Students at university campuses across the UK will for the first time be able to join Humanists UK for free, Hannah Timson, the President of Humanist Students, has announced today.
Humanist Students is the student section of Humanists UK, formerly known as the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist, and Secular Student Societies, or AHS. With societies at 42 universities, Humanist Students is gearing up for growth in the coming academic year.
Humanist Students societies are meeting places for non-religious students, putting on events with well-known speakers and leading ethical campaigns across campuses. For non-religious young people who come from an extreme or isolated religious background, they can form an invaluable network of like-minded peers, providing community and support.
In recent years, Humanist Students societies have stimulated national debates as a result of a series of ‘blasphemy’ controversies, in which religious societies and student unions have sought to clamp down on humanist organising for fear that these societies could offend religious students, either cancelling events or ejecting humanist students from freshers’ fairs.
Commenting on the announcement, Humanist Students President Hannah Timson said:
‘Since this summer, it’s been my great pleasure to be the President of Humanist Students and to usher in a new era for our movement. Our new membership system means members of individual humanist societies will directly elect their national President each year through online voting, and will give our activists an even greater influence in the wider humanist movement through votes at Humanists UK’s AGM as well.
‘With the start of the new academic year, I’m looking to welcome on board many new members. Together, we’re poised to become an even larger, more well-recognised, and even clearer voice for non-religious students and for an empathetic, rational approach to life.’
Humanists UK Student and Youth Coordinator Sean Turnbull said:
‘Student activists are invaluable to our movement. Our new membership scheme will make it even easier for this section to bring together and represent non-religious students who want to shape their own lives and to have their views heard on campus.
‘Universities are where the big ideas that will shape the future are being debated, and it’s critical that humanists have a role in those discussions. I’m delighted that Humanist Students continues to be a strong lobby for free thinking and freedom of choice across the university sector, championing ideas for the one life we have.’
Students enrolled at universities in the UK can join Humanists UK for free today.
Notes
For further information or comment, please contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson on richy@humanists.uk.
For more information about setting up a Humanist Students society at your university, contact Humanist Students President Hannah Timson on president@humaniststudents.uk or Humanists UK Student and Youth Coordinator Sean Turnbull on sean@humanists.uk.
Follow Humanist Students on Facebook and Twitter, or join for free via the Humanists UK website.
Humanist Students is the student section of Humanists UK, the national charity representing the non-religious. At Humanists UK, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Our work brings non-religious people together to develop their own views, helping people be happier and more fulfilled in the one life we have. Through our ceremonies, education services, and community and campaigning work, we strive to create a fair and equal society for all.