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Join the Humanist Ceremonies Accelerator

  • Date / 31 January 2025
  • By / Javan Lev Poblador

Be among the 4 selected teams to shape the future of Humanist Ceremonies worldwide!

The Lithuanian organization Happy Human (lt. Laimingas Žmogus) represents personal freedom, rationality, and a science-based lifestyle, while educating the public on humanistic alternatives. Since 2016, our mission has been to personalize life’s most significant moments through unique, meaningful humanistic ceremonies. Today the main source of the organization’s income is from humanistic ceremonies—weddings, namings, vow renewals, and memorials—which not only sustain our operations but also allow it to remain independent and continuously grow.

How It All Began

It all started with the wedding of our founder and current CEO, Urte Žukauskaitė-Zabukė, who, alongside her friend, actress Gerda Surgautaitė, pioneered Lithuania’s first humanist wedding. Their quest for a ceremony that resonated with their worldview sparked a movement. The word quickly spread about these non-religious, meaningful, and deeply personal ceremonies, leading many others to seek the same experience. With no external investments, the two friends became organizers of humanist ceremonies, and as demand grew year after year, so did the need for a structured creative and managerial process. Since then, the movement has flourished—over 60 celebrants have been professionally trained, nearly 2,000 ceremonies have been conducted, and more than 90,000 guests have experienced the beauty of humanist ceremonies in Lithuania.

More Than Ceremonies – A Social Mission

Our work extends beyond ceremonies. In 2020, we launched the Freedom to Love initiative, offering free weddings to LGBT couples until marriage equality is recognized in Lithuania. Notably, we celebrated the public wedding ceremony of Albinas (85) and Vitalijus (70) after 52 years together, gathering over 21,000 signatures in support of same-sex marriage, symbolic marriage certificate is now part of Lithuania’s National Museum collection.

In 2022, amid the war in Ukraine, we hosted a public humanist funeral to honor Ukrainian heroes, uniting people through a shared sense of hope and compassion. These efforts underscore the transformative potential of humanist values in fostering inclusivity, solidarity, and meaning.

Introducing the Humanist Ceremonies Accelerator

Recognizing the success of our model, we are excited to launch the Humanist Ceremonies Accelerator with the support of Humanists International. This program is designed to empower humanist organizations worldwide to create sustainable social enterprises that fund their work while spreading humanist values through ceremonies.

What You’ll Gain

This accelerator focuses on building capacity, not on writing or conducting ceremonies, but on developing a resilient social enterprise model. Participants will gain skills in:

  • Sustainability: Building financial independence through social business.
  • Organizational Growth: Strengthening operational effectiveness.
  • Networking: Connecting with like-minded organizations for collaboration and mentorship

The three-month program includes bi-weekly online sessions and culminates in a Pitch Night in June, where participants showcase their progress, gain visibility, and attract potential supporters. One standout team will receive continued mentorship to refine and scale their initiatives. In addition to mentorship, the winning team will be awarded a £2,000 grant to support the continued growth and impact of their initiative.

Why Join?

The Humanist Ceremonies Accelerator is designed for motivated teams of 3 people who are eager to build a social enterprise through humanist ceremonies. We’re looking for teams that are either starting out or planning to launch humanist ceremonies and want to create a sustainable business model around them.

This is not just a theory-based program—it’s a hands-on, action-driven accelerator. Over three months, you’ll develop your social enterprise model, build a working prototype, and actively test and refine your ceremony offerings in your country. Through expert mentorship, structured training, and a supportive network, you’ll gain the tools to sell, launch, and kickstart humanist ceremonies as a financially sustainable initiative.

Apply Now

Applications are open until March 3rd. By joining the accelerator, you’ll be part of a global movement dedicated to spreading humanist values while making a tangible difference in your community.

Don’t wait—apply today and take the first step toward transforming lives through humanist ceremonies.

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