Independent, self-directed Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) provide members with enriching activities outside OLLI courses and talks. Members form groups based upon shared and mutual interest and decide where and when they will meet and how the group will function.
Most SIGs meet once a month, although they may meet more or less often if members wish. The OLLI office provides meeting space at UMass or a Zoom link to meet online, although a group may decide to meet at a location outside the UMass Boston campus.
The OLLI office maintains member lists of all SIGs. If you think you are interested in joining one of these groups or have ideas about starting a new group, click the "Questions/Suggestions" button at the top of the page, or contact the OLLI office by email or phone 617.287.7312. A SIG leader will contact you with information about future meetings. For more information about each Shared Interest Group, click on the down triangle by each SIG name.
Book Group
OLLI’s book group connects members who love to read and share their impressions of selected books. Meetings take place monthly on the second Thursday of each month, except July and August. They are held online via Zoom from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. A mix of fiction and nonfiction titles are selected by group members, usually several months in advance, and the member who suggests the book becomes the discussion leader. The books members read are readily available from local libraries or in soft copy at a bookstore or on the Internet.
Culinary Adventures
The Culinary Adventures Group connects OLLI members with a shared interest or curiosity about food and all things culinary. Each month, a member of the 4-person steering committee takes responsibility for planning and coordinating an adventure on a culinary-related topic. There is usually a mixture of monthly visits to ethnic restaurants, culinary-related talks, museum exhibits, tours, demonstrations, wine -tastings, food banks, and classes. While the member list is large, 20 -30 members typically attend each event. The week of the month and day vary, and events generally last about 2 1/2 hours.
French Conversations through Cinema
Did you once study French? Would you like to improve your ability to understand and speak it now? The French Conversations through Cinema SIG represents a cooperative learning experience to help members become more confident in their French speaking and comprehending abilities. This is achieved through general discussion of current events, personal interests and hobbies, travel, and other happenings. Group members are encouraged to also do small presentations on a topic of their choice. Small group interactions are also used to encourage everyone to speak, however haltingly. Each weekly meeting also consists of watching portions of a French film with English subtitles. The current group members come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences using French. This SIG meets every Monday from 10:00 a.m. - 12 noon.
Knitting
The Knitting SIG brings together people interested in knitting, crocheting, or needlepoint art. We get together once a month for two hours (typically on Wednesday mornings). We work as we talk, take time to share our current projects, get advice and tips from one another, and often times, enjoy a good laugh! The Knitting SIG currently meets in-person on the UMass Boston campus.
Intergenerational Book Chat
The Intergenerational Book Chat is open to all OLLI members and to any current graduate and undergraduate student at UMass Boston. The group currently meets online via Zoom once a month late on Monday afternoons to discuss a book selected by group members. The discussion is often co-led between and OLLI members and a UMass Boston student. In addition to a discussion about the book contents, participants appreciate hearing varied points of view and value building relationships across generations.
Photography
The Photography SIG aims to bring OLLI members together who have an interest in taking and sharing pictures. Whether you use a smart phone, a digital camera, or some other photographic device, you are welcome to participate in the group's monthly meetings where you can share and talk about your hobby, dabbling interest, or deep passion around the art of photography. One monthly meeting will be in-person gatherings to practice taking photos around a specified theme and/or location; the next monthly meeting will be held online (2nd Monday of the month at 4:00 p.m.) to share those photos from the previous month's assignment. Along the way you can pick up tips as well as give/receive constructive feedback on your and others' work. Group members will help decide the monthly themes and meet-up locations.
Stonewall at OLLI
Stonewall at OLLI is a community of older LGBTQ learners at UMass Boston’s OLLI. We are committed to providing a safe, friendly and welcoming place for people of all sexual orientations and gender identifications and expressions. We promote transparency, equality, and respect for all people, and strive to add value to the greater OLLI organization. We share educational, social, and cultural experiences together and with the larger UMass Boston community. Our monthly meetings offer our members a spirit of camaraderie within OLLI as well as a way to share suggestions for activities outside of OLLI. Currently the group meets monthly online via Zoom on the 2nd Thursday from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Walking Group
The goal of the Walking Group is to promote a healthy lifestyle through walking as well as to provide a chance for socialization with other OLLI members. The group takes advantage of the area’s natural resources. Walks usually take about 90 minutes, and the group can accommodate walkers of various abilities, both tortoises and hares! Most walking locations tend to be accessible by public transportation or have parking nearby. Members are encouraged to carpool when possible.
Writing Group
This group, the outgrowth of an OLLI Memoir Writing Class offered more than 10 years ago, meets on Zoom every Wednesday, year-round, from 1 - 3:00 p.m.. Members write on any topic they choose. Many of the writers work on memoirs; others write fiction or poetry. We try to find time for each member to read aloud and for the group to offer comments and suggestions. Some of the SIG members have published books. Others have had submissions accepted by UMass Boston’s literary journal and by various online magazines.
