Give us some of your great ideas for our U3A
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We are always looking for ideas/suggestions for activities and courses for Benalla U3A. Do you have any you would like to share? Contact us through the form on this page.
Ideas for our courses come from many sources. After hearing about a popular play reading group at Deniliquin U3A and an Antiques group at a Melbourne U3A, programs were developed for 'Play Reading' and 'Collectors'. 'Bird Watching' was inspired by observing a member with undoubted skills in this area, while 'Demystifying Psychology' was inspired by the name of a course offered by U3A in Shepparton and knowing a psychologist happy to introduce it ‘when I retire’. Some courses have been developed with a suitable convenor to meet demand, such as the new 'Photography'. Other courses have involved sourcing a teacher prepared to offer it as an associate member. Most courses are ongoing and are offered on a year-long (10 session) basis. Some ongoing courses have a theme each year, Armchair History - 'An Australian History'. Semester length courses of five sessions are also offered. Meg Dillon's 'Opera' courses have had wonderful titles including 'A Night at the Opera - French Style'. Meg also offers semester long history courses and literature courses such as 'Russian Literature', however her 2023 course 'Jane Austen's Book Club' is a full year course. John Barry's popular course about World War I, 'Over There' was semester length, however this year's course 'In the Lap of the Gods' is a full year course. Short courses of two to four sessions are offered at times, including John Barry's 'Legal Matters' sessions. Single session courses on 'Advanced Care Planning' and 'End of Life Care & Decision Making' have been popular. The U3A meeting room at the Seniors Community Centre is in constant use, with three sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays, and two sessions on other days. 'Exercises for Fun' and 'Let's Talk Books' are held in the Auditorium while 'Family Research--Beginners' and 'Tech Talks' are using the small classroom in 2023. 'Hands on' courses in Room 1 include 'Play Reading', 'Recorder', 'Patchwork', ‘Brain Games’, and 'German'. |
A light-hearted ‘hands on’ activity in the meeting room is ‘Cards '500’, held on the first and third Wednesday afternoons, while 'Chess' is a new course for 2024.
Serious matters are discussed in 'Politics and Current Affairs', 'Sustainability' and ‘Investment’. 'Stock and Land' and the 'The Sky's the Limit', feature monthly guest speakers and an excursion or two throughout the year. Monthly ‘Meet and Mingle’ sessions feature a guest speaker on a matter of community interest, together with a news update from the executive committee. Participants are the guest speakers when 'Armchair Traveller' is on offer. Courses offered at outside venues include 'Lifeball' (Benalla Leisure Centre); 'A Taste of Art' (Broken River Painters' Studio), 'Art Appreciation' (Benalla Art Gallery); 'Singing for Fun' & 'Community Singing' (Cooinda's Hub) and 'Cooking Solo' (Uniting Church). 'Garden Team' and 'Pagemakers' are held at people's homes, while 'Garden Appreciation' draws upon venues with exceptional gardens throughout the region and 'Birdwatching' our local lake and bushland habitats. Local restaurants provide the venues for monthly ‘Chat ‘n Chew’ lunches, cafes for informal sessions including the Demystifying Psychology discussion group which meets at 'Ruby Blue', while regional wineries and restaurants are visited by ‘Wine Appreciation’ members each month. Drawing upon adult learning principles, 'Collectors', 'Coin Collectors', 'Creative Writing', 'As Time Goes By', 'Family Research', 'Let's Talk Books' and the Film Discussion Group, involve class members contributing content. Lesson content is included on the website for later review for 'German' 'Music Appreciation', 'Exploring the Universe', 'Family Research', ‘Tech Talks’ and more.. Our 'Be Connected' course offerings have continued to evolve to meet the digital literacy needs of members, with 'Tech Advice' sessions now providing one to one support for members facing problems on their devices. and Dawn Steven's 'Enjoying the Internet' being offered again. Our research officer Margaret Jenkins is to be congratulated for finding funding to support our digital literacy program.
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2024, a year of consolidation, brings two new courses 'Cooking Solo' and 'Chess', following a major effort to introduce new courses in 2023 after Covid.
We are currently (March 26, 2024) seeking Expressions of Interest from members in 'Spanish', 'French', 'Pickleball' and 'Line Dancing'. Interested in attending, or convening? Call our Course Coordinator, Anne Nelson 0n 0438 447 379. Or perhaps you’ve heard or thought of an idea for a course. The possibilities are endless! If you have an idea for a course or activity, completing a Program Proposal can help to clarify your ideas. Anyone with an idea for a U3A Benalla course is encouraged to contact our Course Coordinator Anne Nelson on 0438 447 379. Also, Anne is available to talk with any Convenors who need assistance. |
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