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Following on from the recent AGM, it is with some sadness that I write what is likely to be my final post as President of Leeds Atheist Society.

The past year has been a great experience for me, both as an atheist and as president. I have been a part of one of the strongest years the society has had performance wise - with our membership roster now approaching the hundred mark and our finances looking healthy for the first time in three years.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting some great new friends and future leaders of the society. Many of our new committee are just finishing their first years of study at university. In fact, this is by far the youngest committee we have ever had, yet strangely also one of the most experienced! I look forward with great interest as to the future direction of the society under my successor, Sophie Stringfellow. I wish her and her new executive all the best.

Fortunately for me, I have kept a small finger in the A-Soc pie as I was returned as the new AHS Representative for the society, taking over the reigns from Tom. I hope that I can continue to serve the society's bets interests on the national stage.

Thanks to all the members of Leeds Atheist Society and I hope to see many of you return as members next year. Remember, we are not just a stuident society and are open to all. We have a really good alumni scheme in place for all you graduates out there!

Luckily, my reign is not quote over and we have plenty of great events lined up for the rest of the year (and all summer too!) Check out our events listings for all the latest info!

Last night saw our 2008/2009 AGM. Those who were there will agree that we have really grown as a society over the past year and hopefully we continue this trend next year!

Congratulations to the newly elected committee, who are now as follows:

President: Sophie
Secretary: Tom
Treasurer: Zoltan
Vice President: Chris
Meetings Coordinator: Jonni
Courses Coordinator: John
Campaigns Coordinator: Laura
Interfaith Coordinator: Nicola
Humanist Chaplain: Rosie
AHS Representative: Norm

Today is the last day of Rationalist Week 2009.

For those that have missed the festivities so far, there are still plenty of events left for you to attend. Today's line up looks like this:

12noon - Where do atheists get their morals?

2pm - How to have better sex

4pm - Breaking the superstitions

7pm - Mike Lake on Active Atheists

9pm - Student Stories

10pm - All night debate

As you can see, there is still plenty of things to get excited about.

I am sure that those involved with Rationalist Week will be sharing their views and stories with you on the blog in the coming week, but I would just like to mention a few of my personal highlights.

The highlight of the week for me was our inaugural debate with the Islamic Society. Debating the merits of theism versus atheism, we managed to explore the ideas of infinity and an unlimited universe. Unfortunately, the Islamic speaker sank to personal insult and offence as the arguments escaped him. The event was a success thougha nd was attended by RW '09s first capacity crowd.

Other highlights included the CU debate, fast becoming an annual tradition of Rationalist Weeks, and the numerous live bands throughout the week.

So, Nicola, Zoltan and myself did the first night shift of Rationalist Week 2009.

It was bloody amazing! Had some drunk guys turn up at 3:30am, one was a strong atheist and the other apathetic!

We thought Zoltan got kidnapped but he turned up with chips after about an hour!

We did a stock check and thought the potatoes had multiplied by about 20!

We're very tired and going a bit do lally!!

And Nicola submitted her manifesto for Interfaith Assembly Chair!! Vote for Nicola .. because she's simply amazing ;)

YAY!!

Name: Chris Worfolk

Position: Events Secretary

What has been the highlight of your on committee?

Rationalist Week! It hasn't happened yet but this is what my entire year has been gearing up to lol. London and AHS conference were also fantastic events to have been a part of.

What has been the hardest part of the job?

Getting up on Wednesday morning after a long night in the pub!

What skills do you think you have learned/developed?

I've focused on trying to learn everyone's name this year lol.

What are you responsible for?

Rationalist Week! Also any of our big awareness events such as Darwin Day, Galileo Day and other such events.

What advice would you give to your successor?

The more you metaphorically punch I-Soc in the face, the more they respect you as a society.

Name: Charlie
Position: Treasurer

What has been the highlight of your time on committee? Getting involved with a flourishing society. I have really enjoyed putting myself to the test with getting to grips with the society's finances. I love the socials too!

