QED is a two-day science and skepticism conference taking place in the Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester on the 5th-6th February 2011. For more information visit http://www.qedcon.org

Fantastic speakers from the worlds of science and entertainment will be joining us for a weekend celebration of science, reason and critical thinking.

QED is organised by North West Skeptical Events Ltd for the Greater Manchester Skeptics Society and the Merseyside Skeptics Society.

Tickets for QED are now on sale, priced at just £99 for the weekend. All proceeds from QED will be donated to the National Autistic Society and Sense About Science.

http://photos.camp-quest.org.uk

You’ll also be able to jump to it from our community page that links to all our other online pages on facebook, twitter, youtube, myspace, bebo and any other site that we might find

If you have any photos that you’d like us to upload then please email them to us.

We have plans for our community page and the website in general, but we are always keen to hear your ideas or what you’d like to see on our website. We don’t have our own forum as so many people are on facebook, but with so many people wanting to stay in contact we might think again if it is something people would use. http://www.camp-quest.org.uk/our-community/

What: Camp Quest Ireland

When: 31st July and 1st August

Where: The Teachers’ Club, Parnell Square West, Dublin.

Volunteers are urgently required so please get in touch as soon as possible.

Contact: info (at the) humanism.ie or call 087-299 5484

For more information please visit their website

Camp Quest Ireland is a secular summer camp programme for children aged 7-17, dedicated to improving the human condition through rational inquiry, critical and creative thinking, the scientific method, self-respect, ethics, competency, democracy and free speech. The overall purpose is to provide interested children, regardless of their personal beliefs, with a summer camp free from religious dogma. The camp is dedicated to the advancement of tolerance, empathy, self-respect, self-expression, rationality, critical and creative thinking, cooperation, and ethics.

The camp’s programmes and activities introduce campers to the history and ideas of freethought. Campers also learn about science, the scientific method, critical thinking, and world religions. Campers are taught that ethical behaviour is not dependent on religious belief and doctrines, and that non-religious people are also good and fully capable of living a happy and meaningful life.
The camp’s programmes and activities also include what is usual for summer camps: crafts, drama, games, sports, singing etc.

This year Camp Quest Ireland will be a weekend day camp in the Teachers’ Club in Dublin. Any interested children are welcome with older (16 & 17 year olds) campers able to take part.

COULD YOU HELP?

• Old Digital Cameras
• Old Laptops
• Sponsorship

http://www.ugandahumanistschoolstrust.org

Digital Cameras
We want to provide the schools with digital cameras. Do you have a spare one you could donate? The camera should be in working order, with instructions, memory card, battery, charger etc..

Latop Computers
During 2010 we are intending to provide the schools with a few desktop computers for use by students. However, we are looking for some fairly light laptop computers with reasonable battery life. These will be lent to teachers to enable them to become more familiar with computers and to enable them to prepare work for their students from home. If you have something suitable that is surplus to requirements we would like to hear from you.

International Appeal
Wherever you are in the world, if you have an idea to help, either personally or as a group, the Humanist Schools in Uganda with fundraising or in some other way then please contact us.

E-mail
General: uhstinfo@gmail.com
Scholarships: uhstscholarships@gmail.com

http://www.ugandahumanistschoolstrust.org

About Us

Supporting liberal-secular education in Uganda

Phasing in Universal Primary Education in Uganda in 2000 created a huge follow-on demand for secondary schooling, which the government has only been partially able to meet. The residual need is being addressed by private bodies, including religious foundations.

The Uganda Humanist Schools Trust (UK) was established in November 2008 as a charity to raise funds to support the efforts of Ugandan Humanists, who have founded three schools which offer students the alternative of liberal secular-humanist education:

* Isaac Newton High School, Masaka - founded by Peter Kisirinya in 2004
* Mustard Seed School, Kamule - founded by Moses Kamya in 2005
* Humanist Academy, Mpigi - founded by Deo Ssekitooleko in 2008

The three founders met as students at Makerere University where, led by Deo Ssekitooleko, they formed what became the Uganda Humanist Association (UHASSO). In 2004 UHASSO took the bold step of inviting the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) to host a “Humanist Visions for Africa Conference” in Kampala. Discussions at this meeting provided the catalyst for the creation of these pioneering humanist schools, which embrace Humanist principles.

In November 2008, they took the further step of forming the Uganda Humanist Schools Association to foster collaboration between the schools. The Association is dedicated to monitoring educational standards, sharing best practice, promoting professional development and pioneering the development of a secular-humanist approach schooling.

All schools teach the Uganda national curriculum and prepare students for public examinations. At the same time, they aim to develop self-confident students who care for each other and for their local communities. The schools encourage students to be open minded and questioning. They are taught to respect evidence and to appreciate the need for shared human values. In order to foster a spirit of understanding, students are introduced to both religious, as required by the national curriculum, and secular humanist philosophies.

Deo Ssekitooleko, founder of the Humanist Academy and the IHEU representative for East Africa, expresses his aspirations as follows::

“We are determined to protect students from any form of indoctrination, instead they will be exposed to various world views. They will be encouraged to think freely, to be rational and skeptical, to value and respect humanity and be tolerant towards others.

