Projects
RDFRS UK TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CHARITY COMMISSION
for the year 1 May 2010 to 20 April 2011The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 30 April 2011.
Structure, governance and management
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science Ltd (‘RDFRS UK’) is a charitable company limited by shares.
The trustees (who are also the directors for company purposes) who served during the year and since the year end are:
Trustees are selected as required, to fill particular skill requirements on the board of trustees.
Objectives and activities for the public benefit.
The RDFRS UK objects, set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association, are
1. The mental and moral improvement of the human race by means of the advancement of rationalismand humanism;
2. The advancement of education and in particular the study of rationalism, humanism and science and the dissemination of knowledge of their principles; and
3. Such exclusively charitable purposes as the trustees may in their absolute discretion determine.
Public benefit
The trustees confirm that in undertaking their activities they have had regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit.
Achievements and performance
This year has seen RDFRS UK becoming more active on a number of fronts in carrying out activities in furtherance of its charitable aims.
We provided speakers at a number of conferences and other events which were aimed at advancing rationalism, both in the UK and overseas: the World Atheist Conference in Copenhagen and The Amazing Meeting in London, for instance; and we promoted better scientific understanding through a number of talks on evolution given by Professor Richard Dawkins at events such as Science Live in Birmingham (before a large audience of schoolchildren from all over the Midlands), for Wikipedia in London, for the Oxford Federation of Women, the Woodstock Literary Festival, and at the Literaturbüro Ruhr in Germany.
The trustees of RDFRS UK fully appreciate and value the benefits of collaborating with and supporting other organisations with compatible aims. During the 2010-11 year we were delighted to provide support and encouragement to fledgling atheist/humanist/secularist groups overseas, and to continue to work to build on our relationships with other organisations in the UK. As part of this commitment to collaboration, we joined with the British Humanist Association, the Centre for Inquiry (UK), Oxford Atheists, Secularists and Humanists (OxASH), and Project Reason to organise a major public event on the subject of "Who says science has nothing to say about morality?", an event which RDFRS UK also had professionally filmed so that it could be available for those who were not able to attend in person.
RDFRS UK is especially keen to build good relations with students, and in the course of the year publicly endorsed and made a donation to the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies; provided speakers for the Leeds University Atheist Society's Reason Week; and both sponsored and provided high-profile speakers (including Professor Anthony Grayling and Richard Dawkins) for the Oxford University Think Week, organised by OxASH.
On the campaigning front, we brought a rationalist/humanist approach to bear on moral issues such as the history of child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, female genital mutilation, halal/kosher animal slaughter, and secularism; as well as on educational issues such as the granting of an 'Outside Classroom' award to Noah's Ark Farm, a visitor attraction which works against scientific education by teaching children creationism as though it were a fact.RDFRS UK made charitable donations totalling £15085 in the course of the year: to the British Humanist Association; to the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies; and also to emergency humanitarian relief efforts in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, the devastating floods in Pakistan, and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, all under the banner of Non-Believers Giving Aid (NBGA), a humanitarian fundraising initiative set up by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science in the United States (‘RDFRS US’). RDFRS US, our sister organisation in America, is an entirely separate charitable entity, with similar aims to ours, and we wholeheartedly support and contribute to NBGA. Of the total amount donated to charity shown above, £13085 was in the form of emergency humanitarian relief channelled to Oxfam, the Red Cross or Médecins Sans Frontières through NBGA.
Towards the end of our financial year, in the wake of the 2011 UK Census, we commissioned a major opinion poll from Ipsos Mori. We and other groups promoting a fairer society have long been aware of the way in which certain politicians and lobbyists have seized on the traditionally high percentage of UK citizens who select the 'Christian' designation in the Census, and have used it to claim majority support for pro-Christian government policies and traditional social attitudes. The purpose of our Ipsos Mori poll was to focus specifically on those people who had been registered as Christian in the 2011 Census, and to explore in detail the extent to which they believed and/or knew about Christian teaching, the extent to which religion influenced their lives, if at all, and how many of them really did share the kind of social attitudes and support the political policies often attributed to them. We will be making the results known publicly in the course of 2011-12, and will report on them in our next Trustees' Annual Report.
This Ipsos Mori poll represented a major investment for us, and will greatly assist with our own campaigning and that of other organisations such as the British Humanist Association and the National Secular Society, with whom we shall share the results. We therefore see it both as furthering our own goals, and supporting other organisations with similar aims, and we look forward to building on this during the coming accounting year.
Related partiesRDFRS US is a separate legal entity, with its own board of Trustees (Richard Dawkins is the only trustee who sits on the boards of both organisations), its own team of staff and volunteers, its own policies and activities, and its own website, reflecting the different social and legal context in the United States. The two foundations share the same mission.
Non-Believers Giving Aid
Spurred by the horrific suffering in Haiti, the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS) has set up a dedicated bank account and PayPal facility to collect donations to non-religious relief organizations. This new account is in the new name of Non-Believers Giving Aid, with all of the money donated being distributed to disaster relief.
'Growing Up in the Universe' DVDs given free to all UK secondary schools
The Richard Dawkins Foundation, British Humanist Association
Original link
Every school in England and Wales is to receive a free DVD of ‘Growing Up in the Universe’, Professor Richard Dawkins’ 1991 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for children. The DVD is being distributed by the British Humanist Association with funding from the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’, which both fall in 2009.
