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Humanist Society NI

@humanistsni

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For the People and the Planet! 🌍
Visit our website to find out more about who we are and what we do ⬇️

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We are a small society formed in January 2022. We hold online meetings every other month and meet in person for community events, which are always great craic!

Individually and as a society we strive to support local charities, communities and good causes, and we all practise tolerance, respect and kindness in line with our society’s ethos and humanist values. by @humanistsni

There are no fees for joining or being a member of our society. If you’d like to chat about becoming a member, we’d love to tell you more! Drop us a line at hsocietyni@gmail.com 💚 by @humanistsni

Craic, Collaboration, COMMUNITY! 💚

Last week our Humanist Society NI Celebrants gathered for a Collaboration Day at the beautiful @dunedencottageandglamping …and it’s fair to say craic was had!

It was a class opportunity to share ideas, update our all important training and connect over our common passion for celebrating life’s most significant moments.

With creative exercises from our Training Officer Julie, crucial training updates from our Chairperson Danielle and social media inspo from Ruby, it was a motivating and inspiring day, where all of our celebrants shared their perspective, experience and loads of tips and tricks to make our ceremonies the very best they can be!

It was a wonderful reminder of the benefits of being part of a strong and supportive community - as celebrants, we often work alone, but knowing we have this fantastic network of colleagues and friends to lean on and learn from is so fortifying.

We’re very grateful to the amazing @markbarnesphoto who came to snap some shots of us in action, including a much needed updated group shot; thank you, Mark!

And thank you to all of our celebrants who always show up with open hearts and minds, embodying our ethos of tolerance, kindness and respect in all they do. 💚

#HumanistSocietyNI by @humanistsni

“We can’t add days to your life, but we want to add life to your days.” ❤️

Last week, our fabulous member Sarah shared a compelling presentation to her fellow Humanist Society NI members about the invaluable work of the @nihospice , where Sarah works as a Community Relationship Manager. The stories Sarah shared with us moved many of us to tears, as we realised the real life impact of a charity that we’ve all heard of, but whose work few of us have had cause to understand the full scope of.

We learned of the services making immeasurable differences to families both in NI Hospice and in the community, and also of the financial pressures the charity faces - they rely heavily on their constant fundraising efforts, without which they wouldn’t be able to be the lifeline so many people rely on in their most difficult moments.

The Humanist Society NI will be joining in the Hospice’s Tesco Collection fundraising efforts this year, spending time collecting donations in our local supermarkets. This small action can collectively make a big difference to a charity that needs and so deserves our support.

Could you give up a couple of hours of your weekend from 20th-22nd November to join us? The more people we can get out there holding purple buckets, the better!

For more details on how you can get involved, you can email Sarah at Sarah.jewell@nihospice.org

A heartfelt thank you to Sarah for sharing your work with us - we think you’re simply amazing 💕 by @humanistsni

What a whirlwind of a summer! ☀️

Us Humanist Society NI gals have been a busy bunch (too busy to post on socials, apparently 😅)

We’ve been working hard, with loads of our celebrants busy marrying gorgeous couples and celebrating lives all across the country; but we’ve also been taking time out where we can to make memories with family, practise our hobbies, raise money for charity and be present in every new experience summer has offered up to us. Scroll through the slides to see what we’ve been up to!

As autumn approaches, we’re looking forward to more exciting opportunities within our society to learn, connect and contribute. As always, we’re open to new members who would like to experience community in a tolerant, open minded and curious context…you can drop us a line anytime 💙

#HumanistSocietyNI

@heartfeltceremoniesbycathy has been bringing her signature warmth and joy to @ballyscullion_park where she has not only been marrying beautiful couples, but raising money for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice ❤️ amazing work, Cathy!

@everafter.ni Sarah has been swapping hats between celebrant and supermum this summer, making memories with her beautiful boys and with lots of gorgeous couples in unforgettable ceremonies, too! Two incredibly important jobs, she’s smashing it ☺️

@clarebridgetcelebrantni has been bringing the Scottish banter to all sorts of celebrations…from wedding ceremonies to hosting the reopening of the Kings Theatre in Edinburgh alongside Gail Watson! What a star ✨

@hollyhamiltoncelebrant is always brimming with craic and personality wherever she goes…whether she’s helping class couples to tie the knot or enjoying family time in the sun, you’ll hear her laugh before you see her! Keep spreading the joy, Holly ☀️

@alliefordcelebrant has been all over this summer; from the Guildhall in Derry where she took a moment to remember the legacy of the late great John Hume, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his peacebuilding efforts in Northern Ireland, to marrying these stunners in her very own back garden - showcasing an amazing advantage of having a humanist ceremony, you can do it anywhere! We’re proud of you, Allie 💕

@tietheknotni by @humanistsni

How do you measure your own success? 🤔

This was the question put to our members (the majority of whom happen to be women - we promise that’s a coincidence and not a rule!) by Clare back in May.

Turns out, how we view our own success is anything but straightforward! Off the back of Clare’s thought-provoking prompts, we had a fascinating discussion around the pressures that exist for women in today’s society, and how we feel that manifests in our own lives. We shared our thoughts on what gives us fulfilment and purpose, and our frustrations at the things we’re made to feel matter a lot, but probably don’t matter much at all.

We’re proud of all of our members, and we think that the biggest marker of success is the ability to show up as your authentic and truthful self, and to move through the world with kindness - to others and yourself!