Practical skills for self employment and survival out of school will be encouraged. This is in response to a high level of unemployment among school leavers and drop outs. Field days will be organised for students to do practical work and get involved in community social welfare activities. School-community collaboration is our school’s raison d’etre.”

The Uganda Humanist Schools Trust seeks to raise funds to enable these hopes to be realised.

I would like to thank you on behalf of everyone at Camp Quest and all the children coming to camp this year.

A Shared Walk over the Quantock Hills in Somerset.

Saturday 19th June 2010

http://www.ancestorstrail.net

The Ancestor’s Trail traces the course of Evolution by following footpaths representing the branches of Charles Darwin’s ‘Tree of Life’.

“A wonderfully imaginative, inspired idea!” - Richard Dawkins

“A brisk walk to the origin of life - who could hope for a better destination?” - Prof Steve Jones

It was inspired by Richard Dawkins’ book “The Ancestor’s Tale”, subtitled “A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life”. The book traces the evolutionary history of our species, and many others, back to our origins 3.7 billion years ago.

And at our Journey’s end?

We celebrate! Food and drink will be available, including the unique Ancestor’s Trail Primordial Soup. Not to be missed! We hope there will also be entertainment, music etc., and some uplifting/amusing chat. Check the website updates for details.

The event also aims to raise awareness of nature conservation by promoting the International Year of Biodiversity.

To Register

Why do I have to register?

You don’t, but if you do we will be able to organise in advance your transport, parking, entertainment, catering etc much more effectively.

Click here to register. If the email link doesn’t work then copy the text below into an email and send to chris@ancesterstrail.net

http://www.ancestorstrail.net/register.htm

Edwin & Helen Kagin and Camp Quest campers witness a rare unicorn sighting

Helen Kagin died early this evening following complications from cancer surgery.  She was 76.

Kagin was a heroine and activist in the Atheist movement.  Along with her husband, attorney Edwin Kagin, she co-founded Camp Quest , a summer camp for the children of nonbelievers, which has grown into an international outreach.  She and Edwin were frequent guests at various conventions, and belonged to several freethought groups.

In 2005, Helen and Edwin were named “Atheists of the Year” at the National Convention of American Atheists.  Helen was active in the Free Inquiry Group of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky .  She worked closely with Edwin and others organizing countless demonstrations and meetings, including the Rally for Reason which attracted hundreds of pro-science supporters who peacefully protested outside the opening of the Creation Museum in Petersburg , KY.

She  was an outstanding wife, mother, friend to so many; and Helen also had an illustrious career as an anesthesiologist. We will miss her infectious laughter, her wonderful friendship and stalwart support for the cause of Reason and state-church separation.

Helen Kagin will be cremated.  Edwin Kagin asks that expressions of sympathy in the form of donations be used to send kids to Camp Quest. There will be further announcements, including details of a Memorial event.

Helen Kagin

SOLD OUT - Sorry!

This camp has sold out, but we do still have places for Camp B!

Date : Monday 26th July to Friday 30th July
Price : £275 all inclusive
Location : Kilve Court, Somerset

Monday 26th July to Friday 30th July

Kilve Court, Somerset

Overview
Our first camp for 2010 will be held from Monday 26th July to Friday 30th July at Kilve Court in Somerset. This centre will host a variety of activities, and its close proximity to the beach will mean that the children will have the opportunity to go on a fossil walk. This camp is intended to be aimed at those who enjoy walking and nature, or perhaps who suffer from a heavy school schedule and are in need of a break. Campers will be staying in rooms in a large house.

Activities

The Camp Quest activities will be held in the mornings and evenings, as was the case last year. This year our theme is the Mind, which means the children will be exploring questions such as “What does it mean to have a mind?”, “Can robots have minds?”, and “Are we more than the sum of all our brain cells?” to name but a few. In addition, we intend to hold sessions on astronomy, critical thinking, science, and much more, although our programme has not been finalised yet, so we cannot guarantee anything!

Both Camp A and Camp B will run outdoor adventure activities in the afternoons. We have agreed with the camps that those at Camp A (Kilve Court) will do one activity per afternoon and those at Camp B (Caythorpe Court) will do two activities per afternoon. We are offering this choice as we found that some of the children were exhausted by the scheduling last year. The campers certainly won’t be missing out at Kilve Court – even though there are fewer different activities, they will get to spend longer on each one.

Cost

Each place at camp costs £275, with a non-refundable £80 deposit required to reserve the place. The price includes food, board, the CQUK t-shirt, and all activities but does not include transport to and from the camp.

We are working on providing discounted or subsidised places. If you are finding the cost of camp financially unfeasible, please get in touch with us.

If you would like to donate extra to us to help fund equipment, t-shirts and other expenses, please let us know if you would like to be listed on our website as an Individual Supporter.

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PLEASE NOTE: We expect places for both camps to go extremely quickly. In order to avoid a situation where too many people are sending in deposits, and we have to disappoint,please send an e-mail to info@camp-quest.org.uk just to let us know that your form is in the post, and how many children you are registering. This way we can keep track of how many places we have left and update the website accordingly. Thanks for your understanding.