THINK FOR YOURSELF, ACT FOR EVERYONE An Introduction to Humanist Ceremonies Presented by Isabel Russo, Head of Ceremonies 11 July 2017 Welcome Me Shape of next 45 mins: brief presentation, Q&A, look at some ceremonies resources on the Understanding Humanism website.

What is a Humanist Ceremony? From the beginning of time humans have used ritual to mark important moments in their lives. To help them move through times of transition We need ritual to connect with our deepest thoughts and feelings, hopes and fears. To reconnect to ourselves through times of change. Ritual is a punctuation. A pause - time out of time etc. For humanists, religious ceremonies are not relevant, not an authentic experience - they are (as Peter Brook called it) dead theatre. Who here has been to a Humanist Ceremony? What was it like - just some key words

About you... A shift of focus occurs when god is removed. The ceremony is about YOU. Talk about process of working with a celebrant - crafting a ceremony that reflect who you are - creating your own vows etc.

Joyful, inclusive, diverse... Joyful, inclusive, diverse, mixed race etc, whichever ceremony type, joy and creativity take centre stage - blown stuffiness out of more traditional models

anytime, anyplace, anywhere... Can happen anytime, any place, anywhere, parents garden, local pub, place where proposal happened, favourite beauty spot etc Church building doesn't have the same significance for non-religious people - in fact can be an antagonistic place for some.

Freedom to choose... Naming ceremonies fastest growing ceremony tyype at the moment.. Importance of child being able to choose for tehmselves when they get older vcentrat to parents choice

Community...

Individual... Naming ceremonies fastest increasing ceremony type at the moment

Personal responsibility...

Meaningful...

Authentic... So many accounts from people who attended ‘traditionsl’ religious funerals that left them alienated, frustrated, depressed, even angry because the platitudes offered were not relevant to the belief system of the deceased and teh account given of the person’s life was not a fair reflection. . The complex process of re- membering, acknowledging and letting go cannot happen at this type of funeral and so teh subsequent grieving process is not allowed to take its course. We believe everyone should have the ceremony that is right for them - and that meaningful ritual, that is ritual that authentically and compassionately reflect sand express the core beliefs of a person - leads to psychologically healthier society. Popularity growing. Numbers etc.

Popular! We take over 11,000 ceremonies a year Where Humanist Marriage is legally recognised the numbers are growing exponentially Over a million people attend humanist ceremonies in England and Wales annually Scotland figures 85 to 5,000 a year - with 50,000 since 2005 Rep of I - 2012 - now 3 times as many as Protestant Church of Ireland NI 22nd June 2017

Any Questions? 10 mins.

Ceremonies Resources and Activity Ideas 15 mins for this section. We have a wealth of ceremonies resources for each cere type on the understanding humanism pages. Including activities that encourage children to think about what they would like to be remembered for after they’ve died, and asking them what a humanist celebrant might ask a couple planning to marry. Show naming video - 5 mins to discuss how they might use it to address some of the things we’ve spoken about. (Leaf activity shown in video. What promises might humanist parent want to make ‘Why promises rather than wishes’ Then look at Weddings A-Z resource. Talk through.

Thank You!