Youth humanism around the world

Italy

Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics

The Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR) is currently the only nationwide association of nonbelievers. It is completely independent from political parties or lobbies of any kind. UAAR was born in 1991 in Veneto.


Aims

UAAR promotes in Italy the diffusion of atheist and agnostic ideas, operates for a thoroughly secular State and struggles against any privilege to the Roman Catholic Religion and against any discrimination of nonbelievers.

Through its affiliation to IHEU and EHF (European Humanist Federation), our association is also engaged in great intellectual battles on an international basis. Italy is the seat of the largest religion in the world; this allows UAAR to have a particular competence - it is therefore a common interest to establish international contacts.

Youth and education at schools

Two years ago UAAR founded the Young Italian Atheist Division (Giovani Atei - GA). The aim of this operation is to involve as many young persons as possible in order to have both a wide diffusion of our rationalist ideas and an atheist presence, especially within school environment. Indeed, dualism between public and private education (and in Italy private mostly means Catholic) and the teaching of Catholic religion have always been crucial themes in the Italian society.

We regard lobbying for a secular and rationalist school as a struggle for democracy; besides, we think it is strategic to carry on with this from inside the school. Therefore, our main object in the coming years is to promote every kind of enterprise for a truly secular school, with no priests and Catholic symbols and teachings. A school in which both believers, Catholic or otherwise, and nonbelievers can feel at home.

Activities

We are trying to achieve our purpose by organising conferences or discussions and sometimes (why not?) little concerts or parties on a local basis. Nationwide, we organize campaigns, promote legal actions against discrimination, and have a standing dialogue with institutions, from the Parliament to local administrations.


Contact UAAR:
website: www.uaar.it,
Address: Casella Postale 989, 35100, Padova,
Tel / Fax +39 049 876 2305 (mr. Giorgio Villella),
E Mail: info@uaar.it

@Written by Lorenzo Lozzi Gallo


Involvement in IHEYO
The UAAR is a member organisation of IHEU (IHEYO is the youth section of IHEU).

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