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The business
Mathieu Lefevre Course Coordinator, Université des Ainés, Brussels The UDA is a life-long learning service whose activities include more than 200 educational courses and workshops, plus conferences, seminars, and cultural excursions for the elderly in Brussels and Louvain la Neuve.
Living until 100 will soon be normal. That leaves three or four decades between retirement and death. What to do? Lefevre organises courses, seminars and conferences at the Université des Ainés, a day school for seniors, whose curriculum includes everything from maths to meditation.“We have an 81 year old studying information technology. Everyone has their place.” he says, adding that there are no qualifications to be gained at the UDA. “There is a real need for self-enrichment, but also to make connections, friendships, with others. It’s not for a diploma.” Particularly
useful, he says, is the opportunity for intergenerational exchange. “I remember there was a young history teacher who was giving a lesson on WWII. He was really happy because of the exchange of knowledge with the students.” The popularity of schools like the UDA is growing. Its numbers have swelled to 3,400 in recent years. “We are not the only one. There are more and more older people in retirement, and the need is becoming more real. It’s a reflection of modern society.” universitedesaines.be