What has been the hardest part of the job? Committing enough time to the cause. Keeping track of who owes what to who is pretty tough too :P

What skills do you think you have learned/developed? My accounting and financial skills have definitely improved.

What are you responsible for? I keep track of the society finances. I make sure we don't spend (too) much more than we earn.

What advice would you give to your successor? Make sure you keep a written record of everything!

Name: Nicola
Position: Secretary/Interfaith Co-ordinator

What has been the highlight of your year on committee?

The highlight of this year has definitely been Perspective and Darwin Day! Perspective has been a massive success and despite my worrying that the speakers wouldn't turn up, they all did. Interfaith assassins was lots of fun too. Watching Atheist Society grow from a few loyal members to one of the bigger societies on campus has filled me with quite a bit of pride, definitely another highlight!

What has been the hardest part of the job?

Dealing with the emails! It is quite a feat to not let them get on top of you.

What skills do you think you have learned/developed?

I have really developed in terms of confidence and the ability to approach a vairety of pople and get them to do what I want. My ability to target my audience has also greatly improved.

What are you responsible for?

As secretary, I deal a lot with the Union and especially the ARC. My main duties are focussed around membership and other admin type roles. I also take notes and minutes at the meetings. I basically control all the society paperwork. The interfaith part of my job means I am responsible for co-ordinating all the itnerfaith events we do, both in terms of organising speakers and ensuring we maintain a good relationship with other societies on campus.

What advice would you give to your successor?

Learn to use Facebook! Everything the society does is on Facebook.

Name: Norman Ralph
Position: President

What has been the highlight of your year on committee?

The highpoint of my year as President was leading the society into the newly formed national umbrella organisation for atheist societies, the AHS. Leeds A-Soc was heavily involved in setting up the AHS and hosted their first AGM in November 2008 where both AHS representatives from Leeds were elected the the Exec.

What has been the hardest part of the job?

The hardest thing about president is trying to make sure that the multitude of events that A-Soc runs actually happen. Most of the plannign and organising is carried out by the various co-ordinators and secretaries, but it is still nerve wracking every time you turn up to an event and seeing if the hard work has come to fruition!

What skills do you think you have learned/developed?

I have definitely improved my committee and communication skills. Having to co-ordinate the communications that emanate from a large society like Atheist Society is quite a task! My organisational and time management skills have also been hugely increased.

What are you responsible for?

As president, I am ultimately responsible for everything that goes on in the society. On a day-to-day basis I am repsonsible for manageing the rest of the committee team, ensuring that everything is done to the same high standard our members have come to expect. I am also the main contact with the Union, so I deal with the ARC and our development co-ordinator on a regular basis. As an experienced A-Soc member, I also take responsibility for delivering a lot of the talks and for chairing the meetings.

What advice would you give to your successor?

Buy a diary! Then make sure you use it as your time can fill up pretty quickly some weeks.

Anything else?

I have served on the A-Soc committee for over two years now as both Secretary and President and I have thoroughly enjoyed both roles immensely. The friendships and relationships you build, both within A-Soc and with other societies, are incredible and I have seriously enjoyed the task of helping build A-Soc up from a handful attendees in the Green Action Zone to the successful society we are today.

Have you ever fancied running your own society? Have you ever been sat in a meeting and wondered "I could do this"?

Well, you can now have your chance!

The A-Soc Annual General Meeting is only a couple of weeks away now. The AGM is where we elect the officers to run the society for the coming academic year. So, if you have always thought you would make a good manager or leader, here is your opportunity.

Almost all employers look favorably on a candidate that has committee and leadership experience at university, so if you want that extra string to your bow then why not run for office?

All of our current committee positions are avaialble, plus a couple of new ones to reflect the growth of Atheist Society over the last few years.

We will be doing a small profile on all of the positions on the blog for the next few weeks and if you have any questions then just speak to an existing committee memeber or drop us a line at leeds[at]atheistsoc.org

Check out this link!

http://www.makkahmasjid.co.uk/wp/index.php/2009/02/24/perspective-islam-leeds-university/

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