Learning to Live Well Together

Saturday 14^th April 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

With Dr Allan Hayes

Taking his title from a recent book on interfaith diversity by Tom Wilson and Riaz Ravat, lifelong humanist Allan Hayes is concerned that, at a time when we need to bring people together, we are instead dividing children by religion, allowing the divisions between science and religion to deepen, and failing to promote a shared understanding of humanity. What can we do about it? In this enlightening presentation Allan will be highlighting some of the ways in which we can all engage constructively with diversity. He will also address how religious education can be reformed and improved.

Former Church of England choirboy Allan Hayes became a lifelong humanist from the age of 14. He has taught maths at Massachusetts Institute for Technology, Purdue University Indiana, and at the University of Leicester. He has served on the boards of the British Humanist Association, the Sea of Faith Network, All Faiths and None, and Leicester Secular Society.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Please email Chairman@dorsethumanists.co.uk for a PDF copy for you to print and display.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Reforming Prisons for a Better Society

Wednesday 28^th March 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

A talk by Rob Preece - Campaigns and Communications Manager at the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Overcrowded prisons are a menace to society. As we send more and more people to prison, more and more people are swept into deeper currents of violence, drugs, frustration and mental distress. Incidents of assault and self-injury in prisons have risen to record levels. In 2016, prisoners in England and Wales lost their lives through suicide at a rate of one every three days. If we want prisons to be places of genuine reform, where people leave less likely to commit crime, we must ask ourselves hard questions about how and why we use them – and take steps to improve them.  

Since joining the Howard League in 2012, Rob has worked on some of the charity’s most successful campaigns. They include the award-winning ‘Books For Prisoners’ campaign, which overturned government restrictions on prisoners receiving books from family and friends. A trained journalist, he lobbies decision-makers and gives media interviews and presentations on behalf of the charity.

The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the UK. 

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Please email Chairman@dorsethumanists.co.uk for a PDF copy for you to print and display.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Hidden Knowledge

Saturday 13^th January 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

With Medical Sociologist Dr Sarah Goode

Is adult sexual attraction to children a psychological disorder, a sexual orientation, a genetic fault, or the result of trauma? The UK National Crime Agency states that around 750,000 men in Britain are sexually attracted to children. And with the NSPCC estimating that one in 20 children are sexually abused (over 36,000 annually), providing effective protection for our children is clearly a huge challenge. If we want to keep children safe from sexual harm, then gaining a better understanding of what we’re dealing with is surely the first step. Dr Sarah Goode has done ground-breaking research in this controversial field, and will be addressing the taboo subject of adult sexual attraction to children. She refrains from demonizing the people who feel this attraction whilst insisting that knowledge, rather than ignorance, is what we need in order to keep children safe.

“Join us for a pragmatic exploration of this emotionally-charged subject, and learn how we can minimise the risk to our children”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Please email Dave at DHweb2(at)live.co.uk for a PDF copy for you to print and display.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

The Joys of Being a Volunteer End of Life Companion

Wednesday 27^th September 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With Mandy Preece from Macmillan Caring Locally

No one should face the end of their life alone. Macmillan Caring Locally has a team of specialist volunteer end of life companions who sit and support patients and their families. Unlike medical staff who may be very busy, or friends and family who may be overcome with emotion, the end of life companions help by listening to people come to terms with their death and enable them to find peace in their final moments. Mandy Preece, founder of the role, will be giving an uplifting and inspiring talk about the joys of sitting with people. She will share the laughter and the tears, and speak honestly about how sitting with the dying also helps the volunteers gain a deeper appreciation of their own lives. As one volunteer said, “I don’t worry as much. I live much more for the moment and I’ve learnt to truly respect people. It is simple, it’s all about listening.” Donations to Macmillan Caring Locally will be gratefully received.

“Join us to discover the joys of being an ‘End of Life Volunteer Companion”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.