FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can become a member of EFPSA?
EFPSA does not provide individual memberships. Members of EFPSA are national, local and regional psychology studentsu2019 associations from European countries/regions; however, only one national or regional organisation, or two local organisations, per country/region can hold the status of a member within the Federation. These national, local and regional associations are known as Member Organisations (MOs).nOrganisations from countries recognised by the Council of Europe are eligible to apply as members of EFPSA. Organisations from countries that are not recognised by the Council of Europe can be taken into consideration as Regional Members.nEFPSA is currently constituted by 33 psychology studentsu2019 organisations from 33 different European countries and regions. In the Members page on our website, you can find information about each of the current active member organisations that constitute EFPSA.n
What is the difference between local and national or regional organisations?
Full membership to the Federation may be acquired and recognised on two equal tiers:nnMember Organisation operating on a national platform (i.e. National Member Organisations)nMember Organisation operating on a regional platform (i.e. Regional Member Organisations)nnAlternatively, organisations may hold membership within either tier as a Local Member Organisation.nA National Member Organisation must be legally registered in a European state and is able to demonstrate that the organisation represents psychology students from that country and that its activities are open to psychology students of all universities within that country.nThe status of Local Organisations allows for membership of an organisation that does not claim to operate at the National or Regional level; instead, the organisation only represents the psychology students of one city/town or university within that country.nRegardless of tier, in almost all circumstances, all Member Organisations will be respected and handled on equal terms. The one main difference is that delegates of National/Regional Member Organisations currently hold two votes to cast on proposals while delegates of Local Member Organisations hold one vote to cast on proposals.n
How to become a member of EFPSA?
nFor individualsnnThere are many ways in which psychology students may get involved in EFPSA. To beginu00a0 with, one can apply to one of our Events as a participant. For example each year we have a Congress which is our biggest event and it marks the beginning of the new mandate. Each year we also have events such as EFPSA Academy, EFPSA Research Summer School, EFPSA Train the Trainers where students can become certified trainers, and every second year we have EFPSA Conference. You can also apply as an Organising Committee of EFPSA events and host them in your country, or organise EFPSA cultural exchanges with other countries. To find more about our events please visit our website or contact us via contact@efpsa.org.u00a0nThere are other ways students can join us; you can become a volunteer for one of our campaigns u201cMind the Mindu201d or u201cBetter togetheru201d, or a Local Coordinator who oversees the volunteers. If you are interested in research you can apply as a participant of the EFPSA Research Programme where you will conduct multicultural research in a supervised team, and you can also become the Ambassador of our journal - Journal of European Psychology Students. Holding most of these positions means that you are automatically part of EFPSA Supporting Community (check more details here). If you want to contribute more, you can always apply for different positions in our Working Community. We have six different offices you can work in; EFPSA Office, External Relations Office, Events Office, Finance Office, Members Office and Marketing Office. We also have five teams who work on our services; Social Impact Initiative, Study and Travel Abroad, Training Office, Research Programme and Journal of European Psychology Students. You can apply for different positions within these teams. To find more information about positions please visit http://efpsa.org/efpsa-working-community/#executive-board-offices or contact us directly.nThis means that each psychology student (we accept students who graduated in the past 2 years) whose country is a member of EFPSA can apply to attend our events, become a volunteer for our campaigns, become part of our Supporting Community or apply for different positions in our Working Community.nTo keep updated with our calls, please follow us on Facebook,u00a0 LinkedIn,u00a0 Instagram or Twitter.nnFor OrganisationsnnBefore becoming members of EFPSA, psychology studentsu2019 organisations or associations go through the following process. Initially, the organisation or association must become an Observer Organisation; this allows the organisation to learn more about EFPSA and become familiar with the structure, working practices and current state of the Federation. After completing one year under the observer status, the organisation may then apply to become a member of EFPSA.nApplications for membership must be submitted to the Secretary General at least 45 days before the first General Assembly of the annual Congress. Applications can only be taken into consideration after an organisation has been an Observer Organisation for a period of at least one year. The application is forwarded to EFPSAu2019s Member Representatives for consideration. At the General Assembly, a presentation is delivered by the applying organisation, after which the application is voted upon by the General Assembly and must be accepted by two thirds (2/3) of its delegates.nFor more information and support please contact our Member Observer Coordinator at mocoordinator@efpsa.org. EFPSA can help provide you with support in organising your National, Regional or Local organisation and with applying for EFPSA membership. A document with membership guidelines is available in the Documents section on our website.n
How can an individual take part/get involved in EFPSA?
There are many ways in which psychology students may get involved in EFPSA. To beginu00a0 with, one can apply to one of our Events as a participant u2013 information about registration for these Events can be found on the respective webpages on the EFPSA website. These opportunities are advertised, as u2018Calls for Participants,u2019 through our website, on Facebook,u00a0LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter. Aside from Event participation, we also advertise Calls, through the previously mentioned platforms, to organise various EFPSA Events and campaigns. Additionally, our Services provide another way through which students may get involved. This can be done by reading the JEPS Bulletin or articles published in the Journal itself, and making use of our Study and Travel Abroad resource, individuals may be interested in contributing to EFPSA as a volunteer in Executive Board or applying to host one of our events. Individuals may also be interested in representing students from their respective Member Organisation as the Member Representative; in order to do this the respective Member Organisation can be contacted for more information.n
How to join the Executive Board?
