West End Learning Unlimited Never stop learning...

WELU talks are on a Tuesday morning, starting at 9.25 am with any notices, with the talk following and lasting about 50 to 60 minutes. There is a 20 minute break for refreshments before the start of the question period. The morning finishes at 11.30 am.


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Mission

To collaborate with each other to provide intellectual stimulation and a better understanding of our world in a peer learning environment.

Introduction

West End Learning Unlimited (WELU) started in 2001 when David Farquharson, Wilf Pilsworth and a small group of friends wanted to keep learning after they retired. More and more seniors wanted to participate over the years.

Today we remain a relatively informal group of dedicated volunteers organizing and running lectures for over 200 members.  We have been able to attract excellent local speakers who share their knowledge and enthusiasm on diverse topics. We want this learning opportunity to be as accessible as possible, keeping fees at an easily affordable level.  Each year we offer three separately themed series of 6 lectures.  The six related talks allow the exploration of several aspects of the theme in more depth than readily available elsewhere. Each lecture session comprises a one-hour talk followed by a refreshment break, and ending with half an hour of questions. 

If you are new to WELU and wish to register for a series, please review the instructions and information in the section of the website, called Membership, using the link to the right.

Past Topics

The following list illustrates the wide variety of subjects covered by the programme.

  • Medicine; Health Care Beyond Drugs; Hearing; The Brain
  • Contemporary Moral Issues
  • Art (Canadian; Visual Arts; Art History; Art in Everyday Life)
  • Science (Physics; Astronomy; Archaeology; Space and Time; Entomology; Meteorology; Energy Alternatives; Predicting the Future)
  • Religion (Religions of the World; Women in Religion)
  • Music
  • Environmental Issues (Nature and the Environment; Geo-Heritage; Ecology; Oceans Ecosystems; The Arctic; Canadian Rivers; National Parks)
  • Law and Justice
  • Political Science (The New Africa; The Middle East in Turmoil; International Aid; Canadian Political Issues)
  • Aviation
  • Genealogy
  • Countries of the World (Ambassador Series; Germany; Scotland; Afghanistan)
  • Horticulture
  • Finance - Personal and Public
  • Urban Planning
  • Journalism
  • The Food Industry
  • Architecture
  • Aboriginal Culture

Speakers have included diplomats, lawyers, university professors, members of the clergy, physicians, scientists, astronomers, musicians, architects, journalists, members of the military, and public servants.
Looking forward, WELU plans to widen even this ambitious coverage, and expects to continue to attract high quality speakers.


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January 2025. Image attribution: Kanata Research Park (P199 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 ]) © 2024 West End Learning Unlimited.

This is a non-profit club and it is intended to collect sufficient personal information of members, to facilitate membership records. This information will not be divulged outside the club.