November 15th and 16th 2003, London
18 August 2003
London
Dear Friend,
I am writing to tell you about the International Women’s Conference IHEU is arranging for November 15th and 16th 2003. It will be held in the Library of Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, in Central London. I hope you will accept this invitation to participate.
Even if you have already sent in an e-mail previously expressing interest in response to the notice in International Humanist News, may I request you to please fill in the accompanying registration form to help us? Kindly can you also let others in your organisation know about this event by circulating this information?
Deadline for registration is 10 October 2003, but if you send in your forms early we can plan better to make the conference a success.
The Conference aims to address several needs expressed by Humanist women in Europe, Africa, Asia and in the Americas, and both men and women are invited to participate. Even though several pioneers of the Women’s movement have been Humanists, the present day Humanist movement is not actively engaged in the women’s movement. Within our own circles, those women who are active feel the need to clarify their role in order to have their voices and concerns heard, and to increase their participation in a way that is meaningful to them. In the light of this, we wish to examine the following questions:
– What are the main problems of women today on a global scale?
– How can the Humanist movement become involved in solving these problems?
– In what way can the gender imbalance within the Humanist movement be addressed?
Annie Laurie Gaylor from the US will be the keynote speaker (No Gods, No Masters), but led-discussions and workshops will we hope dominate the weekend. There will be a report of the proceedings. An online Web-based Conference as a warm up to the actual Conference will soon be launched and can be accessed from here.
A full Conference programme will soon be available.
We have already had interest from Sweden, Belgium, Norway, US, Nigeria, India and Nepal, and we particularly expect good participation from our European neighbours. I very much hope that you will encourage some representation from your members. If any of them would like to support the venture by making a financial donation, no matter how small, it will be most gratefully welcomed. Any excess of income over expenditure could be used to set up an international Humanist women’s section within the framework of IHEU, if the Conference decides to set up such a body.
The registration fee for the Conference will be �75 which will include morning and afternoon refreshments and a light lunch on both days. We are asking if any Humanists in the London area could accommodate someone for two/three nights. This accommodation will go first to needy women from second/third world countries, for most of whom we shall also need to cover travel expenses. (We will be able to invite only a few people, of course!)
To register interest in Conference and accommodation needs, write to IHEU (1 Gower Street, London WC1E 6HD), or email us along with the attached registration form – deadline 10 October 2003. (If you have already written to IHEU asking for help with travel and accommodation, we will contact you in a few weeks time, but please fill in the registration form and send it to us at the earliest, preferably by 1 September 2003). (See the top or bottom of this page for links to form.)
I am most delighted that Diana Rookeledge, former Vice Chair of the Fawcett Society, former Chair of the British Humanist Association and presently Vice Chair of the Rationalist Press Association has volunteered to help make the Conference a success. Kindly copy your mails sent to us also to her at [email protected]
Members of the IHEU’s Executive Committee join me in welcoming your support for this special venture, and we look forward to seeing you at the Conference!
Yours sincerely,
Babu Gogineni
Executive Director