Professor Richard Dawkins, BHA Vice President, said, ‘Increasing young people’s understanding of science has never been more important. The lectures explore a number of themes and tasks young people to think critically about the world around them and to explore the awe and wonder that the magnificence and complexity of the natural world, which has evolved over billions of years, can arouse.’
Andrew Copson, BHA Director of Education, said, ‘This DVD is ideal for supporting young people’s learning in Science across a range of topics, including evolution and the scientific method. They could also be used in General Studies lessons exploring wider themes such as the differences between science and religion, or in Art, where clips from the lectures can be used as starter activities for students to go on to ‘design’ their own animals or plants, or in English with creative writing from the perspective of an evolutionally successful animal or a visitor to an alien world where life has evolved differently from on earth.’
‘We know that some teachers already use these lectures as end-of-term videos, and are confident that their versatility and breadth of topics covered will allow teachers across many subject areas to make the best use of this important resource in their own ways.’
To accompany the DVDs, three lesson plans, ‘What is Science for?’, ‘Isn’t Evolution Improbable?’ and ‘Design your own Organisms!’ have been developed for the free use of teachers. These lesson plans, with worksheets and online clips from the DVD are at www.humanistgrid.net/guu
VOICES OF SCIENCE: Available Now on DVD
Discussions with Richard Dawkins Episode 2
ORDER THE DVD NOW!
Was there anything before the Big Bang?
Are there other universes?
Why is science education under attack?
DURING HIS U.S. TOUR in 2008, Biologist and bestselling author Richard Dawkins met with some of the world's leading scientists to discuss topics such as Quantum Physics, Biology, Evolutionary Psychology, Science education, religion, atheism and more. This video brings you the fascinating unedited discussions between Richard Dawkins and Nobel Prize-winning Physicist Steven Weinberg, Physicist Lawrence Krauss, Biologist and blogger PZ Myers, and Evolutionary Psychologist David Buss.
From a public conversation at Stanford University to private conversations in Austin and Minneapolis, this collection offers a rare and inspirational opportunity to observe some of today's top scientists as they discuss some of the big issues without interruption.
THE FOUR HORSEMEN: Available Now on DVD
Discussions with Richard Dawkins Episode 1
ORDER THE DVD NOW!
All proceeds from the sale of this DVD will go to the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust (Info on the trust here).
On the 30th of September 2007, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sat down for a first-of-its-kind, unmoderated 2-hour discussion, convened by RDFRS and filmed by Josh Timonen.
All four authors have recently received a large amount of media attention for their writings against religion - some positive, and some negative. In this conversation the group trades stories of the public's reaction to their recent books, their unexpected successes, criticisms and common misrepresentations. They discuss the tough questions about religion that face the world today, and propose new strategies for going forward.
Watch a high-quality clip of the video here
WATCH THE VIDEO FREE ONLINE (lower quality):
Hour 1
Google Video | Quicktime (78.7 MB) | Torrent | Audio Only (mp3, 26.6 MB)
Hour 2
Google Video | Quicktime (73.6 MB) | Torrent | Audio Only (mp3, 27.1 MB)
Read the transcript here
* We are looking for people to help transcribe and translate this other video's. We need people with the right software that can put subtitles into the Videos. If you are interested in this, please contact us through our volunteers page.
Lecture on Neo-Darwinism
Richard Dawkins gave this lecture on Neo-Darwinism during a recent trip to the Galapagos. Q&A session is sort of blended into the second half of the lecture. A higher-resolution QuickTime version is available for download here. If you're curious, Richard's shirt says "Evolution: The greatest show on earth, the only game in town."
Click here to play video (1:12:27)
Download the QuickTime version (Higher Quality, 144.15 MB)
Lecture on Sex Ratio Theory and Sexual Selection
Richard Dawkins gives an overview of sex ratio theory and sexual selection using examples found in the Galapagos. Q&A is mixed-in near the end.
This lecture was given on a recent trip to the Galapagos with the Center for Inquiry.
Click here to play video (31:15)
Download QuickTime version (108 MB)
Richard Dawkins talks about Darwin and his visit to the Galapagos
On the deck of the Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands, Richard Dawkins takes a minute to talk about Darwin and his historic visit to the Galapagos Islands. This video was filmed on a cruise with the Center For Inquiry.
Click here to play video (5:18)
Download the QuickTime version here (13.2 MB)
'Growing Up in the Universe' 2-Disc DVD Set: Order Now!
Oxford professor Richard Dawkins presents a series of lectures on
life, the universe, and our place in it. With brilliance and clarity,
Dawkins unravels an educational gem that will mesmerize young and old
alike. Illuminating demonstrations, wildlife, virtual reality, and
special guests (including Douglas Adams) all combine to make this
collection a timeless classic.
The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for Children were founded by
Michael Faraday in 1825, with himself as the inaugural lecturer. The
1991 lecturer was Richard Dawkins whose five one-hour lectures,
originally televised by the BBC, are now available for the first time
on DVD, courtesy of RDF.
Richard Dawkins interviews the Bishop of Oxford
Bishop Harries and Richard Dawkins have collaborated on several occasions to promote the proper teaching of science in UK classrooms.
This is the full unedited interview, which was originally filmed by IWC for the Channel Four documentary 'Root or All Evil?'
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science will soon be providing DVDs of this uncut interview along with several others filmed for the documentary, including some never before seen outside the cutting room.
