European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations

The European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations (EFPSA) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental student organisation that consists of psychology student associations from across Europe.[1] EFPSA currently consists of 33 Member Organisations and two Observer Organisations, each represented by a Member Representative, who collectively form the legislative body of the Federation

The work of the Federation is perpetuated through the work of the Member Representatives (MRs), the Executive Board (EB) and the Board of Management (BM). EFPSA provides psychology students with diverse opportunities for scientific- and self-development through its Events and Services. Additionally, EFPSA also aims to contribute to a positive impact in society through a variety of campaigns while representing the interest and needs of psychology students on a European level.[2][3]

History

EFPSA was founded in April 1987 at the University of Lisbon, Portugal where European psychology students from all over Europe had been invited to a meeting. Psychology students from eight European countries formed the European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations (EFPSA).

The basic outlines of this Federation were transformed into formal statutes during the second meeting in Liege, Belgium in April 1988. At the same time, EFPSA initiated its first project, the EUROPSYCHO-Database on education and exchange. In January 1989, EFPSA was registered as an international association according to the Belgian law.

During the third General Assembly in April 1989 in Lund, Sweden, the Federation developed its initial structure with the first meeting of the Executive Board (EB) being held for the first time in that same year. In July 1991, EFPSA started a collaboration with the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, after which EFPSA became an official affiliate member of EFPA in 2001.[4][5][6]

After EFPSA's participation in the first European Student Conference (which brought together about 500 students from a number of disciplines) in Liege (Belgium) in November 1990, a lot of new contacts were made, especially with Eastern European countries. During the fifth General Assembly in April 1991 in Geneva (Switzerland) EFPSA grew to 11 member countries, and the first delegation from Eastern Europe was welcomed. In this year the idea of permanent working groups (called "task forces") came into being to enable more efficient work on projects such as EUROPSYCHO, ERASMUS, etc. Over the years leading up to new millennium, more Events in the form of Summer Schools and seminars and, of course, the Congress were organised under the guidance of EFPSA. In 2006, EFPSA developed its Corporate Visual Identity and became recognised with its representative logo and orange colour.

Mission, Values and Vision

Mission

EFPSA's mission is to bring psychology students together on a European level to enrich their concept and application of psychology and encourage skill development in order to contribute to the improvement of the field; have a positive impact on society and its perception of psychology; support scientific and social interaction and cultural exchange between psychology students, academics and professionals.

This is implemented by consistently developing services, Events and the quality of interaction between European psychology students and their national, regional and local associations, and creating an encouraging environment for psychology as a professional and scientific field in Europe.

Vision

EFPSA's vision is to have a psychologically aware society where the misconceptions that surround it are diminished in order to enhance general wellbeing; to provide services and events that accommodate the vast expanse of needs of psychology students to develop themselves professionally and reach interconnectedness across all of Europe.

Values

Association: As an organisation, to be connected both internally and externally, within the EFPSA working community and with organisations who share a similar mission and values.

Clarity: To have an integral, coherent and consistent approach to all aspects of our operations.

Diversity: To accept the differences; to respect and welcome them as valuable assets.

Fortitude: To have courage in adversity and unforeseen circumstances.

Structure

The structure of EFPSA was developed at the third General Assembly in April 1989 in Lund (Sweden). At this time, members of the Executive Board also covered the functions that Member Representatives do now. There were no Board of Management positions, only a President. Since then, EFPSA has grown in size and had to implement some significant structural changes, creating a new form of Executive Board. In 2003, the concept of National Representatives (nowadays known as Member Representatives) was introduced. These formed the new decision-making body from each of the associations which were members of EFPSA. Furthermore, the Board of Management as a separate body within the Executive Board was formed due to the need for leadership on strategic decisions, as well as monitoring the efficiency of the whole organisation.

Events

EFPSA currently organises eleven annual and one biennial event:[2][3][5] The Congress, European Summer School (ESS), EFPSA Academy, Train the Trainers (TtT) Summer School, Train Advanced Trainers (TAT), Trainers’ Meeting (TRAM), Trainers’ Conference (TRaC), EFPSA Day, the Joint Executive Board & Member Representatives Meeting and Board of Management Meetings are the annual events, while the Conference is the biennial event.

