YHC was in the news last weekend: In case you missed Sunday's issue of the Hartford Courant, click here to read their story about our upcoming Solstice Celebration and Green Light Project Launch, happening on December 20 at 4 PM on the Upper New Haven Green. We're looking forward to seeing many of you there for this exciting event!
But before then, we'll be having one of our final Humanist Haven gatherings of the year this Sunday at 1 PM at The Grove. Matt Croasmun, friend of YHC and lecturer at Yale, will be leading a discussion on meaning and what makes life worth living. Please read on for more information about Sunday's event and our other upcoming programs, including this month's event with Daniel Dennett, service opportunities, and a discussion with Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven. We hope to see you soon!
Best,
Chris Stedman, Executive Director
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This Sunday: Is Meaning Made or Found? Pursuing a Secular Life Worth Living
Humanist Haven welcomes Matt Croasmun on 12/6.
Once upon a time, the framework for the meaning of life was provided, pre-packaged, and not to be questioned. Not so anymore. Now making meaning is a personal project-perhaps the most important one of our lives. Join Matt Croasmun as he reflects on his experience teaching Yale undergraduates in the Life Worth Living course and asks: How can nonreligious folks benefit from the visions of the good life articulated by the world's oldest traditions? Click here to RSVP to the event on Facebook, if you'd like.
Humanist Haven is YHC's community gathering where people from all across Yale and New Haven come together to ask big questions, explore what gives our lives meaning and purpose, and act to make the world a better place. Join us at The Grove -- 760 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT -- on the first Sunday of December (12/6) at 1 PM for Humanist Haven with Matt Croasmun.
Humanist Haven meets on the first and third Sunday of each month; meetings are free and open to the public, with child activities offered on the first Sunday of the month. Want to join a group walking over from campus? A group of students will leave Phelps Gate at 12:45 PM to walk to The Grove.
 Matt Croasmun is Lecturer of Theology & Humanities at Yale University, Director of Research & Publication at the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, and Staff Pastor at the Elm City Vineyard Church. He teaches the Life Worth Living course at Yale which invites students to wrestle deeply with the visions of the good life articulated by various religious and non-religious philosophical traditions. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University, a M.A.R. in Bible from the Yale Divinity School, and a B.A. in Music from Yale College.
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On Monday: Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven
 This Monday, December 7, our Needs of New Haven discussion group guest will be with Donna Violante, Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven. Bring your questions and join us at 7:30 PM at the Happiness Lab at the Grove. Have a suggestion for a local nonprofit or activist you would like to see invited to a Needs of New Haven meeting? We are still looking to book some of our remaining meetings in Spring 2016 and encourage you to email ideas to yalehumanists@gmail.com.
Needs of New Haven is just one of our discussion groups, which meet on the first, second, third, and fourth Mondays of the month. Visit the Discussion Groups page on our website to learn more about each group and how you can get involved.
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Volunteer with our new STEAMMM program!
Also on the first Monday of each month, YHC partners with Clemente Leadership  Academy to provide a monthly after school STEAMMM (science, technology, engineering, art, math, and medicine mentoring) activity for their middle school-aged students. The program is designed to foster an interest in STEAMM fields and an understanding of how important and useful STEAMM is for society in these young students.
YHC volunteers have an opportunity to share their unique expertise in a STEAMM field with local at-risk students and provide a valuable service for the larger New Haven community. The activities will take place from 3-5 PM on the first Monday of every month.  For Yale students who would like to travel to the service site together from campus, a group will be meeting at Phelps Gate at 2:30 PM to take the Red shuttle route. Others can email us to coordinate ride sharing and other info. Sign up here to volunteer; you are still welcome to serve if you don't sign up in advance, but you will be serving in an assistant capacity. For more information please contact yalehumanists@gmail.com and include "STEAMMM volunteering" in the subject line.
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Join us at the Twain House on December 15
Join us for a conversation with Daniel Dennett in Hartford.
Join us at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT on December 15 at 7 PM for a conversation with philosopher Daniel Dennett. YHC is co-presenting the event with the Mark Twain House, and the evening will be introduced by YHC's Executive Director Chris Stedman.
Daniel Dennett is an American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and a University Professor at Tufts University. Dennett is an atheist and secularist and a member of the Secular Coalition for America advisory board. This event is generously supported by The Hartford. Tickets are $25 / $20 for Mark Twain House members. Please call (860) 247-0998 or visit marktwainhouse.org and click on Events.
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Save the date for our big solstice celebration and Green Light Project kick off event: 12/20
Learn more this Saturday 12/5 at our Holiday Haven table!
We are continuing to spread the word about our new Green Light Project, which will officially launch at our solstice celebration on Sunday, December 20 at 4 PM on the New Haven Green. This solstice event has a two-fold purpose: to celebrate the season from a nonreligious perspective in a spirit of interfaith respect, and to kick off the Green Light Project -- an initiative that seeks to create a light-based art installation celebrating human values, with the goal of having it installed on the Green during the 2016 holidays.
