Group Coordinators: Introduction
The role of a study Group Coordinator is to act as a facilitator and administrator, not necessarily leading group sessions but making sure there is a structured programme of activity. The aims and objectives of a study group should be guided by the group members, who should therefore help to plan and develop the group. Successful groups are those that get everyone involved and members should always be encouraged to lead sessions or perform other helpful tasks or duties.
Establishing a Group
Assisted by the New Groups Facilitator, Group Coordinators should help the study group to:
- Agree on a meeting day and time and the frequency of the group meetings (eg weekly, monthly).
- Agree upon what the group intends to do, whether the focus is social or formal, the format and level (eg with languages).
- Agree upon the aims and objectives for the group.
- Make sure group members are aware of the level of knowledge and experience required to participate in the group and of the expertise of other members.
- Be aware of sensitivity and feelings. Discussion groups, for example, may wish to establish guidelines for speaking and interrupting.
- Arrange a venue and schedule and publicise it. It is often a good idea to ask someone to take charge of booking a room and, where applicable, collecting money. Populate the groups description, aims and meeting details in the online Arda system.
- Plan ahead and distribute the workload by asking group members to lead a session. It is helpful to group members if the session leaders are planned out for the entire year.
- Remember the ethos of u3a is ‘shared learning’ (the teacher teaches the learner and the learner teaches the teacher). Everyone is expected to contribute in some way to the group’s activities. If a group member feels that they cannot contribute on their own, encourage them to pair-up with another member.
For study groups of an academic or formal nature, there are many ways to approach any subject. Remember that there is no set syllabus or examination and members always want to learn more in a relaxed atmosphere:
- Lectures/Taught sessions: Group members should take it in turns to conduct research and then present the results to the group. Inviting speakers from the wider community is also a great way to add variety but may incur cost. Alternatively, lectures can be downloaded from the internet (eg Youtube) and shared with the group.
- Shared presentations: Encourage group members to work together. It shares the responsibility, encourages social interactivity, it is more balanced and more fun.
- Discussions: The Group Coordinator can always facilitate and moderate discussions on specified topics that group members have been asked to research prior to a session.
- Skills teaching & workshops: Some topics are best approached by demonstration or by practical means.
- Visits & fieldwork: Visits out may be a useful aid to study and other, social, activities may stimulate group cohesion and add to the overall u3a experience.
Managing a Group
Group Coordinators act as the focal point for each study group and good communication is essential. To be effective Group Coordinators should:
- Respond quickly to enquiries from u3a members who are interested in joining the group.
- Keep the group members informed about the next meeting and study programme.
- Manage and maintain the list of group members on the Arda system keeping it up to date at all times. [This is necessary for overall u3a administration and to maintain insurance cover for the Group Coordinator.]
- Manage the size of the group. If the group has reached capacity and continues to receive enquiries from other people wanting to join, the Group Coordinator should open a waiting list and inform the Category Coordinator so that a decision can be taken as to what further action may be required.
- Promote the group (especially when the group has recently formed or requires more members to make it viable). Make use of the online system to let u3a members know when the group meetings take place and what the topic will be at each meeting. If the group is doing anything special or something that is open to u3a members outside of the group:
- Inform the Editor of the monthly newsletter.
- Inform the Web Manager so that information can be displayed on the Shrewsbury u3a website (www.shrewsburyu3a.org.uk).
- Post the group gossip on the Shrewsbury u3a private Facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/shrewsburyu3a).
- Make an announcement at the general monthly meetings.
- Participate at the annual Group Coordinators’ meeting. Each year, Shrewsbury u3a invites the Group Coordinators to get together to compare notes, hints and tips and to keep abreast of the latest information. Please attend this meeting to keep up-to-date and to assist other Group Coordinators.
- Feedback group information when contacted by the Groups Administrator, Category Leader or the Editor.
Chain of Command
The Group Coordinator is responsible to the Category Leader who in turn is responsible to the Groups Administrator.
Meeting Venues, Expenses & Costs
If a study group meets in a member’s house, it is suggested that group members contribute £0.50 per session to cover hospitality (there is no need to keep a record of this). If a group hires a room for meetings, it will be necessary to collect money. A record of such expenses and payments should be kept and available for submission to the Treasurer if requested. All groups are covered by Public Liability insurance through The Third Age Trust. This is not a personal accident insurance. For groups that share car journeys, it is suggested that members contribute (per journey). The rates should be agreed as mutually acceptable by the group members but the Third Age Trust does provide some guidance if it is required.
Resources
Shrewsbury u3a has equipment available (namely projectors) for group use. Contact the Equipment Manager if you wish to arrange to borrow such equipment. The Third Age Trust has a Resource Centre with online material (www.u3a.org.uk/resources) in addition to DVDs, CDs and other material. The national office Resource Centre can be contacted by phone (02083 150199) or email (resource.centre@u3a.org.uk).There are also national subject coordinators, whose details can be found in Third Age Matters, the national u3a magazine.
Money Management
Most of the study groups have little or no money management concerns but Shrewsbury u3a is a registered charity and must comply with certain charity laws and accounting rules. Group Coordinators must comply with the following points:
- Groups are expected to be self-supporting with the aim of breaking even.
- Groups are not expected to generate revenue but if they do, it can only be used for educational purposes. When money has been collected for group purposes:
- A surplus of no more than six months’ running costs should be held by the group.
- The maximum amount of cash held by a group must not exceed £500.00.
- Larger surpluses and larger amounts of cash must be (temporarily) submitted to the Shrewsbury u3a Treasurer.
- No group may use its own bank account (nor that of any member).
- Money collected for group purposes must be applied to the activities of the group and must be of benefit to all members of that group.
- A nominated member must be responsible for the money collected and must periodically inform the other group members of the status.
- The level of financial recording and control should be appropriate to the scale of money involved. Most groups only require the simplest of recording and control. The status and record of transactions must be open and always available to other group members.
- Any personal expenses incurred (eg by a Group Coordinator) must be shown in the records and reimbursement should be countersigned by another group member.
- It is permissible to organise occasional social events using money collected for group purposes.
- It is not permissible for groups to raise money for other charities (please see the Treasurer for exceptions).
- Please remember that Shrewsbury u3a is open to scrutiny by the both the Charity Commission and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
Contacts.
From time to time, Group Coordinators may need to communicate with any of the following.
- Groups Administrator
- Category Leader
- Membership Secretary
- Editor
- Equipment Manager
Their names and tel nos are listed in the monthly Newsletter, or the help page to show you how you may email them directly is here.
Footnote.
Content of this page was last updated by IT Support Feb 2024. A separate hard copy is given to all new Group Coordinators, please ensure that both versions are updated for any future changes.
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