The annual EFPSA Congress

The annual EFPSA Congress is a weeklong Event which gathers over 350 psychology students, academics and researchers from across Europe. The Congress, which typically takes place between the months of April and May, is composed of a diverse scientific programme exploring a specific theme every year with contributions from students, researchers and experienced academics, and a social programme which provides participants with the opportunity for cultural and social exchange. Thus the EFPSA Congress is a unique opportunity for psychology students to broaden their scientific and personal horizons.

Additionally, the Congress is a very important event for the Federation as this event marks the start of the new mandate for the Member Representatives and Executive Board. The Executive Board and Board of Management are chosen at the EFPSA Congress, after which they immediately assume their duties and begin to develop their projects during their week at the Congress.

Each year, the host country of the EFPSA Congress changes. There have been 32 Congresses to date, which have been organised in 25 different countries. The 33rd EFPSA Congress will be taking place in 2019 in Denmark.

European Summer School

The first European Summer School (ESS) took place in Leie, Estonia in 2007.[7] with the topic ‘Cross-Cultural Psychology’ followed by European Summer Schools covering different topics each subsequent year. During this seven-day event students immerse themselves into a programme of intercultural research where they have the opportunity to join one of six research projects led by a PhD supervisor in planning and implementing a 12-month study. Apart from this, the programme is enriched by a variety of lectures given by professionals from relevant areas of psychology. Each year, all lectures and research are set against a theme, chosen to reflect a field of contemporary psychology. Since 2011, all ESS participants completing the training programme and committing to the research project have been invited to join the Junior Researcher Programme, extending the European Summer School from a one-week Event into a fully structured 12-month research programme.

EFPSA Day

EFPSA Day is a promotional event that takes place across Europe at the beginning of December.[8] The first EFPSA Day was held in 2010. The aim of this one-day event is to spread the word about EFPSA all over Europe. Presentations, workshops and other activities connected with EFPSA take place in many universities on the same day in order to make as many students as possible familiar with EFPSA.

Train the Trainers

In 2010, the first Train the Trainers summer school took place in Austria.[9] The Train the Trainers (TtT) summer school is an annual seven-day event featuring experiential and non-formal education aimed at providing its twelve participants with insights and tutoring on a broad set of skills and knowledge about delivering training and information. Upon completion of set requirements, the TtT graduates may be invited to join the EFPSA Trainers’ Pool – a supportive environment for furthering training skills and experiences.

Train Advanced Trainers

EFPSA's Train Advanced Trainers (TAT) is an eight-day event that takes place in March. This is the only EFPSA event that is open to non-psychology students and externals. The TAT is designed for up to 25 experienced trainers from various NGOs and offers an opportunity to further develop training skills within a specific topic.

EFPSA Academy

The EFPSA Academy aims to bring together volunteers of European youth NGOs to enable them to develop professionally, establish networks, heighten their motivation and share experiences, while equipping them with a variety of skills and knowledge concerning a specified core topic. It lasts three days, in a city that is quick and easy to reach from many places. During the Academy, participants receive high quality training sessions, get the chance to attend workshops given by experts on the topic and will be able to practice their skills in hands-on examples and real-life challenges.

Trainers' meeting

EFPSA Trainers’ Meeting (typically abbreviated as TRAM) is a three to four-day low budget Event aimed at trainers’ education, organised by EFPSA Trainers. The goal of TRAM is for NGO/youth trainers to unite, share knowledge and experience and develop their skills. The Event is centered around a main topic related to training, which is delivered by an expert trainer. Participants are trainers from different organisations and they deliver trainings to each other on topics related to the main theme of the Event.

Trainers' Conference

EFPSA Trainers’ Conference (typically abbreviated as TraC) is an Event aimed to gather EFPSA Trainers in order to discuss several topics regarding the training world within EFPSA and in general. The number of participants, the duration and the timing of the Event is flexible and it can change every mandate. Generally, there is an Open Training Day where TraC participants have the opportunity to deliver trainings in the nearest university.

