THE Cyprus Third Age C3A) has the following aims and guiding principles, which are modelled on those of the Third Age Trust.
Preamble
The Cyprus Third Age (C3A) is an autonomous, self‐help organisation run by the voluntary efforts of its members. It is a Registered Association (No. 3246) and the C3A Committee is the support and advisory body which has legal responsibility for the affairs of the Association as defined in the Constitution. Cyprus Third Age has the following aims and guiding principles:
Aims
- To encourage and enable older people no longer in full‐time paid employment to help each other to share their knowledge, skills, interests and experience.
- To demonstrate the benefits and enjoyment to be gained and the new horizons to be discovered in learning throughout life.
- To celebrate the capabilities and potential of older people and their value to society.
- To make C3A accessible to all older people.
- To encourage the establishment of Groups in every part of the country where conditions are suitable and to support and collaborate with them.
Guiding Principles
C3A is guided by the following principles:
Programmes
C3A offers learning activities which reflect members’ wishes and which aim to satisfy the widest possible range of interests: educational, cultural, recreational, physical and social.
C3A Groups seek resources appropriate to their learning; from their own memberships; from the Cyprus Third Age Committee; and from outside organisations, both local and national.
C3A makes use of new technologies as they become available.
Purpose, Styles and Methods of Learning
The pleasure of learning is a driving force in the work of C3A.
C3A neither requires nor awards any qualifications.
By sharing their learning, C3A members help one another to develop their knowledge, skills and experience.
C3A groups arrange and support their own programmes as appropriate to their chosen learning activities.
C3A members regard themselves as both learners and teachers.
Funding
C3A groups are funded in the main by the subscriptions of their members. Funding from outside sources may be sought on occasions and is accepted only if there are no conditions attached which might conflict with the Trust’s aims and guiding principles.
Members undertake themselves, without payment, the many and varied tasks necessary to run their C3A. Usually, paid tutors are engaged only when special expertise is necessary to ensure the health and safety of members taking part in certain activities, when C3A groups do not have an appropriately qualified member available.
Reaching Out
The Cyprus Third Age takes every opportunity to promote the benefits of learning later in life and the attractions and advantages of the C3A way of learning. They make membership available to the whole spectrum of older people in their communities.
C3A groups keep in touch with members and former members who, for a variety of reasons, can no longer take part fully in C3A activities; in order to maintain their interest in learning and to offer friendly support, a fundamental part of C3A life.
As appropriate, C3As offer voluntary assistance in learning activities to educational and cultural bodies in their communities.
C3A Groups collaborate with institutions such as museums, galleries, libraries, in learning partnerships in which both Cyprus Third Age and the institutions themselves may benefit through research, advancement of knowledge and mutual respect for capabilities.
Cyprus Third Age engages with local and national government departments and other agencies that formulate lifelong learning policies and practices in order to influence those that relate particularly to learning in later life.
Cyprus Third Age is ready to collaborate with institutions undertaking research into ageing and the position of older people in society.
Collaboration
C3A Groups collaborate with each other to share expertise and facilities and offer systems of support.
The Cyprus Third Age Association works to establish and support new C3A Groups.
(Download our Aims & Guiding Principles)