encouraging the elderly to active life style by involving them in communication and organization of leisure, development of new abilities or skills improvement, sharing life experience and studying. The interpretation of the notion ‘the third age’ is presented in the article. We have also defined social benefits of the U3As as well as their role in creation of favourable settings for seniors. The main world models of the U3As differ in the arrangement of activities, aims and types of the learning programs, methods of training and forms of education, the role of the elderly in their organization, as well as cooperation with traditional universities. The models of the U3As all over the world have been defined, i.e. British model – for using the concept of self-financing, self-assistance, self-arrangement and shared learning of the U3As; French model – for using the concept of close cooperation of the U3As with the traditional universities; South American model is very similar to the French model and involves different learning programs for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups of people in the society as well as seniors; French-Speaking North American model – applies lectures by teachers and professors of traditional universities although the students constantly take part in the U3As administration; and Chinese model that works for saving and improvement of the society, philosophical reflection and cultural consolidation, as well as natural harmony maintaining. |