Joint Executive Board & Member Representatives Meeting

The annual Joint Executive Board & Member Representatives’ Meeting (Joint EB & MR Meeting) is held each autumn and it is attended by individuals who are active members within the EFPSA working community. This meeting is a unique occasion when EFPSA sets aside online communication as it convenes for a week of internal meetings and intense work. Taking place halfway through the EFPSA mandate, the Joint EB & MR Meeting is a crucial time for EFPSA, allowing all active students of EFPSA to gather in order to discuss their mandate so far and engage in discussion with other teams over the future direction of the Federation.

EFPSA Conference

The EFPSA Conference first took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2013.[10] The EFPSA Conference is a biennial event and places a particular emphasis on its scientific programme. It brings together around 150 students from all over Europe for four days of lectures, workshops and student presentations. During the Conference, there is an open day, which consists of approximately 30 students from the hosting country/region joining the Conference for one day, to get an opportunity to learn, partake in the lectures and network with the participants.

Board of Management Meeting I&II

The Board of Management Meeting(s) is a fundamental component in terms of EFPSA's administration and working practices in order to evaluate the work of the Federation, develop ideas in order to facilitate this work and contribute to the improvement and sustainability of EFPSA. The place of the Event(s) is decided every year from the Board of Management. The working programme involves analysis of the Federation, plenary sessions of EFPSA, its Mission, Vision, Values and Events and Services, project based work and discussion sessions.

Services

EFPSA also provides students with a variety of services for developing research and training skills and to facilitate the process of travelling and studying abroad. Among the EFPSA services are:[2][3][5]

  • Journal of European Psychology Students
  • Junior Research Programme
  • Study & Travel Abroad
  • Training Office
  • Social Impact Initiative

Journal of European Psychology Students

The Journal of European Psychology Students (JEPS) is a double-blind peer-reviewed open access academic journal run entirely by students, covering all aspects of psychology published by the EFPSA [11][12] and Ubiquity Press since 2009.[13] JEPS brings a legitimate opportunity for psychology students to consider their thesis or research with international scope. Submissions have to be based on research conducted by bachelor or master students who may also be from outside Europe. Authors of selected submissions will receive professional feedback and help in developing their scientific publication.[14] Articles are selected based on quality of research alone, disregarding the perceived importance and originality of a particular paper.[15] Articles are indexed in EBSCOHost.[15] Since 2016, JEPS invites students to submit Registered Reports.[16] The JEPS team also run a blog, the JEPS Bulletin, which has been publishing since November 2010 on a range of issues relevant to psychology students of all levels and varied fields of interest.

Study & Travel Abroad

Study Abroad considers its existence, at least, since the early ‘90s where it began as a project under the name “How to Study Abroad” and later on as "Study and Work Abroad" (SWA). Since 2005 the Service has focused on “Study Abroad” (SA) and can now be found through the main website where information, advice and experience stories can be found. As of 2015, the Travel Network and the Study Abroad Services have been merged into the Study & Travel Abroad Service, which continues much with the same visions, missions and values as the predecessors. In 2016, the Student Exchange Responsible became part of the team, opening up the opportunity for Member Organisations to receive support from EFPSA in organising their international exchanges with other psychology student associations and students from other healthcare disciplines. The Internship Task Force was launched in the mandate 2015-2016 and extended for the mandate 2016-2017 in order to build a strategy, working towards the development of an internship platform for EFPSA. The team set forth a number of goals for the Internship Task Force. These were to outline the internship possibilities students are looking for, set-up a database with contacts of possible partnerships that could provide internship opportunities, make initial contact with the collected contacts in order to establish these partnerships, and build a solid foundation for the following mandate. The work has now been passed on to the Internship Responsible, within the Study & Travel Abroad Service, following approval of the position during the General Assembly held at the 31st EFPSA Congress in Gakh, Azerbaijan in 2017. The first internship opportunity was offered to psychology students in August 2017.