If you are interested in joining the EFPSA Working Community as a member of one of our teams, there is a very wide selection of positions available within the Executive Board. Whether you are interested in developing one of our online Services, contributing to the running of the Journal, becoming an EFPSA Trainer, organising and hosting one of our Events, or working within one of the Offices running the organisation; thereu2019s something for everyone within the Executive Board. You can learn more about the roles and duties of each position by reading the Role Description documents, available here.nThe vast majority of positions operate on a one-year mandate, meaning that individuals take up their position at the annual Congress and hand it over to their successor one year later at the subsequent Congress. Please note that between the end of March and the beginning of April, we launch a series of Calls for these Executive Board positions. The application process differs slightly depending on the exact role you apply for but this information is clearly provided and can always be obtained from the members of the Board.nThe Call for Executive Board Coordinators, Responsible and Team Members typically closes on the second day of the Congress. While none of these applicants make presentations at the General Assembly, the newly elected Board interviews all applicants. The Board then selects the Coordinators who select the members for their team along with the Board. The outcomes are announced the morning after the interviews u2013 an exciting moment marking the introduction of a complete Executive Board embarking on their new mandate.n
How to become a member of the Board of Management?
If you wish to apply for a position within the Board,u00a0 you need to be a member of the working community (either as a part of the Executive Board, or a Member Representative). You will be required to send in your application form, along with a Curriculum Vitae at least 45 days before the Annual Congress to the Immediate Past President. The Call for applications to the Board opens approximately two months before the annual Congress.nAll applications are reviewed by the Member Representatives prior to candidates being formally presented to the EFPSA General Assembly on the first day of the Congress, where short 5-minute presentations are made by all Board candidates. The Member Representatives then vote on all candidates at the General Assembly, after which the votes are counted and the results are announced during that same session of the General Assembly. Successful candidates immediately assume their responsibilities. Their first task is the selection of all other Executive Board positions, as described above.nThe mandate officially opens upon election of the new Board at the second session of the General Assembly.n
What is the selection process for EFPSA Congress participants?
The Member Representative receives all of the applications submitted by the students from their respective Member Organisation. The Member Representative then decides upon the participants. This should be done by following a set of guidelines known as the Selection Criteria, which can be found within the EFPSA Congress Participant Selection Guide. When selecting participants, the Member Representatives consider the motivation behind the application, the educational background, interest in holding a presentation or a workshop at the Congress, interest in applying for a position within the Executive Board along with the personal interest and requirements of the Member Organisation.n
Which EFPSA Events am I eligible to apply for?
There are Events that have only two basic requirements (for applicants to be psychology students or within two years of graduation, and for the student organisation to be a member of EFPSA), however, some of our Events require earlier enrollment in some programmes, previous knowledge or having a position within the organisation.nThe Events that solely require the above two basic requirements are the Congress, the Conference, the EFPSA European Summer School the Train the Trainers Summer School.nGraduates of the European Summer School are enrolled into the Junior Researcher Programme, which involves attending the JRP Conference.nFor the Joint Executive Board & Member Representatives Meeting you have to be a part of the EFPSA Working Community (as a Member Representative or having a position within the Executive Board or the Board of Management).nEFPSA Academy is an Event aimed for volunteers working in different Non-governmental organisations so the requirements are to be a student (regardless of the academic level) and to be involved in a NGO.nIn order to apply for the Trainersu2019 Conference, one must be in possession of a traineru2019s degree. For the Train Advanced Trainers, you should meet the previous requirement and have completed at least 30 hours of training. These two Events are open to externals, meaning that you do not need to be a psychology student to apply.nAnyone can attend, organise and/or is encouraged to participate in EFPSA Day u2013 a one-day Event designed to promote EFPSA across Europe simultaneously, on the same day.n
How to join EFPSA's Alumni Network?
Have you been officially been part of EFPSA? And are you not going to continue within EFPSA anymore? No problem! Stay in touch with others like you students or professionals in different branches of Psychology who used to volunteer for EFPSA? We are pleased to invite you to the official registration for Alumni Network members!u00a0This Form will be used for Alumni to continuously register themselves (until further development on a different platform for Alumni).u00a0The Alumni Board will check your application and confirm you by sending you a registration number. With this number you will be able to register for the yearly EFPSA Congress as an Alumni.u00a0n
I graduated recently. Can I still apply for the Executive Board or to attend an Event?
It depends. Students who graduated in psychology within two years (regardless of the academic level) are eligible to apply for any position within the Working Community or as participants to Events. During the application process, applicants are required to send a proof of studies stating in which year of study they were or their date of graduation.nThe exceptions are Train Advanced Trainers and Traineru2019s Conference where non-students and students from fields other than psychology can apply; and EFPSA Academy which is also open to students from any field.n
What is EFPSAu2019s Privacy Policy & Ethics Committee?
EFPSA takes the protection of your data very seriously and ensures that a safe environment is fostered throughout our operations and during any events. If you would like more information on EFPSAu2019s privacy policy please contact us via contact@efpsa.org.nThe Ethics Committee is a regulatory body within EFPSA with the obligation to respond to concerns that arise relating to the Federation and its activities. They may respond to concerns raised by any entity that contacts them; but may also be contacted by the Board of Management, who request their assistance in consideration of some matter. Ultimately the Ethics Committee exists to consider concerning matters impartially, to decide if an action or matter is in violation of the principles of EFPSA, and to provide advice or decisions wherever necessary.nShould an incident occur which you wish to report back to the organisation through discreet channels, the EFPSA Ethics Committee exists to deal with such issues. All communication received by the Ethics Committee will be handled with discretion. The Ethics Committee can be contacted at ethics@efpsa.org.n
Who can I contact if my question isnu2019t answered here?
If your question was not in the above set of queries, or if you require further clarification on a certain issue, please send your emails to contact@efpsa.org and we will get back to you within 72 hours.n