August 16, 2024 Pub Night with Guest Speaker
7:00 pm at Ye Olde Squire pub on Upper James Street in Hamilton.
Enjoy the warm ambiance, traditional British pub fare, refreshing drinks, and the opportunity to connect with fellow Humanists. Whether you are a long-time SOFREE member, or new to the Humanist community, we welcome you to share in our spirit of camaraderie.
Our guest speaker is Leslie Rosenblood, Secular Chair of the Centre for Inquiry Canada, and strong supporter of a single public education system in Ontario. Leslie will lead a thought-provoking discussion on the history of separate schools in Ontario, reveal several myths and common misunderstandings, identify current practices that are problematic and what we can do to address them.
Background to the talk:
In 1999, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) made a powerful statement, highlighting the discriminatory nature of Ontario’s public funding of Catholic schools—i.e., granting special privileges to one religious group, while denying funding to other faith-based schools. The UNHRC advised that Ontario either provide financial support for all religious schools in the province or cease funding to Catholic schools entirely. Ontario refused to comply. Today, every Ontario household falls within the boundaries of four different school boards, all fully funded by the provincial government – an English public school board, a French public school board, an English Catholic school board, and a French Catholic school board.
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Meet & Greet at 2024 K-W Multicultural Festival
A celebration of culture and community! This event is a great opportunity to connect with friends, promote SOFREE’s presence, and enjoy delicious and diverse foods, live music, and captivating dance performances.
The Society of Freethinkers and Secular Connexion Séculière are delighted to be sharing a booth again. Come say hi, enjoy the fun, and help us make a difference!
Here is the link to the 2024 KWMF website: https://www.kwmf.ca
Festival days and times: JUNE 22: 12:00 – 8:00 p.m. and JUNE 23: 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Discover more at: https://sofree.ca
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Meet & Greet at 2024 Guelph Multicultural Festival
SOFREE and Secular Connexion Séculière are delighted to share a booth at the Guelph Multicultural Festival, taking place in Riverside Park. This is a great opportunity to promote our presence in the community, spend time with friends, meet prospective members, and enjoy the amazing stage shows, tasty treats, and fun atmosphere!
Drop by our booth and say hello!
Guelph Festival days and times:
JUNE 7: 5:00 p.m.–11:00 pm; JUNE 8: 11:00 am-11:00 pm; JUNE 9: 11:00 am-6:00 pm
2023 World Religions Conference
SOFREE’s presentation: Healing a Polarized World – The Humanist Perspective
Click here to view the conference video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uSc9Fv5hNo
For over 15 years, SOFREE has been an active presence at the World Religions Conference (WRC) to speak to topics from secular perspectives. At this event, we Humanists get the opportunity to interact with people from diverse backgrounds, answer questions, dispel myths and misconceptions about secularism, atheism, and Humanism, and spark interest in rational thought. Our keynote speaker is SOFREE’s president, Katherine Dimou, a longtime licensed Humanist Officiant and past Humanist Canada Board Director. We will also read Humanist poetry aligned with the conference theme. Come by our table for Humanist goodies and conversation!
Register in advance to attend in person. Here is the link: https://www.worldreligionsconference.org/index.php/register-to-attend-2.
The event will also be streamed live on the WRC website at: www.worldreligionsconference.org
The World Religions Conference (WRC) is a multi-faith and multi-cultural event, uniting individuals from major world religions and philosophical backgrounds. The conference promotes the exchange of ideas on thought-provoking and relevant topics, and offers a unique platform where representatives from various traditions can share their views on how to approach a chosen theme. The ultimate goal of the conference is to foster a better understanding of diverse perspectives and inspire harmony, acceptance, and cooperation.
The 2023 WRC includes complimentary admission, food, coffee, tea, soft drinks, water, and parking. Speakers for 2023 represent these religions or philosophies: Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous Spirituality, and Humanism (Atheists and Agnostics).