Università Senza Età - Città del Trattato (USE) Ageless University

Who we are?

The association was founded in 2007 as a permanent centre for adult education. There is a wide spectrum of cultural and training activities offered to all the people who desire to learn, interact and update. The association is indeed committed in promoting and realizing several different courses: the main aim is to offer a cultural and recreational space for people’s well-being. With a particular attention to unemployed people, the association offers many professional qualification and re-qualification courses; these are mainly related to the study of foreign languages and of ICT, considered the nowadays economic situation and the strong need for a constant update to step forward in step with the requests of the labour market.

At the same time, the academic plan address also those who desire to increase and/or deepen their knowledge, not only the one required by the labour market, but simply to reach a personal enrichment and growth.

Furthermore, the association offers a wide selection of courses related to the well-being of the individuals: these range from different physical activities to nutritional education and food safety, from courses of a psichological nature to self-help ones.

Periodically, the association organizes conferences and round tables about socially relevant themes, after listening to the needs of the territory and on the occasion of particular events.

The association has been, since 2010, committed to the European dimension through its participation in seminars and project visits which led to the realization of 2 Grundtvig projects, one Workshop and one Training in Service.
The association also created a space dedicated to young people: the “Punto Giovani” (which means “Youth Point”), founded in 2014.

The main aim of this group of young people is to look for and then offer useful opportunties for studying, training and working, not only at a local level, but also in a European dimension. Secondly, this group wants to create an intergenerational interaction for an efficient exchange of skills.

What we do?

The main courses held in the association deal with:
– Foreign Languages: English (at all levels, from A1 to C2); French for beginners, German for beginners, Spanish for beginners, Russian for beginners, Italian for foreigners.
– Physical activities: Body Art, Pilates, Postural training, Low-impact exercise, Fitball&Stretching, Hata Yoga.
– ICT: computer for beginners, Internet & E-mail, Office programs (Word, Power Point, Excel, Access, etc…), Smartphone & Tablet, E-citizen.
– “Cultural Well-being”: history and culture in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (our region), nutritional education, food safety, healthy cooking, pastry-making, cake design.
The association often promotes conferences and round tables dealing with economics, the European dimension, local history, and healthy lifestyles.

Our best practices

The association has been partner in the Grundtvig project named “MakeAble” which dealt with the theme of mental disability. As a dissemination outcome of this project, the association organized an international workshop, involving all the countries and people who previously took part in the project activities.

Secondly, the association has been leader in a different Grundtvig project named “Healthy Lifestyles” which dealt with the theme of health through nutrition and physical activities. As a dissemination result, the association organized a Training in Service which involved all the participants and many local citizens in theoretical and practical activities of food making, nutritional education and food safety, for 5 full immersion days.

Publications

Some recent publications are:
– “Cronaca di una liberazione. Da matti a cittadini d’Europa” (Chronicals of freeing. From crazy to european citizens): this book collects the experiences of the participants in the first Grundtvig project.