“Beyond the professional, I have understood that learning also has a human and social purpose. Everything I have learned at Uni3 has allowed me tocontinue contributing wisdom, experience and values to my family environment and my community. Each knowledge acquired strengthens my ability to better understand life, share with other people and participate more actively and consciously in society. I think that Education has no age and we can always continue growing, teaching and leaving positive marks on those around us.”
The words of Ruby Stella Gómez Sarmiento, 77 years oldcondense what is Uni3, Open University of the Third Age in Colombia. It is an institution inspired by the model of universities of this type that exists in several countries, aimed at people over 50 years of age, who meet in virtual learning spaces. There they do not expect their students to go out and get a job when they finish; yesIts purpose is much broader: that they learn to better understand the world, stay active, create connections and enjoy knowledge.
“After 50 there are 20, 30 or 40 more years to live. So this is not just education; “It’s how to live the rest of the years that remain,” explains Miguel Galvis, director of Uni3 Colombia.
The story began when Galvis and his family, who have worked for years in adult education, promoted virtual high school programs during the pandemic. But, when the students finished their studies, a question arose: what next?
The answer was to create a permanent learning space for seniors. Today, Uni3 has a presence in 20 departments and nearly 350 connected students. Everything works virtually, with classroom-workshops, Zoom meetings and content available on YouTube.
It has been nice to see how at this age we can still keep our brain active, learning new things. It is wonderful to be at this university and take the time that at this age we never give to ourselves.
Miriam Alcira Leal 63 year old student.
But it goes far beyond classes. Although they must complete tasks, something very interesting is that they can exchange opinions with their teachers, who are called sociocultural animators, or with their classmates: They analyze, question or investigate any topic. Under that premise, participants can take workshops as diverse as philosophy, reading, writing, human rights, healthy eating, mathematics, journalism for older people or gerontology.
Ruby Stella Gómez Sarmiento, 77, connects with the university from Manizales. Photo:Private file
Against loneliness
One of the biggest challenges that the university seeks to face is loneliness, a reality that affects millions of older people.
“The main pandemic in the world today is called loneliness,” says Antonio Sepúlveda, sociocultural animator, mathematics expert, who, at 80 years old, continues to teach classes with the same energy with which he has done so for many years. For this reason, he warns that he has much left to teach and live, and he is convinced that He will die teaching.
For Alicia Abril Rojas, general coordinator of Uni3 Colombia, the impact is reflected in concrete stories. Remember the case of a student who lives in Miami and found a new support network at the university.
“Her grandson thanked us because his grandmother only spoke to five people. Today, in addition to studying and learning, he already knows how to use WhatsApp and has communication with people from various departments of Colombiathrough the digital world,” she says. Abril came to Uni3 after hearing about the project in a diploma course. She, with doctorates and many other studies, discovered at the university other ways to continue contributing to society from the administrative area of the institution.
Discover capabilities
One of the founding members and also a student is Miriam Alcira Leal, 63 years old, who works in general services in Bogotá and found in the university a space where everyone learns from everyone. “It has been wonderful to belong to this university because it has forced us, among much more, to use technology,” he says. Thanks to the classes, he learned to use tools like Zoom and YouTube and discover reasons to take advantage of each space.
“We have a lot of empathy with our classmates, with our teachers. It has been nice to see how at this age we can still keep our brain active, learning new things. It is wonderful to be at this university and take the time that at this age we never give to ourselves”says Miriam.
Miguel Galvis, Alicia Abril Rojas and Antonio Sepúlveda, from UNI3. Photo:UNI3
Ruby has had a similar experience, who before entering doubted her ability to face new academic challenges: “One of the most important changes has been to believe in myself again, because I previously thought that I was not capable of learning new tools or participating in academic spaces”.
He says that the university restored his motivation and allowed him to discover that he still has a lot to contribute: “We never stop learning and we still have a lot to offer our family and society.”
That is the spirit of Uni3 Colombia: to understand that life after 60, 70 or 80 years old still has projects, learning and opportunities ahead.
As Galvis says, “We are a society that does not end, but rather begins another.”