Thank you Clare (celebrant alias @clarebridgetcelebrantni ) for this brilliant presentation, which was without question a huge success!

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a member of the Humanist Society NI and join in inspiring chats like this one, send us a DM. Everyone’s welcome ☺️

#HumanistSocietyNI by @humanistsni

Humanist Society NI have been deeply saddened to see hate and violence on the streets of Northern Ireland once again. As humanists, we believe in treating all our fellow humans with kindness, tolerance and respect, no matter their story. We will always advocate for peace and safety for everyone, and our compassionate community are determined that even when hate feels unbearably loud, love and humanity must be louder ❤️ by @humanistsni

How many Humanist Society NI members can you fit on a bench?!

As it turned out, just 2! On this one anyway, because this bench was reserved for stars of the wonderful touring production of ‘The Bench’, Julie and Maria ⭐️

Maria and Julie’s humanist connection goes way back - Julie officiated Maria’s wedding, and then Maria trained under Julie to become a humanist celebrant herself! Now, they’ve combined their shared passion for live drama by setting up their own theatre company, Jaq in the Box Theatre, and they’ve just completed a successful run of ‘The Bench’ to rapt audiences across Northern Ireland.

Lots of our members were lucky enough to see this fabulous production at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, and they experienced all the emotions as they followed characters from all walks of life experience everyday interactions on one bench. We absolutely loved this show and all the heart behind it; is it any wonder the audience were jumping to their feet at the end? 😍

Now that the tour is done, and the Bench is now nestled quietly in Julie’s back garden, Julie and Maria reflected on their experience of working together on this production.

Julie said, “We had such a great time producing, rehearsing and performing the show. Maria and I laughed from start to finish. Our audiences were very appreciative and took time to meet us after each show to tell us how much they enjoyed it. We had comments such as, ‘It was brilliant - I loved every minute,’ ‘A real rollercoaster of a show,’ ‘That was fantastic - and, by the way, where did you get that umbrella?’!”

And Maria added, “The Bench was simply class to work on, especially with my partner in crime Julie. Getting to know her as a Humanist and as a celebrant then taking a leap of faith and setting up a theatre company together has been a whirlwind and a dream come true. The journey with Julie has been very special - our audiences across the tour have been absolutely amazing and having our gang cheer us on is the absolute icing on the cake. Here’s to the bench - may you appreciate a moment to yourself every time you take a seat.”

Congratulations ladies, we’re so inspired to be in the presence of such talent! 💚 by @humanistsni

Do you read with your head or your heart? 🤓❤️

Our last two picks had the Humanist Book Club divided, as we dove into Hamnet’s poetic embrace and Orbital’s cyclical rhythm - and came out the other side a mixture of captivated and irritated!

We love chatting about why stories make us feel certain ways, and because we try to vary our reads as much as possible, not everyone is going to love every choice! Our post read discussions are always thought provoking and hilarious, and we’re loving reading all kinds of wonderful things that help us examine different aspects of our humanity.

Our next read is a the debut novel from local author Stephen Daly, The Last Death Poet, which is “a gripping LGBTQI+ YA novel set in Belfast, where the theme of queer identity intertwines with the ghosts of the city’s political past and the dark forces of Irish mythology, creating a gripping and unforgettable story with a paranormal twist”. We’re intrigued, are you?

If you’d like to join our bookworm ranks, the Humanist Book Club would love to welcome you! Drop us a DM for more details ☺️

#HumanistSocietyNI by @humanistsni

✨ Member Spotlight - Cathy Brennan Bradley ✨

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we’re spotlighting the fantastic work of our member Cathy, who alongside her work as a humanist celebrant can often be seen treading the boards or lighting up a screen near you!

Cathy recently performed in a moving production of Catriona Cunningham’s ‘The Marian Hotel’, a “searing portrayal” of a dark time in the history of women in Ireland. The play, produced by Sole Purpose Productions, is based on the playwright’s lived experience of being in Marianvale Mother and Baby home in Newry, and is described as “a call to all impacted to come forward and raise their voices so that they may never again be silenced and shamed for being human.”

The piece had a profound impact on both its audiences and the actors who performed it; Cathy says, “I’ve never experienced anything like it as a performer.” Echoing truthfully the tragic events many women throughout Ireland endured over decades of institutionalised abuse, a frequent piece of feedback Cathy and the team heard about the play was “This story needs to be told.” And it was told with bags of heart and plenty of Northern Irish humour, too!

Fellow Humanist Society NI members Julie and Maria went to see The Marian Hotel, and Julie had this to say about the experience:

“We sat in a packed audience and, from the first minute, we were drawn into the quite shocking world of this mother and baby home. It was sometimes a difficult watch but humour played a key role in the telling of the story so the audience were laughing one minute and blinking away tears the next. A tour de force by an excellent cast who fully deserved their standing ovation at curtain call.”

The Humanist Society NI wishes Cathy and the @solepurposeproductions team all the best as they prepare to tell this important story to more audiences. We’re very proud of our Cathy using her wonderful artistry to amplify the voices of those who weren’t always able to. Bravo, Cathy!

#HumanistSocietyNI by @humanistsni

This quote from American tennis player Arthur Ashe might have been intended as motivational sports advice, but we think it can apply to anything you need a bit of encouragement to take action on today. Even the smallest of actions can have a big impact - doing what you can is always better than doing nothing ☺️

(And remember, ‘using what you have’ might look like leaning on the support of your community, like we do all the time at Humanist Society NI!)

#HumanistSocietyNI by @humanistsni