Organizing for Humanists Under Forty and More at AHACON21!

We’re previewing another of the exciting sessions you’ll be able to attend when you join us for the American Humanist Association’s (AHA) upcoming 80^th Annual Conference. The Conference will be entirely virtual again this year, so you can join us from your very own home, or even set up a watch party with your fully vaccinated friends. After a year of isolation, gather together with humanists near you and join us in celebrating 80 years of humanism!

The main Conference sessions will be on Saturday, July 24^th, and Sunday, July 25^th. We’ll also have a series of social and networking events throughout the week before the Conference so you can meet and connect with other attendees—including an official send-off celebration for AHA’s long-time Executive Director Roy Speckhardt and a virtual Lobby Day “on” Capitol Hill on Monday, July 26^th. (Separate registration is required for Lobby Day. We’ll preview that event—and the Lobby Day training that will be part of the Conference—next week.)

One of the AHA’s important priorities is ensuring that younger humanists—those under forty—feel welcome in our community. We’ve put together a panel of young leaders for a session on Sunday, July 25^th called Organizing Young Humanists. The panel will explore topics including: programs and activities that younger generations can identify with, the barriers younger humanists face to joining humanist groups, and what they need from their local chapters.

We’re so excited to welcome our panelists-Lincoln Dow, Jennie Frishtick, and Christian Hayden with moderator Julia Julstrom-Agoyo.

Lincoln Dow is the community organizer of Jews for a Secular Democracy, an initiative of the Society for Humanistic Judaism focused on defending the separation of religion and government. He studies politics and public policy at New York University. He is also a past board member of the Secular Student Alliance.

Jennie Frishtick is a board member at the Secular Student Alliance (SSA). She works at a government relations firm in New York City, where she helps clients in different sectors navigate local government. Previously, Jennie worked as an Organizer for the Democratic Party of Virginia in the 2016 election cycle, and has also interned with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in NYC. Jennie founded the Claremont Colleges chapter of the SSSA while she was a student at Scripps College, where she majored in Sociology with an emphasis in Secular Studies. For her senior thesis, Jennie carried out a quantitative survey of Claremont students’ (ir)religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices.

Christian Hayden is a facilitator, writer, and aspiring media maker. He roots himself in the connection and engagement of Black and Humanist communities. Born in Brooklyn, New York and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Christian is currently serving as intern clergy with the Ethical Society of St. Louis. He hopes to build bridges between various communities and movements through thought, reflection, and action. Christian earned a B.A. from the College of Wooster in Urban Studies and served on the inaugural team of the Humanist Service Corps, now Humanist Action, in Ghana.

Julia Julstrom-Agoyo is the newly appointed Youth Representative to the United Nations for the AHA. She is also a member of the American Ethical Union’s Future of Ethical Societies and the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago. She grew up in Chicago and received her B.A. from the University of Iowa in International Studies with a Human Rights emphasis. While at the University, she interned with the Center for Human Rights on campus, co-taught a course for incoming international students, and co-led a sustainable business student organization. She was awarded both the Philip G. Hubbard Human Rights Award and the Burns H. Weston International Human Rights Essay Prize. During her time in college, her passion for human rights and sustainability took her to Rwanda, India, Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica on research, study, and volunteer trips. After college, Julia completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Pahang, Malaysia where she had the opportunity to engage in eco-education with her secondary school students. Afterward, she returned home to Chicago and spent two years working at Heartland Alliance with unaccompanied immigrant minors as a Family Reunification Specialist.

Don’t miss out on these and other vibrant sessions. Register for the Conference now. And tell your friends.

Hope to see you there!

Tags: AHA Annual Conference