Identity card

Since 1984, Slovenian Third Age University has steadily grown to become a national network of 53 universities in 51 localities with about 21.000 students, more than 1.000 mentors and 1.000 volunteers. Its practice has been extensively researched: as a result, the university follows its own generalisations and is based on its own educational and organisational model.

Mission Statement

In our view culture and older adult education are a way of decent and contributing living, meeting individual and community needs as well as anticipating social changes and adapting to them. It is also a way towards achieving greater social fairness on distributive, cultural and symbolic level. It is about supporting social inclusion and participation as well as dialogue among generations. Older adult education fosters active citizenship and respect for environment. It is a way towards maintaining and developing older people’s knowledge and skills, helping them to use them for their own benefit as well as for the benefit of society and in cooperation with other generations.

Aims

• to provide older people’s permanent access to culture and education for personal growth, better employability and active citizenship
• to provide integrated counselling and guidance as well as opportunities for active ageing
• to enable older people to get interpersonal support (knowledge, skills, information, emotional support)
• to conduct research of older adult education and specific learning difficulties
• to enable professionals of all generations to be active in the field of older adult education and/or to enter labour market and remain there
• to raise awareness about older people, old age and and the role of older adult education

Fields of activity

• education of older people and education about older people
• ensuring older people’s education that is socially engaged and supportive of local development
• maintaining older people’s employability and educating employers
• critical geragogy
• conceptualizing and maintaining educational and learning self-supported structures
• educating/training specialists in the field of older adult education
• conducting educational and training programmes for students of andragogy, social work etc.
• integrated guidance for active ageing
• screening for dyslexia in older adults, counselling people with specific learning difficulties
• supporting and fostering intergenerational dialogue and intergenerational learning
• devising educational programmes and multiplying innovations in older adult education
• culture for older people and older people’s culture and organising a bi-annual festival of knowledge and culture in later life
• older people’s volunteering in culture and training for volunteering
• researching older adult education and learning, developing educational programmes
• publishing scientific and professional publications
• maintaining a national resource centre and a specialized library
• public campaigning
• conducting civil dialogues, advocacy of older people
• ensuring networking of civil and public organisations
• co-shaping national and other policies
• running and coordinating EU and national projects

Target groups

Retired people, older workers, workers in the pre-retirement period and professionals.

Prof. Dr. Ana Krajnc, co-founded Slovenian Third Age University and is currently President of  the Slovenian Third Age Universities’ Network. More