This Week: Service Projects, Leadership Summits & Islamic Controversy Discussion Packet

This Week: Service Projects, Leadership Summits, and Islamic Controversy Discussion Packet

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Hi, everyone! We work hard to keep you informed of the latest opportunities and current events in the freethought movement. This week, we wanted to push one of our own favorite project areas: service projects! We also want to give you the dates and locations for this year's leadership summits so you can make plans and mark your calendars. Last but not least, we've built a discussion packet based on some hot topics in the freethought movement - we hope you find it useful!

Service Projects: National Secular Service Day is October 3!
Assistant Campus Organizer Nate Mauger here! As your group makes plans for the year, it's important to remember that service projects can be an invaluable tool for connecting with the off-campus community and cooperating with faith groups on your campus. Over the last year alone, the percentage of our affiliates involved in service projects has skyrocketed from 25% to almost 50%. Soon, if you aren't finding ways to reach out to off campus communities, you will be in the minority (and we know you wouldn't be comfortable with that). National Secular Service Day is October 3, and it's a great way to join forces with other secular groups to show that you can be good without any gods.

So, you might be wondering, "What are some examples of good service projects?" Many groups volunteer their time at soup kitchens or food banks, while some groups go to blood donation centers together and maybe grab a bite to eat afterwards. One group at Kentucky organized a dance marathon for charity, while the group at Ohio State has traveled down to New Orleans over their last two spring breaks to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Not only can you implement these ideas within your own secular student groups, but you can also invite campus groups of opposing ideologies or faiths to join with you in your efforts. Working with religious groups on service projects can help dispel common misconceptions about atheism, and will allow your group members to show the difference secularism has made in their lives.

Getting positive media attention for your service project is another clear benefit of off-campus outreach. The Secular Student Alliance can help you prepare press releases for your events and publicize your service project in our "monthly" newsletter, the eMpirical. Keep in mind, the SSA also offers a $300 prize at its annual conference to the group which organizes the best service project.

Many service ideas can be found on the SSA website: look for our Activity Packets! Be sure to register your event at the National Secular Service Day website. Don't let your group get stale and unproductive: take steps now to effect positive change in your community!

Save the Dates! 2010-2011 SSA Leadership Events
The Secular Student Alliance holds several leadership events every year to help bring group-running skills, innovative ideas and best practices to your group. This year we'll be holding three leadership summits in addition to our annual conference. Mark your calendars now so you don't miss out on these awesome events!

• November 12-14, 2010: Southeast Regional Leadership Summit
Hosted by the Pastafarians at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. Our keynote presentation will be from author Kevin Roose, with additional sessions from SSA staff, local student leaders, and more!

• February 4-6, 2011: San Diego Leadership Summit
Held in conjunction with the San Diego Humanist Conference, hosted by the Humanist Association of San Diego. Join us at the Mission Valley Resort Hotel for a weekend with Michael Newdow, Dan Barker, DJ Grothe, Mr. Deity, and many more outstanding speakers.

• April 7-10, 2011: Boston Leadership Summit
We'll be partnering with the American Humanist Association to run an entire breakout track of programming for the leaders of student groups and off-campus organizations. You won't want to miss this event with fantastic speakers and engaging workshops for leaders of all ages.

We don't have dates for our summer conference yet, but you can bet it will be the most awesome event of the year for student leaders. We'll be sure to send you details as soon as we have them.

Mosque Building & Qur'an Burning: Discussion Ideas
With the recent uproar over the proposed building of an Islamic center near "Ground Zero" in Lower Manhattan and a Chrisitian "outreach" center hosting a Qur'an-burning event, there's lots to talk about with regards to religious freedom and religious tolerance. We wanted to give you a few ideas to share with your group for use in discussion meetings or perhaps larger campus events.

The full discussion guide is at www.secularstudents.org/islamdiscussion. Feel free to print out the materials or use sections of the guide for your group's discussions!