CONVENORS ANNUAL MEETING

This was my second such meeting. The one before was apparently a disaster with discussion time wasted arguing who was to have which table at Open Day. Last year's, my first, was useful to me as I was able to introduce myself to the many convenors I did not know, but I guess was of relatively little use to the convenors themselves. This year's, all agree, was first class - for which I would claim only a small part of the credit.

It was Chairman Bob who paved the way by proposing to assign a full half day to the meeting and to concentrate on getting convenors to voice their experience of running groups and to use a single microphone to prevent everyone trying to talk at the same time. He got the committee to debate what proved a well structured Agenda, and proposed to move the venue to Fulton House in the University. In the event discussion of Open Day, the last item on the agenda, was minimal but to the point. Then at the last committee meeting we discussed the importance of the physical layout and decided to go away from the concept of a board meeting with everyone seated around a table to an informal circular arrangement of chairs. 

The meeting was introduced by Bob with the theme 'Sharing the Load'. Then  committee members with key roles gave short presentations - all very much to the point. I will single out three, all as it happens, by Nick Hill. 

Firstly standing in for Michael Edmonds, our Business Secretary, he explained the Public Liability Insurance held at the National level by our Head Office. This insurance is designed to protect Group Convenors and others organising Groups or Events on behalf of local U3As, such as Swansea, from prosecution following say an accident. Such claims would be dealt with by Head Office using the U3A's insurance. That protection only applies to claims from U3A members, although it would include non-members trying us out a few occasions deciding whether to join. It is for this reason that convenors are asked to ensure, in their own interest, that attendees join the U3A, and it is also the reason they are asked to keep a record of accidents as they occur together with the names of witnesses.

Then in his role as treasurer he explained that the U3A would provide advance funding to new groups, a loan which would be repaid only after the group became self financing. Or be prepared to assist with advance funding of trips. The committee would also fund applications for the purchase of equipment which could be of use to several groups, laptop and digital projector being an obvious case in point.



His third stint was to share his experience of being convenor of the Astronomy Group. He started as someone with an increasing interest in Astronomy as an amateur. To begin with he willingly led the early meetings choosing topics, which he researched between sessions via the Internet, and he arranged outside speakers. Many in the group could have done likewise taking single or more sessions, but with a few honourable exceptions they didn't. The result was that a task he had initially found enjoyably challenging became a chore. He was no longer enjoying the role. (Roly Govier will take over as convenor after the next Wednesday lecture on 21 October. Nick will chair this meeting to help the group sort out the way ahead for 2009/10.

Enjoyment is vital, what otherwise is the point of involvement at our stage of life, but as is true of most things in life you get out of it what you put in.


The floor was then opened to convenors, or their representatives, and a wholly positive, very interesting, discussion took place in which a great number spoke. Some of the points which remain in my memory are discussed below, but let me start with a late contribution by Barbara Brimfield who was Chairman when I joined the Swansea U3A. She reminded us of the guiding principal at the foundation of the U3A. Those who teach shall also learn and those who learn shall also teach. You can look at this in at least two ways one of which involves helping others, another as helping himself. Thus he who teaches (leads) one Group can also learn in a quite different Group. Also the very act of teaching one Group results helps you learn more about the subject, firstly during the preparation and secondly from group feedback.

At some time I mentioned that far too many joined our U3A for the ride, whilst fully accepting, as I always do, that for years I was one of them. But Bob brought me rapidly to heel by quoting Milton (on blindness!) They also serve who only stand and wait. How true, never forget this is also an inclusive organisation. Also think back to the time when someone comes nervously to a first class and is never seen again, it is up to each group to make newcomers feel welcome even to the point of asking someone to mentor the next new arrival. At many of the earlier groups everyone stays on to chat over a cup of tea, in the case of the groups at Hazel Court some groups, eg French, always gather in the cafe after a session. I am told Hazel Court are prepared to bring up a jug of tea/coffee if required in the same way the Dolphin does.



It was increasingly obvious that Group Convenors faced different problems as a direct consequence of their chosen topic. Perhaps the easiest to run are the Book Reading groups for an avid reader, book a venue and collect enough from members to pay for it, let the members choose the books to be read, expect members to read them and join in a monthly discussion.

Discussion Groups such as the one now to be led by Rob James, or Politics and Citizenship require someone to propose a topic and be prepared to lead the discussion for the next meeting, or the convenor will fall into the same whole as Nick. In both cases the people leading are essentially using general knowledge.


Then there are groups requiring leaders with specialist knowledge, these include Art, Creative Writing, History and Languages. 


There are those groups in which members ideally need to be at a similar stage of learning, languages in particular.


There are those in which a genuine Beginners Class is highly desirable. Art and languages are again examples, but that implies that last years beginners need somewhere to go, the following years can perhaps be mixed ability. There are few things more disheartening than to join a group as a genuine beginner and find everyone else has temporarily forgotten what they learned at O level. Though Marjorie Vanston said she ran a mixed ability Welsh Group, but then she was a school-teacher in her professional life  - Beryl Edney, with a similar background, is doing similarly for the French Conversation Group.



I believe that wherever possible groups should be led by members and they should never be paid for that role, that however does rule out collection of additional money to fund a thank-you present. I personally think we should always aim at £1/person/session.

Nevertheless there are those groups need specialist skills which cannot be found amongst our members, and in this case a professional leader has to be employed such as for Tai Chi or Art Appreciation are two cases in point.

