Student Ambassador Update - May 2024

Student Ambassador Activity

Samantha Smallwood – University of the Highlands and Islands

Sam has been promoting the BPS by sharing events to all psychology students on the university's platform. She has also suggested that the BPS Careers Team to virtually attend their residential week to deliver careers talk to their psychology community. Sam has also been spreading the word about recruitment opening for the SA programme.

Saud Alrashidi – University of Bristol

Saud attended the undergraduate conference in Plymouth along with his university as a volunteer. Saud found the experience educational and exciting; he would like to attend as a presenter next year at Exeter.

Ledi Balla – University of East London and Metropolitan College (based in Athens)

Ledi created video with her university where she speaks about the BPS Student Ambassador role and what she has been up to. Ledi also mentions how she utilises her creativity within the role and how she has collaborated with other student ambassadors.

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

Family Interventions in Psychosis

Date: 10 June, 10am–12pm

Location: Online/Webinar

Cost: Free

This networking event will support and promote BPS guidelines and bring together community around practice. Speakers include Tanya Smart, Hannah Sherbersky, Louise Alderson and more experts by experience to be confirmed. 

The panel will discuss the following questions; What are the most important elements of work with families impacted by psychosis? What are the important factors for training practitioners in working with families? What are the biggest issues in this topic and what are your ideas in overcoming these? Where next? And where do you see Family Interventions in Psychosis in five years? 

An introduction to Behavioural Addictions: Gambling and gaming

Date: 13 June, 2.30–4.30pm

Location: Online/Webinar

Cost: £10

Addictive behaviours can occur in various forms, which do not always involve substances. As our understanding of behavioural addiction is evolving, this course provides an essential overview of non-substance-related behaviours. The focus is primarily on harmful gambling and gaming, the only currently officially recognised forms of behavioural addiction internationally, for which evidence-based treatment is provided in NHS specialist clinics.

Scottish branch networking event

Date: 20 June, 6–7pm

Location: Online/Webinar

Cost: Free

Why do capable people feel like imposters and what can we do about it? Millions of people — CEOs and entry-level professionals, first year college students and PhDs, artists and programmers — secretly worry they're not as smart or talented as other people 'think' they are. This is imposter syndrome and it impacts both individuals and organisations. 

Left unchecked, it can lead to costly consequences not only for individuals but for their organisations as well. Fortunately, there is a solution. 

What you will learn in this 40-minute session:

• What impostor syndrome is
• Who is most susceptible.

Three practical, immediately usable tools to put in place to help yourself and/or the people you lead, manage, mentor, teach, or parent. 

Attraction explained: The science of how we form relationships

Date: 25 June, 6–8pm

Location: Lab 109, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT

Cost: Free

The BPS East of England Branch in partnership with the School of Psychology and Sport Science at Anglia Ruskin University are delighted to host a networking event and talk with Professor Viren Swami. 

When it comes to relationships, there's no shortage of advice from self-help 'experts', pick-up artists, and glossy magazines. But modern-day myths of attraction often have no basis in fact or – worse – are rooted in little more than misogyny. 

In this talk, Prof Viren Swami, one of the world's leading experts in the psychology of romantic attraction, debunks these myths and draws on cutting-edge science to provide a ground-breaking and evidence-based account of relationship formation.

He'll present a very simple idea: that there are no 'laws of attraction', no foolproof methods or strategies for getting someone to date you. But this isn't to say that there's nothing to be gained from studying attraction. Based on science rather than self-help clichés, Prof Swami looks at how factors such as geography, physical appearance, reciprocity, and similarity affect who we fall for and why.

June Theme - Summertime

Summertime is upon us, I hope your exams are going well and you've smashed your assignments for the year. Remember to keep a balance with your studies, work and personal lives. Down time is just as important as being productive. Some people are more productive if they take regular breaks. Do what works for you best. Looking forward to seeing you all in the celebration session, in July (date to be confirmed).