The University of the Third Age in Poland. A democratic and holistic approach to the education of the elderly

The article describes the history of a specific type of the University of the Third Age which was developed in Poland and spread out to other countries in the region. The author describes the genesis of this type of education as well as the criteria which governed changes in educational institutes for seniors. Above all, the article discusses the innovative solutions, education practices, and trends which initiated the post-2000 boom in adult education in Poland. The author summarizes and structures the experience gained while working as the Director of the University of the Third Age at the University of Wroclaw in years 2006–2016, with particular reference to the national and international perspective. Remarks of the reflexive practitioner are compared and contrasted with ultra-local trends and take the form of meta-analysis. The results lead to one fundamental conclusion – in Poland a specific model for the education of seniors was formed. We may describe it as bottom-up, democratic, holistic and flexible.