UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES PSYCHOLOGY MAJORS ASSOCIATION (UPPsyMA)
UPPsyMA is the official student organization of the Psychology students of UP Cebu. Year on year, the organization holds a variety of activities focusing on relevant social issues with the goal of not only bringing the Psychology students together, but moreso, to raise awareness with the end in mind of contributing to uplifting the lives of the communities they work with.
Psych Days 2018: Exposing the Link Between Poverty and Psychological Well-Being (April 2018)
By: Lady Isabelle Perez
For Psychology majors, there is always a time for everything – a time to focus on academics, a time to conduct research, a time to participate in school events, a time to have fun, and a time to advocate for mental health. Hence, the University of the Philippines Psychology Majors Association (UPPSYMA) dedicated a few days celebrating the essence of being a Psychology major and exposing the link between poverty and psychological well-being to the UP Cebu community. The series of events that UPPSYMA organized became known as the “Psych Days 2018”.
April 10, 2018 — Psych Days 2018 kicked off with the Movie Night. The Psychology majors, along with Senior High School students from UP Cebu, gathered for a nerve-wracking theatrical experience. Together, the students watched the award-winning thriller film “Get Out” at the Psych Lab. With the lights off to add more intensity to the thrill, pillows for comfort, and popcorn to eat, the students enjoyed every scene of the movie.
April 12, 2018 — One of the highlights for Psych Days 2018 was the forum entitled, “The Psychological Cost of Poverty: A Talk on the Psychology of At-risk and Vulnerable Groups”. Mr. Jame Bryan L. Batara, M.A. discussed some of his important research projects and experiences with people who have been living with poverty and discrimination. Through the data and facts that he presented, it can be said that poverty and psychological well being are not isolated cases. For as long as poverty is present, people who suffer from its effects will most likely experience mental health issues. After the discussion, the students asked Mr. Batara relevant questions and even manifested their thoughts and ideas.
Later that evening, the Human and Item Auction took place at the Arts and Sciences Conference Hall. It was a night filled with excitement and fun for the bidders and the audience. The Human and Item Auction continues to be the most anticipated event organized by UPPSYMA since its aim is to raise funds for the chosen beneficiary, which is usually a group or organization of the less fortunate members of society. For this year’s auction, UPPSYMA chose the Parian Drop-In Center for Street Children. The said organization was chosen in line with the theme for this year’s Psych Days. The bidders with the highest monetary offer were able to enjoy a date under the starry night sky with their chosen guest or UP student, all of whom were invited by UPPSYMA and agreed to all the conditions of the human auction. The “humans” who were auctioned also showed their special talents and shared their stories on stage, making the event more lively and compelling. Other lucky bidders were able to take home items donated by the UP professors and instructors from different colleges.
April 13, 2018 — Thank God, it’s Friday! Thank UPPSYMA, it’s Bingo Night! Several students gathered at AS 247 for the Bingo Night to try out their luck. The participants could feel the excitement as every letter and number combination was announced. The fortunate winners of the games had the chance to take home an appetizing box of pizza.
April 14, 2018 — The Psych Days 2018 came to an end with the annual Psych Wars, which is an exclusive game for the Psychology majors. Despite the name of the event, Psych Wars is meant to bring the Psychology majors closer. Psychology majors don’t get to bond on a daily basis except when it’s time for class or when it’s time for the General Assembly. At the end of the day, the Psychology majors were able to exhibit camaraderie and cohesiveness.They were able to shake off their stress through Psych Wars and by celebrating the end of the Psych Days with some food and drinks.
Indeed, the Psych Days 2018 was a successful series of events that brought enthusiasm and fellowship among the Psychology majors. Through the Psych Days 2018, UPPSYMA was also able to help those who are suffering in poverty, raise awareness on mental health issues, and bring happiness to the UP Cebu community.
UPPSYMA treats Inayawan Children (January 2018)
By: Kent Ocampo
Last January 13, the University of the Philippines Psychology Majors’ Association organized an outreach program benefiting around 80 children of the Inayawan Landfill workers.
It was a day full of hearts bursting with joy as 4th year members of UPPsyMA facilitated the program they prepared for the children. The children played different parlor games, including “Trip to Jerusalem” and “Hep, hep, hooray.” They were also given the chance to showcase their talents in singing and dancing. Smiles were definitely on the children’s faces as they participated. To complete the program, food was served. The children later received loot bags & hygiene kits.
The event was made possible through the proceeds from the Human and Item Auction (HAIA) 2017. The event is hosted annually by the third-year members of UPPsyMA to raise funds for a particular cause. For HAIA 2017, it is for the benefit of the children of the Inayawan Landfill workers.
2nd Mental Health Awareness Week (October 2017)
By: Mary Julienne Gattoc
The University of the Philippines Psychology Major’s Association celebrated its 2nd Mental Health Awareness Week (MenHAW) last October 10-13, 2017. The event entitled “Break the Stigma: Normalizing the Conversation on Mental Health” was composed of a series of activities that brought to light the importance of tackling mental health issues as much as that of physical health. The activity also became an avenue for the organization to raise awareness and encourage every individual suffering from mental illness to never be afraid to seek help and to talk about what they are going through; hence the official hashtag, #SturyaTa.
The organization commenced the week-long celebration with “The Sunshine Project 2.0”. On August 26, 2017, UPPsyMA conducted the first “The Sunshine Project” to remember all those who lost their lives to suicide. High school and psychology students from different schools in Cebu were invited to participate in the event. The program included a forum on the importance of mental health and was then followed by series of psychological interventions that can be practiced to improve psychological well-being. Because of its success, UPPsyMA decided to repeat the program for Mental Health Awareness Week, but this time having UP students as the main participants. The program was not entirely the same as the first time the event was done. On its comeback, “The Sunshine Project” featured research papers from Psychology majors in UP Cebu which was then followed by series of psychological interventions.
UPPsyMA also did a social media campaign on mental health awareness by posting and sharing contents that tackle mental health issues on the official Facebook page of UPPsyMA. The official hashtag of the event, #SturyaTa, was also used to encourage people to share their stories about their own struggles and let them know that they are not alone in their battles. The following day, a yoga fitness activity was done which was participated by students from the College of Social Sciences.
On the last day of MenHAW, a forum on addiction was conducted to allow people to understand and know that addiction in itself is a mental health issue. A clinical psychologist was invited to talk about addiction to students of UP Cebu and other psychology majors from different universities. The forum was considered as the highlight of the week-long activity as it would really allow people to see addiction in a different light compared to how it is presented to people. The political climate in the country made most of the people believe that the only way to address addiction is to end the lives of the many individuals suffering from it without even looking at other options that might have been better, such as giving them the opportunity to be rehabilitated individuals through proper treatment.
The Sunshine Project: Interventions for the Soul (August 2017)
By: Feeona Jyllian Espiritu
Read the full article here.