June 21st, 2021
Around 700 households joined Humanists UK’s 2021 Convention online on Saturday 19 June, making it the best-attended Convention to date. In welcoming attendees, Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson took the opportunity to note the charity’s varied achievements in the previous 12 months, in the teeth of the pandemic, thanking members for their continued support […]
June 17th, 2021
Relationships and sexuality education (RSE) lessons are set to restart at a Northern Ireland primary school following the resignation of two Church-appointed governors earlier this month. The news has been welcomed by Northern Ireland Humanists, which campaigns for comprehensive, fact-based RSE lessons for all pupils regardless of background. Pupils at Killinchy Primary School in County […]
June 11th, 2021
The High Court in Northern Ireland has granted a non-religious parent and child permission to challenge laws requiring faith-based Christian religious education (RE) and collective worship in all schools. Instead they want the curriculum and school assemblies to be taught in a way inclusive of those of other religions and beliefs. Northern Ireland Humanists campaigns […]
June 10th, 2021
The share of adults in Northern Ireland with no religion is surging, according to the latest data from the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. The results of the 2020 survey have been published today. 27% of respondents said they had no religion – an increase of 7% on 2019. This latest surge means that […]
June 7th, 2021
Two Church-appointed governors have resigned from the Board of a Northern Ireland primary school following a row involving relationships and sexuality education (RSE). The dispute prevented pupils receiving RSE lessons for over 18 months. Northern Ireland Humanists – which campaigns for comprehensive RSE in all schools – has welcomed the news. It says that it […]
June 2nd, 2021
A Bill that would require new schools in Northern Ireland to be integrated passed the first stage in the Assembly yesterday. Northern Ireland Humanists has campaigned for a single system of education that teaches pupils from different backgrounds together for many years. It has welcomed the news. Integrated schools try to balance the proportion of […]
June 2nd, 2021
Humanist and Christian leaders have come together to urge as many people as possible to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The call is by Churches Together in England and the Scottish Church Leaders Forum on behalf of their around 60 member churches, and by prominent figures in the UK’s humanist movement. It is being made now […]
May 27th, 2021
More than 50 parents with children at Killinchy Primary School in County Down have written to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Education Committee to express concerns about the way the school is governed. The letter comes after lessons in relationships and sex education (RSE) were cancelled because of a row involving a Church of Ireland-appointed governor. […]
May 19th, 2021
TAKE ACTION: Live in Northern Ireland? Give your support to the Bill to remove faith-based exemptions to fair employment law by completing MLA Chris Lyttle’s consultation. The deadline for responses is 10 June 2021. MLAs have unanimously passed a motion asking the First Minister and deputy First Minister to ‘urgently’ bring forth legislation to end […]
May 17th, 2021
On Friday over 500 people joined a dazzling lineup of scientists, authors, and broadcasters concerned by the threat of man-made climate change to discuss strategies, approaches, and ambitions to save our planet from a looming ecological crisis. The event, entitled Climate Change: a Human Problem – a Human Solution, was organised to mark the official […]
May 10th, 2021
In connection with Dying Matters Awareness Week, Humanists UK has launched My Mortality, a collection of 50 personal reflections on death and dying from a diverse range of humanists. Dying Matters Awareness Week (10-16 May) provides an opportunity to consider the way we approach and think about death and opens up conversations about dying and […]
May 5th, 2021
Northern Ireland Humanists has expressed alarm about a new Catholic RSE resource describing sex and puberty as ‘a gift from God’ and claiming puberty shows ‘we are perfectly designed by God to procreate with him’. The resource, called Flourish, was developed by the Irish Bishops Conference for Catholic primary schools and is designed for children […]
