|
Promoting Humanism
Spreading
the Humanism Meme in Florida
The
Humanists of Florida Association (HFA) is dedicated to growing
Humanism into an active force for social change. In order to have an
impact, we must grow our membership. Our goal is to locate 10,000
non-religious individuals in Florida and get them involved with
Humanism. If you are one of these people, sign up for our free
mailing list.
To spread
Humanism, we actively engage in outreach activities. We are willing
to speak to any group that will have us about our philosophy.
Contact us for a list of available speakers..
We have
developed and distributed a Public Service Announcement to radio
stations across the state (with the assistance of a grant from the
American Humanist Association)
We have
plenty of brochures, newsletters, pins, shirts, bumperstickers, etc.
to help advertise our ethical life stance. (Visit the Support HFA
section to purchase items or simply Contact us to request free
handouts.)
But the most
important way we recruit new people to the movement is through the
work of our volunteers. Here are ways you can help. And, yes,
training is available. To volunteer contact fill out our Volunteer
with HFA application.
Humanist Outreach and
Organizing Ideas
-
Set up
an Information Table at a community event - such as the County
Fair, book fairs, Gay Pride events, at the beach during the
summer. Basically, anywhere people will be congregating. Every
community has some sort of community event, Humanists should be
part of it. The Humanists of Florida Association has training
material on how to run a table and can provide you with
information to put on your tables. This is also a good project
to do in coordination with other local Humanist groups. Every
time we have done a table, we get 30 - 40 new people interested
in our organization.
-
Volunteer at a local school - if your membership has the time,
volunteering as a mentor in the local schools is a great way to
give back to the community.
-
Write
Letters to the Editor - over 85% of newspaper readers read the
letters to the editor section of the paper. A great way to have
your opinion heard is to write a letter, don't forget to mention
that you are a Humanist. The Humanists of Florida Association
has information on how to write a letter that gets published,
and can provide training to your local group on how to do this
efficiently.
-
Organize
an Introduction to Humanism class an open it up to the public.
Most people are not familiar with Humanism and have never heard
of it before. If you do outreach and find yourself talking to a
large group of people new to the movement, it may be worthwhile
to conduct a 2-hour introduction class for them. The Humanists
of Florida Association is working in conjunction with the
American Humanist Association to create a curriculum for such a
class along with hand out materials for the participants.
-
Celebrate a Humanist Holiday! - It is a great way to do
outreach, socialize and join your community in celebration. One
community is planning a BBQ for Memorial Day to honor our
veterans who happen to be atheists: debunking the myth that
there are no atheists in foxholes.
-
Support
Progressive Organizations in your area. Humanists belong to a
large variety of progressive organizations such as the Sierra
Club, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, People for the American Way,
Americans United, etc. Find out what progressive organizations
are in your area and offer to work in coalition with them. They
will appreciate the support and you will find Humanists within
their organizations that did not know about our movement before.
There are 3 main reasons for doing this. 1) we like the work
they are doing and think it is important, 2) We want to find the
Humanists in their midst, and finally, we want them to come to
our aid if and/or when the Religious extremist in this country
decide to come after us. Trust me, they will understand.
|
