Sara Passmore, Head of Education and Promotion at the British Humanist Association (BHA), has left the BHA after four years to return to her native New Zealand.
Lisa Bounds has been announced as Ms Passmore’s successor. Educated in Malawi, Senegal, Gambia, Tanzania, Denmark, and London, she comes to the BHA having run extensive education programmes at the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, British Red Cross, and Save the Children, and managed refugee and migrant employability projects at Olmec, the black and minority ethnic-led social enterprise.
BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said, ‘In her time with us, Sara Passmore brought a new level of professionalism to all of our education programmes, from the training of volunteers to speak about Humanism in schools to the production of curriculum materials for teachers. She also developed new ways of communicating Humanism to the general public through innovative online campaigns. Her contribution will be viewed with gratitude by all our supporters.
‘Lisa was recruited from an exceptionally strong field and joins us at a time when her experience will be invaluable. Humanism is now included in the national curriculum framework for Religious Education in our schools and at the same time, a generally non-religious population is thirsty for the ethical and fulfilling non-religious approach to life which the humanist view represents. Lisa has an exciting vision for promoting the public understanding of Humanism in formal education and elsewhere, and we are all looking forward to working with her and seeing this work move from strength to strength.’
Taking up her new post, Ms Bounds said, ‘I am delighted to be working for the British Humanist Association and to build upon the excellent work of my predecessors. The opportunities for increasing public awareness of Humanism are growing daily in formal education, informal education, and in society generally. I look forward to being part of the vital effort to ensure that all who share the humanist approach to life have the opportunity to recognise their worldview as such, and to draw upon an expansive global humanist tradition in giving their lives greater meaning and purpose.’
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For further information or comment please contact BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson on andrew@humanists.uk or 07855 380 633.
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 British Humanist Association aims to ensure that Humanism is understood as an ethical and fulfilling non-religious approach to life involving a naturalistic view of the universe. Humanism has been included in Religious Education for over 50 years. It provides teachers with guidance and resources to help with planning lessons on Humanism at the dedicated website humanismforschools.org.uk.