Preparations for studying abroad can sometimes be a challenging experience, but EFPSA's Study and Travel Abroad service offers useful guidelines and information about all the cities and universities of EFPSA's member countries/regions with the possibility to study psychology. There is also information on each country's higher education system, tuition and living costs, amongst other information. Additionally, there is a couch-surfing network that also provides advice on travelling to countries/regions hosting EFPSA events. While offering students a place to sleep at your home, all around Europe students will welcome you to stay with them and discover their cities. This is an opportunity to experience different cultures, languages and food in a special and affordable way.

Training Office

The Training Office was introduced to the Federation in 2010 with the first Train the Trainers summer school taking place in Austria in August 2010. At the 2011 Congress, this first generation of trainers was already delivering sessions to the Member Representatives and the Executive Board. The Training Office manages the training agenda within EFPSA. Specifically, they oversee the programmes of the training Events which EFPSA hosts, namely the Train the Trainers (TtT) summer school and Train Advanced Trainers (TAT) school; support and foster the development of the group of trainers in the EFPSA Trainers’ Pool, represent EFPSA at the external training events and prepare and design training sessions for internal meetings of EFPSA such as team building sessions, leadership trainings, amongst others.

Social Impact Initiative

The Social Impact Initiative Team works on four main projects within the Federation: the "Mind the Mind - to Combat the Stigma of Mental Disorders" (MtM) campaign, the “Better Together” (BT) campaign and Organised acts of kindness (OAK) campaign. Within the MtM campaign, the members of the team facilitate a European-wide series of workshops, aimed at 11-18 year-old students, as well as adults, with a goal of raising awareness on the topics of stigma of mental disorder and mental health. The campaign will enter its fifth wave in autumn 2018. The first four waves were marked by a significant growth in the number of volunteers and countries, with over 1150 volunteers from 20 European countries taking part in the fourth wave of the campaign. The BT campaign is aimed at empowering youths to build more inclusive societies through a series of 5 workshops aimed at increasing their knowledge about discrimination and the downsides to it. Members of the team facilitate the implementation of workshops. The campaign has received a grant from the European Youth Foundation and it will enter its second wave in autumn 2018. The OAK campaign is aimed at incentivizing people to do “random acts of kindness” (e.g. buying coffee for a stranger), which would help them develop a habit of kind behavior. A smartphone app through which the campaign would be implemented is expected to launch in early 2019.

Member Organisations

Organisations from all countries recognised by the Council of Europe can become members of EFPSA. Organisations from countries/regions that are not recognised by the Council of Europe can be taken into consideration as Regional Members. As of April 2018, EFPSA has 33 Member Organisations and two Observer Organisations.[17]

See also

References
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  2. "EFPSA - An Introduction". American Psychological Association. April 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  3. "EFPSA - European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations". European Federation of Psychologists' Associations. July 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  4. "EFPSA: Who are we?". European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations. Archived from the original on 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  5. "EFPSA: History". Archived from the original on 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  6. Polišenská, Veronika A. (2011). "The European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations: A Growing Organization". European Psychologist. 16 (2): 100–103. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000086.
  7. "EFPSA: Past European Summer Schools". European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  8. "EFPSA: EFPSA Day".
  9. "EFPSA: Past Train the Trainers Summer Schools". European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations. Archived from the original on 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  10. "EFPSA: Conference". European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  11. "JEPS". EFPSA. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  12. "Leading European medical and psychological student associations join Right to Research Coalition". Right To Research Coalition. December 8, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  13. "Journals of Ubiquity Press". Ubiquity Press. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  14. "3 students publish paper in European psychology journal". The Korea Times. August 14, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  15. "Intervjuu JEPS-i peatoimetaja Katharina Brechtiga" (in Estonian). Eesti Psühholoogide Liidu Laualeht. Autumn 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  16. King, Maedbh; et al. (2016). "Registered Reports for Student Research". Journal of European Psychology Students. 7 (1): 20–23. doi:10.5334/jeps.401.
  17. "EFPSA: Members".
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