From a personal porochial viewpoint the best thing that came out of the meeting was the positive response to my request for help. Tina Barber who is being adopted onto the Committee, as yet without a substantive role, was the first and I feel it will prove that our skills are complementary. Our first collaboration will be to collect all the lists from each group at Open Day, get the details onto a computer and distribute the relevant information to each group - and we will do our best to get that mailed out within a week. I will provide each group with blank lists of the usual type at Open Day.
Our second task will be to collate on computer all the information given by convenors on my questionaire. An initial glance at the responses is encouraging, not least the fact that most groups, even those big enough, would welcome a few new members. But as I said we should always encourage involvement and where there is excess demand we should create extra groups. 


Thanks also to Don Mason and Roly Govier who also offered to help me, both of whom are already involved in running this U3A.


MEMBERSHIP
Pat Herbert told the meeting that last year we had 688 members of whom 150 were new to Swansea U3A. This year she has already received completed applications from 500 members of whom 50 are new, with every sign being that we will meet or exceed last years membership totals. 

Esther Searle who takes minutes of the Committee Meetings with the help of a voice recorder has used the same technique to produce minutes of this meeting, which I have not yet read. Watch out therefore for updates to this Blog slipped to hide my arrogance after I have read her true and accurate record. 


GROUPS REQUIRING MORE MEMBERS
Using a quick flick through the questionaires I have tried to pick out those needing additional members to make more their groups more viable. Most feature below. Most of the rest would welcome additional members, but out of courtesy contact the Convenor by phone first.



BOOK READING 4
Will meet at 10am on Monday 12 October in the ground floor Exercise Room at Hazel Court, see last week's posting for details of the books being discussed.


ITALIAN
Also meet in Hazel Court at 10am every Monday in the Dry Craft Room. This group was formed last year and is one needing increased membership. Shortly after Open Day we will decide whether to take up tutor Carolina's offer to take two one hour sessions, one being reserved for beginners. 

SHORT MAT BOWLS 1
Angela Ball, the first convenor to speak, wants 6 more bowlers. They meet every Monday at 1.30pm in the West Cross Community Centre. SHORT MAT BOWLS 2  has a waiting list.

CREATIVE WRITING 2

The original group handed on to John Barber from Jill last year and requiring additional members will meet at 10.30am in Hazel Court Exercise Room on Tuesday 13 October at the very start of this years session.

CREATIVE WRITING 1
New last year requires additional members. This group is run by Jill Govier. They also meet in the Exercise Room at Hazel Court but on the 4th Monday of the month at 10am


POLITICS and CITIZENSHIP
Will also be held on Tuesday 13 October at 2pm in the West Cross Community Centre. The topic Censorship will be introduced for discussion by one of the new joint convenors, Marian Howells.



DIGITAL MEDIA
It has been decided to run this group every other Friday Morning in the Dry Craft Room at Hazel Court in the absence of tutor Anthony Hughes. The next meeting will be this 10.15am this Friday 16 October. 
This will be a really good test case for running a group on a mutual help basis. This group runs in parallel with Tai Chi which was seen as a conflict whilst Digital Media was taught at a particular time, but could also act as an attraction if the Digital Media Group was to run more fully in the 10am-1pm slot (or perhaps 9 - 1pm) granted by Hazel Court, allowing people to attend both groups.

The scope could easily be expanded to provide help with MS Word and MS Excel spreadsheet, neither of which would need Internet access. Maybe we could show the capability of photo handler Picasa a free download from the Google stable which esentially needs Internet. It provides all I need except modification of the original digital photo to make it ready for high quality professional enlargement printing.


Although I have had hands on involvement in digital computers since the mid sixties when applications needing speed were still programmed in Machine Code, ie binary just 0's and 1's. I retired with little knowledge which was relevant to a Personal Computer programmed to be accessible to the general public. Everything I have since learned about PCs has been self taught on a suck it and see basis. When however I invited a few people to my house last year for help in getting started with the Internet I was amazed at how easily I could help them get off the ground. There must be a scores of U3A members who are similarly diffident about their ability to teach their way of using PCs to others, who if they tried would find they can give considerable help to beginners.



CHESS for FUN
Another group formed last year which needs additional members. They will meet in the Exercise Room at 10am Monday 19 October.


READING LITERATURE
They will meet at 2pm on Tuesday 20 October to read the third and final act of 'The Dolls House' by Ibsen. A group recovering from probable collapse last year, now re-vitalised by Lawmary Champion who encourages all to participate. They too would welcome more members.



TAI CHI
A very popular group formed last year which after assessing demand on Open Day will consider running three sessions (instead of the current two) every Friday morning in the Exercise Room at Hazel Court, reserving one for beginners. Of the two current classes the one starting at 11am has more space for new members.


CALLING U3A MEN
Both the JIVE group every Wednesday at 10.30 in the Monkey Cafe, and SINGING for PLEASURE at 2pm every Friday at the West Cross Community Centre require above all more MEN. Now's your chance fellows!!


MUSIC 
Being my eclectic self last week I heard two totally different styles of singing, the first being at Jazzlands in the Uplands where Chris McNulty and her brilliant guitarist husband Paul Bollenbach, from New York played last Wednesday with the backing of the Dave Cottle Trio. I have never heard anyone even remotely like Chris who for long periods sang very very slowly with every word drawn out to a prolonged whisper, so quietly you could hear a pin drop, but almost never did because a capacity crowd was enraptured. Audiences in Jazzlands are always attentive to the music - but this was exceptional devotion. The only criticism was that their music was too much of a muchness - but Joan and I simply loved it - apart from her gimmick of changes of tempo and volume within the same tune to show she could also belt out jazz-rock. 


On Friday the Welsh National Opera gave a superb performance in their new production with Scottish Opera and Gran Teatre del Liceu, of La Traviata at The Grand. The music was so familiar - but so fresh. Greek soprano Myrto Papatanasiu was also quite exceptional and tenor Alfie Boe and baritone Dario Solari were not far behind.