The committee work really hard to make sure members get the most from u3a Oliva. They're all members who have volunteered to get involved in making decisions and helping out with specific jobs.
We've had some changes to the committee in recent weeks. Terry Calpin, Travel Coordinator has stepped down as he didn't feel he was best suited for that role and Gail Spoore, Press and Publicity officer has sadly had to resign due to other commitments. The committee would like to thank them both for initially volunteering and stepping in to fill the required roles.
This does now mean we are actively looking for two members who are willing to step into co-opted committee roles; from January until the AGM in May 2025. Whilst we have our next AGM in May 2025, and all roles are open for nomination, we'd hope that new volunteers would consider staying with us.
What does being a committee member actually mean?
The u3a committee meet around 9-10 times a year to review how the u3a in Oliva is working, discuss any challenges and plan for the future. They get updates about our groups, trips, website and finances too. Committee members may take away specific things to do, and report back to the next meeting.
But being a committee member doesn't necessarily need to be a huge time commitment - around a few hours a month.
We have two roles on offer:
Trips and Events Coordinator
Our first role is to help lead our trips and events planning - coming up with ideas, planning trips, arranging bookings and reporting back to the committee. They may go on some trips and attend events to co-ordinate.
Whilst it's one committee role, the co-ordinator role could easily be led by a couple.
But don't worry - there's lots of help on hand, with a sub committee to share out the jobs and help make decisions. At the moment, the Vice President and Support officer are both there to help - and we have some extra volunteers helping with admin and research.
This job should be really interesting - putting on some really interesting and exciting trips, and some really special events too.
Press and Publicity Officer
The press and publicity officer helps promote u3a Oliva around our patch - spreading the word and encouraging new members to join us. It involves promoting new groups, publicising new trips or events, and basically showing the world what we do..
That could be through our own and other local Facebook groups, perhaps to local newspapers or press, or to other websites that could help us. You might even be helping design a poster or banner too. And if you're a keen photographer, then you might be able to capture some great images from our groups, events and trips too!
And again, there's lots of help on hand. You'll work closely with the webmaster and we have another volunteer already to help with talking to the local press.
It's a fun job and a great way to tell people what we're about - and to help us build up our membership even more.
This is my personal plea to all our members.
From statistics, I know our membership is growing and with that comes different and fresher view points. The committee would appreciate some new ideas and support to help us to keep the organisation fresh and up to date.
Therefore. do please consider offering a few hours a month to help other members benefit from your enthusiasm and input. Let us keep this buoyant association moving in the right direction to attract even more members. With new members comes new knowledge and skills that can help create new groups, which benefit us all.
If you're interested or want to know more, arrange a meet up with Angela (President) or Julie (Vice President) to discuss how you could get involved. Whether that's possibly as a committee member, or some other tasks, they'd love to hear from you.