SSU Joins IHEYO
The Secular Student Union of the University of Washington in Seattle, WA is proud to make the following announcement:
Effective today, June 8, 2007, the International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organization (IHEYO) voted unanimously to grant the SSU consultative member status.
This makes the SSU the first and only IHEYO member organization in North America.
This historic event marks the beginning of the American Working Group and the beginning of an extensive effort on the part of IHEYO to expand in North America.
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What is IHEYO?
IHEYO is the youth umbrella organisation for humanist youth (up to 35 years of age) around the world. As youth group related to IHEU, IHEYO has had a long and interrupted history of existence, dating back to the sixties.
In 2000, IHEYO was reactivated. Since then international conferences have been organised and several projects like a yearly internship programme and a worldwide youth humanist database have been executed. Last year, youth representatives coming from 17 humanist organisations constituted IHEYO with By Laws at the international conference in Berlin, September 2003, Germany. They elected an official IHEYO Executive Committee.
IHEYO remains linked to IHEU, the umbrella organisation for more than 90 humanist, skeptic, rationalist, etc. organisations around the world and having formal representation at international bodies like the UN.
IHEYO has developed many contacts and concrete collaborations with humanist (youth) groups and individuals around the world. For more about humanist groups in the world, please go to our worldwide humanist database. It will show you that in many places youth humanism is vibrant and growing!
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What does this mean for SSU members?
Being a member organization for IHEYO grants us a direct connection to the international world of Humanism. We will be able to collaborate with our friends from around the world to advance Humanism and Humanist values, including fighting for church/state separation, providing disaster relief effort, fighting dangerous superstition in 3rd world areas, and any other cause to further humanity.
We are still affiliated with the Secular Student Alliance and CFI On-Campus, and will continue to work with these groups extensively in the future. Our membership with IHEYO will not affect these relationships.
We are now in the planning stages for student Humanist exchange programs, including full student exchange, and a Humanist Sofa network for anyone who would like to travel abroad. We will be included at IHEYO meetings around the world, and will have the opportunity to host leaders from Humanist groups in the United States.
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