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Richard Dawkins backs atheist camp to give children 'godless alternative' Buzz up! Digg it James Meikle guardian.co.uk, Sunday 28 June 2009 19.08 BST Article history

An atheist summer camp for childrenis to be held in the UK for the first time this year, offering a"godless alternative" to similar religious events under canvas.

The purpose of Camp Quest UK, supported by the atheist and sceptic author Richard Dawkins, is to encourage critical thinking and provide children with a summer camp "free of religious dogma".

Thefive-day retreat near Bath is already fully booked. On top of cooking,hiking and canoeing, activities for campers include a competition todisprove the existence of the mythical unicorn – with the winnerreceiving a £10 note on which Dawkins, the author of The God Delusion,has signed his name.

The organiser, Samantha Stein, said the campwas not only for the offspring of atheists or "irreligious" parents."It is a secular alternative open to children of parents of all faithsand none," she said.

"It is not about changing what they think, but the way that they think. There is very little that attacks religion; we are not a rival to religious camps."

The£275 all-inclusive adventure break is supported, Stein says, by aone-off donation from the Richard Dawkins Foundation, but he is notpersonally involved.

Camp Quest UK's websitesays its counsellors and volunteers will lead activities teaching eightto 17-year-olds "about science, free thought and humanist principles.Activities cover critical thinking, science, history, human rights andethics".

The camp will have a Darwinist theme because is the 200th anniversary of naturalist Charles Darwin's birth