Local Groups

Local Group Volunteers make things happen!

Local Group Volunteers help to organise meetings and other local activities and events.

Tasks include identifying and booking venues and guest speakers, welcoming guests, organising hospitality, promoting local activities, chairing meetings, facilitating groups, and promoting membership.

Local groups have multiple benefits:

• providing opportunities for members to connect and engage in a meaningful way

• getting more people involved and attracting new members

• appealing to a particular interest or demographic group

• bringing together different skills and new ideas

• working on a common cause or area of interest

• promoting greater understanding and awareness of humanism

• supporting Humanist Society Scotland campaigns

• raising funds for Humanist Society Scotland

Roles may be shared out informally or specific roles assigned.

Local Groups Volunteer Role Description:

Local Groups Organising Group Volunteer (roles may include: Convenor, Secretary, Newsletter editor etc.)

Please also read our Guide for Member Groups

Local groups must demonstrate how they further our Strategic Plan, and contribute to our vision of a caring, compassionate and reasoned Scotland; and our mission of inspiring the growth of an equal Scotland using creativity and human endeavour based in our Humanist non-religious life stance. 

Application for Funding of Local Groups

Local groups should submit a funding application annually.

We currently have active groups in Argyll, Edinburgh, Dundee, Fife, and Glasgow, and there is interest in developing activity in Dumfries and Galloway, Inverness, Shetland, and possibly Perth. 

Connect - Local Groups is a quarterly forum meeting for Local Group Volunteers to share ideas and peer support online via Google Meet. Any Local Group Volunteers can ask to be added to the Connect Google Group to keep in-touch with each other. Just ask Lara, the Community Engagement Manager.

The next Connect - Local Groups meeting will be on Tuesday 28th May at 7pm (via Google Meet). 

On Monday 19th February 2024 we discussed World Humanist Day 2024, and the new Strategy document.

On 16th November 2023 we discussed initial engagement with new members as an opportunity to boost participation in local groups. 

On Thursday 20th July 2023 we had a debrief on World Humanist Day 2023, and discussed advertising your evets through national website, making our events more accessible and better communicating accessibility of meetings, and reporting back on attendance.

On Wednesday 19th April 2023 we discussed the potential benefits of Meetup, and ideas for World Humanist Day. We welcomed Robbie and Ellen from Dundee Group for the first time.

On Wednesday 18th January 2023 and 28th September 2022 we talked about selecting speakers and sharing more about what we're up.

On Thursday 30th June 2022 we talked about organising events, activity or action for 'The Climate Fringe Festival' during the month of September.  

On 17th March 2022 we discussed ideas for World Humanist Day.

On 16th December 2021 we heard about events and activities happening in Edinburgh, Fife and Glasgow.

World Humanist Day is celebrated every year on the 21st June and we’ve been celebrating it since the 1980s. It’s an opportunity for humanists all around the world to publicise and celebrate the positive values of humanism and to share the global concerns of the humanist movement.

In 2022 we offered individuals and groups in Scotland the opportunity to apply for small grants up to £250 to help fund activities to celebrate and mark World Humanist Day (a limited number of larger grants up to £500 were also available for exceptional ideas).

Since 21st June is the summer solstice for the northern hemisphere, it is also potentially an opportunity to take the celebrations outdoors! While World Humanist Day is a great excuse for a party, it can be so much more than that.  The proposed event or activity should take place between 15th and 26th June 2023.

The grant could for example help to cover volunteer expenses, room hire, refreshments, or basic materials (eg. seeds for planting, litter picks, stamps for a letter writing campaign etc).

Applications are open to all members and supporters in and for activities in Scotland. 

We are now accepting rolling applications until 10th May 2023 Apply online here