5th IHEYO Conference in Vijayawada, India

Truly International

You could hear the sound of a madel drum, coming from the roof of the house. A mixture of Nepalese voices, laughter and noise wafted in from the late night celebrations. The ambience was magic and this was all happening at the Atheist Centre in Vijayawada where 43 young people from 11 different countries (four continents) came together to fill the night with international music, native dresses, traditional food and mirth.

It was the 5th IHEYO Conference. Young trainers and teachers from a humanistic background came together to work on the theme “Critical Thinking and Free Inquiry in Education” for one week. They organised and participated in workshops and seminars. They listened to speeches, took part in discussions – or just exchanged ideas with other young and active Humanists. Importantly, there was a fruitful exchange of various teaching practices, pedagogical methods, and new ideas were developed. There was opportunity to make new contacts, to learn new skills, and to gain a variety of experiences. All were exposed to the different skills required for teaching critical thinking.

The formal content of the conference was mixed with learning about the successful approach of the Atheist Centre which works for social equality and human rights. The Atheist Centre is involved in many secular activities in the field of social work, and promotes social change in a non-violent way.

Part of the tough conference schedule was also a field visit to one of the campuses of the Atheist Centre to visit projects being implemented by the Center. Here they are taking care of villages in rural areas which were either destroyed by natural disasters or were suffering from underdeveloped infrastructures – there is no water, no electric power and no local schools. In many of the villages Arthik Samata Mandali (ASM), one of the big projects of Atheist Centre, has been working for several years with steady success. Change takes time.

A Mile Stone

This Conference was also a milestone for international youth Humanism as it was the for the first time that a conference was organised with so many leaders, trainers and teachers with a humanistic background.

The Conference was a platform for an international exchange between rational, atheist, sceptical and humanist young people. Humanism means living in an atheist and responsible way based on rational thinking. Critical Thinking is one of the most important foundations of a person’s autonomy. There are still lots of conflicts around the world, traditional ignorant behaviour through religious belief and violence that tramples upon human rights. Critical thinking is relevant to promote tolerance and help decrease prejudices. This exchange is at least good for an ongoing development in every country.

An international meeting like this is more than just an official conference as it awakens interest in, and an understanding for, other cultures, and it strengthens the foundations on which Humanism is built.

Silvana Uhlrich is 2nd Vice-President of IHEYO