Scotland is a small country of around 5 million people who are mostly clustered in a few large cities. Although it's part of the UK, Scotland has devolved government and operates a separate educational system from its neighbour, England.

According to official figures for the year 2005, around 30percent of Scotland's population declared themselves to have no affiliation to any religious organisation - a figure that increases to around 50percent for young people (16-34). Moreover, these percentages are rising each year. This same secular trend appears to be mirrored in the growing memberships of Humanist-type organisations around the world. But, at present, although atheist literature is riding on the crest of a popular wave, there is a dearth of literature stocked by High Street bookstores on Humanism and in local education we find the same paucity of material and resources. Consequently, a group of dedicated Humanists decided it would be helpful to establish a Humanist resource centre to act as an organisation that could focus on the preparation and dissemination of educational material to meet secular needs - and the Humanist Academy (HA) was established.

From September 2007, the Academy became an approved educational charity. It's managed by a small team which is supported by advice from a panel of specialists in diverse fields. Till now, Dr June Maxwell has overseen the Academy's day-to-day administration as well as its educational resource management, but this work has increased to the extent that we are now seeking a separate administrative manager. In the long term we would like to have our own premises, but for now, our website (www.humanist-academy.co.uk) plays a central role in promoting our activities and programmes.

The Academy has an array of Honorary Associates consisting of leading academics, educationalists, philosophers, scientists and other eminent figures who all lend support as and when they can. But it's the ordinary Associates who take on the vital roles of visiting schools, tutoring, writing material, etc. We also have supporters who contribute to the work by donating funds. Funding is a vital resource because although HA's educational programmes should eventually generate a modest income, like any other charity, we must maintain a regular flow of funds to keep operational. So, we are pleased to receive support in whichever form it comes.

Our plans for the dissemination of Humanist educational material are comprehensive and will continue to grow as the Academy develops. Some programmes are already well underway, and others are still being prepared. There isn't enough space to describe all our activities here but they include the following:

Literature: Our first publication, a first-level reader called Getting to Know Humanism is complete and available as a book or as an immediate download through our website and through Lulu. This is a compilation of articles from various Humanists in Scotland and abroad that outlines Humanism in broad terms. We hope to follow this first book with a range of other educational material on different Humanist subjects.

Seminars-Conferences-Exhibitions: The Academy collaborates with the Edinburgh University Humanist Student Group and together we now host regular panel discussions and public talks on various topical issues. Some of our local Honorary Associates have taken part in these events and as we gain more experience our audiences are growing and the voice of Humanism is spreading.

HA is gearing up for the Darwin anniversaries in 2009: We plan to 'Celebrate Evolution' in March at the splendid Kelvingrove Art Galleries and (Natural History) Museum in Glasgow with several guest speakers and a novel exhibition.

Schools and Universities: School and university education is the Academy's key area of focus and already we're beginning to chalk up significant success. For example, HA is delighted that we receive regular invitations from primary schools (5-11) to conduct whole-school assemblies and from secondary schools (12-18) to give the Humanist perspective on curriculum topics. But our proudest achievement so far, is our school courses. Through some timely negotiations the Academy has convinced Scotland's qualifications authority to add two 40-hour examinable courses on Humanism at separate levels to the official school curriculum (Religious and Moral Education (RME) section). Providing there are no last minute hitches with the approval procedures, these courses should be available by the next academic term - August 2008. This means that for the first time, school pupils (after receiving a basic grounding in the six major religions) will be able (if they so wish) to study morality from a completely secular perspective.

HA has also provided support material on Humanism for a separate school course that covers areas such as Crime, Gender, Euthanasia, etc. To ensure the teachers (and college lecturers) who deliver the new course material are adequately prepared, the Academy will run training workshops to support them.

HA is also developing innovative courses below degree level and at postgraduate level but these initiatives are at an early stage and we'll continue to report on them through our website and elsewhere.

Taken together, we trust the array of educational initiatives being undertaken by the Academy will help secure legitimacy and respect for the Humanist worldview and enhance the profile of the Humanist movement. As the Academy's work helps to embed Humanism further into Scotland's educational environment, we expect that as a life-stance it will become even more familiar and a popular part of our culture – an example that should give encouragement to other Humanist organisations around the world.

Despite our local focus the Academy would like to share our knowledge, experience and educational resources with other Humanist organisations and we welcome the opportunity of pairing with Humanist education groups abroad, especially Humanist-type schools in developing countries. We therefore look forward to hearing from you and hope you will feel free to contact any of our management team (well, maybe not our youngest member!) on: .

Dr. June Maxwell looks after the education resources wing of the Humanist Academy.