Student Ambassador Update - April 2024

Celebration Session

We are looking to plan this year's online celebration session soon and we would love to hear your ideas. The celebration session is to acknowledge the hard work you have achieved over the past academic year.

We want to give back to you and help to celebrate your successes and achievements. Plus, there will be little something from the Careers Team to show our appreciation! We are really encouraging your attendance at this event and hope to see you there.

Student Ambassador Activity

Tom Scourfield – Swansea University

The dedicated psychology student space is continuing to grow in popularity. Staff have used the space to hold rock painting session with students. It has been dubbed their "Inclusivi-Tea" session where students come together to discuss their experiences in an informal environment, with free hot drinks available for everyone. Funding has been secured for the space to allow them to install lockable cabinets to store board games and display boards. Tom has also generated QR codes that link to BPS webpages and careers infographics which he has printed and stuck around the room. One QR code also takes students to the membership sign up page.

Amber Tan – University of Strathclyde

Amber took part in an open day at the university where she talked about the BPS and how students can get involved with us. She has also been promoting the BPS via the university online learning platform dashboard for Psychology students.

Simran Chettiar, Zeynep Sacli, Mohammad Rathore and Kaya Esnard – University of Greenwich

The student ambassadors successfully hosted a movie event, screening "The Awakening" which was recommended by their lecturers with 21 students attending. Following the screening the students had an open discussion about the themes of the movie and what inspired them.

The ambassadors also created a short presentation detailing information regarding the BPS and benefits of becoming a student member. This will be utilised for future events. They also distributed BPS leaflets and resources to students who attended.

Opportunity to take part in Pride, London

The BPS will be returning to Pride in London this year with two events in which members and staff can take part.

The society is proud to have marched in Pride in London for the past two years, celebrating equality, diversity and inclusion.

Once again, we will take part in the Pride march, and for the first time we will also be running a stall promoting careers in psychology in Leicester Square, near the famous women's area main stage.

Run by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team and the Careers team, our stall will allow us to engage with the thousands of people who attend Pride in London and celebrate the career opportunities psychology offers.

By offering two opportunities for involvement at this year's Pride in London, we aim to increase accessibility for our members, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to join us in celebrating equality, diversity and inclusion.

This year, the BPS Section of Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity will lead the third BPS Pride March event taking place on Saturday 29 June 2024. Once again, the Pride March will offer members and staff the opportunity to come together and walk the famous route from Grosvenor Square to Whitehall. For more details on this year's Pride March please email: [email protected].

The stall will offer information on career routes with the opportunity to talk to BPS staff and volunteers from 12pm to 8.30pm on Pride Day, Saturday 29 June 2024.

If you would like to volunteer on the stall, email [email protected] for more information.

Recruitment for new BPS Student Ambassadors will open 13 May

We are extremely excited to have more enthusiastic ambassadors onboard. We will need your support to spread the word. Thank you in advance.

Call out from the social media team

We would love to receive content from you! Some examples of what you could create and send our way are below:

• Videos, photos, or a short-written description of the activities you have carried out for us to use in our student newsletter/magazine
• A day in the life of a student ambassador/psychology student
• Top tips for revision or any other kind of student content
• Quotes from yourselves regarding your experience as a Student Ambassador

Please send them to [email protected] and [email protected] – thank you in advance!

Events for you to promote

Understanding depression: The bigger picture

Date: 9 May, 10.30am–12.30pm

Location: Online

Cost: £30+VAT for members

This webinar provides you an opportunity to hear from three of the report authors and an individual with lived experience to understand more about their perspective for greater recognition of the interpersonal, social and societal drivers and how we can intervene in some of these through psychological and social therapies and social action. You will be able to hear more about the report and the challenges around insufficient recognition of the contribution of life-events, social circumstances and societal factors (e.g. inequalities) to causing and maintaining depression.

Division of Occupational Psychology Conference 2024

Date: 9 May, 10.30am–12.30pm

Location: Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria, Sheffield

Cost: £41

DOP Conferences attract delegates and speakers from around the world, showcase new research and practice, and create opportunities for discussion about developments across the different areas of occupational psychology. With invited keynotes each day, and workshops, oral papers, symposia, bite size symposia, panel discussions and posters, DOP 24 has much to interest practitioners and academics at all career stages.

I think, therefore I am: Separating the trauma from the person

Date: 9 May, 10.30am–12.30pm

Location: Online

Cost: Free

Dr Black will be speaking about the impact of complex trauma histories on people's views of themselves and the world around them, how this impacts on impulsive and risky behaviours, and the challenges of trauma intervention with people for whom touching on the trauma may increase risk behaviours

May Theme - Exam season is upon us

It's that time of year! It can be challenging preparing for exams please ensure to take regular breaks and bear in mind that what works for someone else may not work for you. Take some time out to figure how you learn and retain information. The BPS website has some great tips related to exam season; they are detailed but worth a read.