Kochi: How to transfer money online to children, share location, chat with just one person in a WhatsApp group, all these common doubts of elders are being solved in Sacred Heart College (SH) Thevara. It is the students of this college who are imparting these ‘life skills’ to the ‘elder kids’ enrolled in the class. This is the first ‘age friendly club’ that has been instituted in the colleges of the state.

A majority of the students enrolled are women. The age of the participants ranges from 55-85 years. Apart from basic skills in phones and computers, languages like English, Hindi and French are also taught in this class.

Classes are held twice a week. The participants are all in a youthful fervour after coming back to campus after decades.

“Everyone at home is always busy. Here one can sit together with the children and share stories,” one of the participants quips. After the regular classes, Zumba dance is organised to exercise the body along with the mind.

“At the end of this month we are preparing the club’s sports fair, get-together and virtual reality show. Non-members of the club can also participate,” Dr Biju C.S, Principal of SH college said.

The club was established in 2017 as per the interest of Fr Prashanth Palaikappil, the then Principal. It was designed along the U3A (the University of the Third Age) concept put forward by the World Health organisation. There is a specific syllabus for study and a group of students to impart training.

The University of the Third Age (U3A) is a global movement dedicated to educating and engaging primarily retired individuals- those in their third stage of life. Originally conceived in France as an extramural university initiative, the concept evolved significantly in the United Kingdom. Here, it was recognized that retirees have valuable knowledge to share, leading to a focus on informal learning and collaboration rather than traditional academic structures.

The 'third age' is characterised as a period in life (not strictly chronological) where individuals have the opportunity to pursue learning for its own sake. While there is no minimum age requirement, the emphasis is on those no longer in full-time employment or actively raising a family.