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March 15, 2016
Earlier this month, the Sikh Temple of Spokane was vandalized in an apparent hate crime. Across the United States, Sikhs continue to face discrimination and violence -- including an attack that killed six and injured four at a Wisconsin Sikh temple in 2012 -- that is often based in fear and ignorance about who Sikhs are and what they believe.

This Sunday at 1 PM, Sikh scholar and activist Simran Jeet Singh will offer an opportunity to learn more about Sikhism and the Sikh community. We hope to see you there. 

Read on for more information about his event and our other upcoming programs, including Humanism at Yale Week, our Green Light Project crowdfunding launch celebration, and more. We hope to see you this Sunday or at another program soon! 
 
Best,
Chris Stedman, Executive Director
Humanist Haven welcomes Simran Jeet Singh on 3/20.
 
A number of religious traditions consider the world to be illusory in some way, encouraging individuals to detach themselves from their surroundings or await a more perfect world after death. The Sikh tradition largely takes a different approach, encouraging Sikhs to be balanced and engaged on all levels, including the spiritual, social, physical, and political. Scholar and activist Simran Jeet Singh will offer an opportunity to learn more about Sikhism, exploring how this worldview impacts the ways in which Sikhs live their lives and interact with the world around them. This discussion will also touch on how the Sikh tradition reconciles diversity and embraces pluralism, two key features for building healthy communities in our modern world. Click here to RSVP to the event on Facebook or click here to RSVP on Meetup.

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 second Sunday of March (3/20) at 1 PM for Humanist Haven with Simran Jeet Singh. 
 
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.

Simran Jeet Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at Trinity University and Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition. He earned his PhD from the Department of Religion at Columbia University, a Masters degree from Harvard University, and his Bachelor of Arts from Trinity University. He currently serves as a Truman National Security Fellow, and speaks and writes frequently on issues relating to religion and culture.
Don't miss Humanism Week, April 2-9!
 

Looking for a community? Want to learn more about Humanism? 

Join us for the third annual Yale and New Haven Humanism Week, April 2-9, 2016! 

Speakers include bestselling authors and award-winning journalists Lesley Hazleton, Jamil Smith, Wendy Thomas Russell, and Peter Manseau. Other events include a day of service, a party, and a special event with Yale's Dr. Laurie Santos. Click here for details!
Needs of New Haven: Connecticut Mental Health Center volunteer needed; AIDS Project in April
  
In February, we met with a group of individuals from the Connecticut Mental Health Center to discuss how YHC can help combat the stigma associated with mental health. CMHC's Project Connect, which works to connect people with resources, organizations, or even other individuals with whom they might share an interest, is looking for volunteers of any background to chat with a recent immigrant to practice his English skills. He speaks English well, but would like some practice. If this volunteer opportunity speaks to you, please email Stephen.Goeman@yale.edu for more information.

Also happening this month: A group of YHC community members will be attending the Scrabble tournament fundraiser for Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven, after their director Donna Violante came to a previous Needs of New Haven meeting. If you'd like to join us on Wednesday, March 30, please let us know!

Our next Needs of New Haven guest will be a representative from AIDS  Project New Haven, who will discuss the organization's work and how you can help impact the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS in Greater New Haven. Please bring non-perishable food items to benefit their Caring Cuisine program -- a program that delivers prepared meals and grocery items to individuals living with HIV and their families. This event is organized in conjunction with Pride month at Yale. Bring your questions and join us at the Happiness Lab at the Grove on April 4 at 7:30 PM. Free and open to the public.

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.
Save the date: Green Light Project Party on 4/6!
 
Join us on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30 PM for a celebration launching our crowdfunding campaign for the Green Light Project, an initiative to create a seasonal nonreligious art installation for the New Haven Green! 

Hosted in the Happiness Lab at The Grove -- a crowdfunded community space -- we'll celebrate with food, fun, fellowship, and door prizes from great New Haven businesses and organizations. Come learn more about our ambitious project to bring light and warmth to the Green through an interactive sculpture that will go up for decades to come and house a time capsule to be opened on New Haven's 500th anniversary. With support from BL&D, The Happiness Lab at the Grove, Strange Ways, Vintanthromodern, and others to be announced.
Second meeting of YHC Membership Team on 4/3
 
Want to help shape this community? We want you for our Membership Team! Join us on Sunday, April 3 at 3 PM (after Humanist Haven) for the second meeting for YHC's Membership Team. 

This team, made up of community members, will work on enhancing the experience of current YHC members and reaching out to new ones. Focus areas will include serving families with children, expanding our young adult and graduate student program, supporting our undergraduate community, and shaping the Humanist Haven experience. If you're interested in learning more, we hope to see you on April 3!
Register now for CT Coalition of Reason conference!

The Connecticut Coalition of Reason is organizing the Connecticut Assembly for Reason & Ethics (CARE), a one day conference to be held April 2, 2016 at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, CT. Registration for the conference is now open! 

For more information and to register, please visit the conference website. You can also follow the conference on social media via Facebook, Twitter, and our website. We hope to see you there!

What's STEAMMM? 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.

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.
Dinner for undergrad students on Wednesdays
 
Weekly undergraduate student dinners are Wednesdays at 6 PM. While most of the undergraduate dinners take place on campus, on every first Wednesday of each month they happen off campus at the Happiness Lab at The Grove. 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.
Support YHC: Become one of our 20 for 50! 


As you can see from our schedule of events, YHC makes a meaningful contribution to Yale and the Greater New Haven community, and especially to those who participate in our many activities and programs. 
 
Most of these events take place at The Grove. The 20 for 50 campaign will ensure that YHC's work can continue. We're seeking 20 individuals who will pledge to donate $50 per month and help us cover the most basic cost of our space -- the rent.  That's just $1.67 a day, or less than a cup of coffee at many coffee shops.
 
 
As a 501(c)(3), YHC relies entirely on your donations. Your donation is fully deductible. Click here to make a one time gift or set up a recurring donation.
Weekly YHC Programs

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
 
Mondays

12 PM: None/Others lunch
Location: Yale Divinity School
Who: Yale Divinity School students only

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
  
Existential counseling office hours (also available other days by appointment)
Location: YHC Office at The Grove or Davenport College
Who: Open to the public

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
 
12 PM: None/Others lunch
Location: Yale Divinity School
Who: Yale Divinity School students only

6 PM: Grad Students, Professionals, and Young Adults Board Game Night
Second Thursday of each month
Location: Email for details
Who: Open to the public

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
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!
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! 

Click here to buy.
Alumni: Get involved in Humanist Alumni of Yale!



The Humanist Alumni of Yale (HAY) 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.
Lunch for YDS students


The None/Others (formerly known as the Open Party) at the Divinity School hosts round-table lunches on Mondays and Thursdays at 12 PM. To find out more about joining, volunteering, speaking opportunities, or for general inquiries please contact the None/Others at YDSNoneOthers@gmail.com.
Young adult pub nights and board game nights










YHC's group for graduate students, professionals, and young adults hosts two events every month! 

The first is a board game night, every second Thursday of the month at 6 PM. For location details, email yalehumanists@gmail.com. 

The other is a pub night, every fourth Friday of the month at 8 PM at Firehouse 12. We hope to see you there!
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. Please click here for updates regarding weather-related or other cancellations of our meetings.
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