This year's winter solstice event will be an opportunity for members of the community to come together, reflect, and create light and warmth during the coldest and darkest time of the year. It will feature members of Connecticut's Humanist community and special guest Mary Johnson, a Humanist Celebrant and acclaimed author. A former nun, Johnson is highly experienced at officiating meaningful ceremonies-the New Hampshire A-List named Johnson as the top wedding officiant in their state. A reception at The Grove will follow, and the full event will be moved to YHC offices at The Grove on Chapel Street in the event of bad weather.
Be sure to save the date for our December 20 solstice event, which will kick off a year of community events leading up to the unveiling of the art installation. Click here to RSVP on Eventbrite or click here to RSVP on Facebook, if you'd like. If you would like to be part of the community-wide artistic project, please contact Nancy Kelly at nancykelly.yhc@gmail.com. And look for us at Holiday Haven this Saturday, December 5, where we'll be tabling and spreading the word about the Green Light Project!
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Dinner for undergrad students on Wednesdays
Weekly undergraduate student dinners, hosted by our affiliated
undergraduate student group, occur Wednesdays at 6 PM. While most of the undergraduate dinners take place on campus, on the first Wednesday of each month they happen off campus at the Happiness Lab coffee shop, as yesterday's dinner did. This will not be the case in January, but they will resume in February. At these off campus dinners, free dinner is provided. Want to join but not sure how to get there? A group of students will walk over from Phelps Gate at 5:45 PM. To contact the student directors and join the official list serv to get updates, email them at HumanistYalies@gmail.com.
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Lunch for Divinity School students on Thursdays
 The None/Others (formerly known as the Open Party) at the Divinity School host round-table lunches on Thursdays at 12:30 PM. To find out more about joining, volunteering, speaking opportunities, or for general inquiries please contact the None/Others at YDSNoneOthers@gmail.com.
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Stay Connected
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See below for our lineup of recurring programs and visit yalehumanists.com to learn more!
Sundays
1 PM: Humanist Haven
First and third Sundays of each month
Location: The Grove
Who: Open to the public
6 PM: Grad Students, Professionals, and Young Adults Board Game Night
Second Sunday of each month
Location: Email for details
Who: Open to the public
Mondays
3-5 PM: STEAMMM (science, technology, engineering, art, math, and medicine mentoring) service program First Monday of each month
Location: Clemente Middle School
Who: Email for details 7:30 PM: Discussion Groups -Needs of New Haven (first Monday of each month) -Practical Humanism (second Monday of each month) -Unsacred Sacred Texts (third Monday of each month) -WTF (fourth Monday of each month) Location: The Grove
Who: Open to the public Tuesdays Existential counseling office hours (also available other days by appointment) Location: YHC Office at The Grove or Davenport College Who: Open to the public 2-3 PM: Chat with Maytal (from the Yale Chaplain's Office) and Chris Location: Breathing Space (Old Campus) Who: Undergraduate and graduate students only Wednesdays
6 PM: Undergraduate dinner
Location: First Wednesday of the month at The Grove, all other Wednesdays on campus
Who: Undergraduate students only
7 PM: SMART Recovery Location: The Grove Who: Open to the public Thursdays Existential counseling office hours (also available other days by appointment) Location: YHC Office at The Grove or Davenport College Who: Open to the public 12:30 PM: None/Others lunch
Location: Yale Divinity School
Who: Yale Divinity School students only
Fridays 8 PM: Grad Students, Professionals, and Young Adults Pub Night Fourth Friday of each month Location: Firehouse 12 (unless otherwise stated) Who: Open to the public
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Get YHC Gear!
Want to wear your Humanism on your sleeve? (Or your laptop, or your...?) Check out our YHC tees, buttons, and stickers -- and let us know if you want to learn more about how to get your own by donating to YHC!
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Drink YHC coffee!
Have you enjoyed the coffee at Humanist Haven? Want to make it at home?
Get your caffeine fix with our locally-roasted, small batch, ethical coffee. Proceeds support YHC!
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Alumni: Get involved in Humanist Alumni of Yale!
The Humanist Alumni of Yale (HA Y) is a shared interest group for Elis committed to exploring nonreligious perspectives on living an ethical life and finding personal fulfillment. HAY connects Humanist alumni around the world with resources, enabling its members to organize social and service events with other Humanist alumni in their community-both at Yale and more broadly. HAY will also provide alumni with opportunities to connect with and help current Humanist students and groups. Want to learn more about Humanist Alumni of Yale and get involved? Click here to learn more, or sign up by visiting http://bit.ly/YHCalumni.
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Struggling with addiction? Join us for SMART Recovery
Are you struggling with addictive behaviors? Our weekly SMART Recovery support group mees every Wednesday at 7 PM in the Happiness Lab coffee shop, which is attached to The Grove at 760 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT.
The goal of SMART, which stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training, is to provide quality, science-based educational tools and community for individuals struggling with addictive behaviors-and a nontheistic alternative to twelve-step programs, which rely heavily on God and Christian theology. People of all faiths and beliefs are welcome to attend. Please click here for updates regarding weather-related or other cancellations of our meetings.
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