The countdown to the 2014 World Humanist Congress has begun

2 July, 2014

A C GraylingIt is now July, which means that the countdown to the 2014 World Humanist Congress has well and truly begun. The Congress is hosted once every three years under the auspices of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and 2014’s Congress, hosted by the British Humanist Association (BHA) in Oxford from 8-10 August, marks the first time the United Kingdom has hosted the event since 1978.

In the run-up to Congress, the BHA has launched a social media campaign which aims to promote the Congress through images, videos and links to live online discussions centred around the theme of Congress, which is Freedom of Thought and Free Expression: Forging a 21st Century Enlightenment.

These include a ‘Great Blasphemies’ image series, using the Twitter hashtag #greatblasphemies, featuring illustrations by the cartoonist Martin Rowson; fresh quotations about freedom of thought and freedom of expression from a mix of BHA Distinguished Supporters and World Humanist Congress speakers; images looking back on the history of Humanism, using the hashtag #humanisthistory; images and ‘Did You Know?’ facts spotlighting the work done by BHA local groups and IHEU member organisations the world over; and another set tying into the specific topics and strands of debate which will come alive in the talks, debates, interviews, and plenary sessions of the Congress in August.

The BHA will be sharing these images using its Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as a new Tumblr account, as will the World Humanist Congress blog feed and Twitter and Facebook accounts. The BHA will also be posting and curating related collections of videos through its YouTube channel, which will also host some content from Congress after the event, and using Twitter’s ‘Branch’ conservation platform to host online discussions.

Notes

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The following social media accounts will be taking part in the social media campaign: