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Our Beyond Belief Network is a collective of organizations putting compassionate humanism into action through community volunteering and charitable fundraising.
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Highlights 4 carefully vetted charities per quarter in the areas of Poverty and Health, Education, Human Rights, and Natural World.
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The hosts of our official podcast travel the country telling stories of life-changing events, expanding our horizons and our compassion.
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Raising funds to assist families separated at the southern US border.
We are Humanism at Work
Foundation Beyond Belief is a humanist charity that promotes secular volunteering and responsible charitable giving. Guided by the principles of secular humanism, our mission is to:
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Unite the humanist community in volunteering and charitable efforts.
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Advocate for compassionate action throughout the world.
We forward our mission through our programs: Grants, Disaster Recovery, Service Corps, and Volunteer Network.
Upcoming at FBB
May 1st-10th: Secular Week of Action: A Compassionate Response to COVID-19
This year, Secular Week of Action falls in the midst of a public health crisis that is especially threatening for medically and economically vulnerable people. There are safe ways to help!
What is Humanism?
The word "humanism" has a number of meanings, depending on who you ask. In different contexts, the word may reference philosophy, literary pursuits, values connected to religion, or secular movements looking to stand in contrast to it.
When FBB talks about humanism, we mean a philosophy for living that implores us to lead fulfilling, ethical lives. Without necessarily believing in the supernatural, we seek to meet human needs and solve human problems, both individually and collectively. In short, humanism is a philosophy of right-here, right-now integrity.
Humanists value:
- Civil liberties and human rights
- Global consciousness
- Mindfulness of the natural world
- Seeking new knowledge
- Imagination
- Scientific inquiry
- Analytical thought, reason, and science
- Radical compassion extending beyond the boundaries of geography, gender, sexuality, ability, belief, or race.
While many humanists eschew religious belief, we at FBB are less concerned with theological debate and more concerned with direct, compassionate action. We are a community that largely believes that no supernatural power will make the world a better place for us; we must do it ourselves. We invite anyone who shares this drive to join us.
Inside FBB: Latest News
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February Beyond Belief Network Roundup
31 Mar 2020
Volunteer groups in the Beyond Belief Network performed quite a few labors of love for their communities during Valentine's season! We are, of course, shifting gears to socially-distant volunteerism for a while, but we'd still like to take a moment to appreciate teams' pre-lockdown work over the month of February. It's a taste of what we have to look forward to once groups can get together as usual again!
By FBB
Consider this: 250 billion single-use coffee cups per year; they are made from forests, and they can’t be recycled.
How do you even begin to approach an issue at that scale? (more…)
By Todd J. Paglia, Executive Director Stand.earthIndonesian floods and the class divide
11 Jan 2020
Monsoon rains that began December 31 have brought catastrophic flooding and landslides to Jakarta, West Java, and Banten in Indonesia, with more rain expected in the coming weeks. Over 35,000 people have been displaced and more than 1,300 homes damaged. At the time of this writing at least 66 people have been confirmed dead.
One of the most telling things photographs have captured is how Indonesia’s tremendous income inequality often determines who is impacted by the worst of the flooding. With luxury developments built several feet above street level, those with the fewest resources are most dramatically affected. Between climate change and overuse of groundwater, it’s estimated that 95% of North Jakarta could fall below sea by 2050.
Foundation Beyond Belief recommends supporting emergency relief efforts being coordinated by ActionAid USA. Although Indonesia is a deeply religious country where people of certain faiths (or those who admit to atheism) have been persecuted, ActionAid promotes tolerance, stating that it "appreciates and respects different opinions, attitudes and behaviors; on the basis of religion, ideology, ethnicity, race, and gender; as well as upholding the joint decisions."
The focus of their efforts will be the city of Lebak, located southwest of Jakarta. Because of its distance from Jakarta and the absence of roads linking the two, Lebak is difficult to access and receives less attention by aid organizations.
ActionAid will be focused on four key priorities: providing emergency food for 2-3 weeks through community kitchens; monitoring the quality of aid being provided by other agencies and the local government; ensuring accountability; and coordinating information sharing regarding available services within the community.
(Note: While ActionAid typically uses the ActionAid Women Led Processes approach when responding to disasters, they recognize that the conservative, highly patriarchal culture in Lebak will present challenges. Recognizing these limitations, ActionAid is currently in discussions with a corporate agency interested in supporting the needs of women and children.)
By FBB
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