This year’s theme is “Reclaiming and Revitalizing our Communities”, so how do you reclaim and revitalize the student circle community? To me it simple, you support us as students and our progression into being professionals. There are three distinct ways in which your dedication can foster this critical development.
The first being increased funding for scholarship. Students are continuously in need of financial support. We, the students would like to see more scholarships given as a tangible representation of your dedication to us. Financial support enables more students to attend the convention which is critical for professional development. It is at the annual ABPsi conference that students are renewed, revitalized, and restored so that we are able to go back to our universities and complete our degrees. Scholarships also support scholarly research. At the presidential opening this year, a $500 dollar scholarship was awarded to a student for her research. If that type of support became a ritual of the convention, their would be an increase of students presenting their work at the ABPsi conference where its more appreciated, instead of other conferences where the lure of scholarships is hard to turn down.
Secondly, we need increased dialogue with professionals. We need to learn from you in order to thrive, therefore an increase in active participation in the Jegnaship Program is needed. This year, the program became fully functioning, and although we had six excellent speakers we would like the professional involvement to be doubled next year. I would also welcome the opportunity to build in the conference an additional time where the students can learn from the elders, outside of the student-elder breakfast.
Lastly, the family can help support student transition through apprenticeship. Ask yourself, the last time you were a key note speaker, or gave an interview, or sat on a panel discussion- did you take a student with you? We welcome the exposure to the “real life” of psychologist. To me, that would make a better reality television show than any of the ones on air today. This is an important piece in building that relationship between students and professionals because it allows us to work, share and bond on a higher level.
It is your leadership, your research, and your contributions to our increased self esteems as black, budding psychologist that we, as students are able to walk with heads high. With increased dedication and support from you, we will continue to grow and make the appropriate evolution from student to professional.
Now, to address the student circle, you may ask how “Reclaiming and Revitalizing our Communities” fits with the student circle? Although, I could probably lay out an impressive Obama style 9-point plan, I can reduce it to four important goals that I have set for this year.
First, it is our responsibility to make sure that the name and mission of ABPsi is spread. We must increase our academic and social community’s awareness of this immense organization. It will take doing things like, speaking at Student Government Functions, attending community town hall meetings, and giving input at open political forums. We have the information that can better enhance our community, and unless we start to increase our community’s awareness about this organization, the important work we do will remain a secret. We have to be proactive in our quest. For example, if there is a way we can be on the panel at the State of Black America Union Address, we should take advantage. If there is a way you can be involved in a Covenant with Black America panel discussion at your university, go for it. Our socio-political organization must know that we, the students circle, exist.
Second, I believe that we must continue to strengthen our numbers. This year the student circle membership was greatly increased, but I challenge you to double that number. We can start by focusing on increasing university chapters. I would also challenge each local chapter to increase their student membership by 20%. The more students we have that support the mission and goals of the association, the more minds, hands, and financial resources we will have working to make that mission active.
Third, I would like for every student circle chapter to increase their community service. Students, ask yourself- When is the last time your local chapter volunteered a Saturday to charity, or sponsored a clothing drive? We can not revitalize a community that we do not interact with. We can not call ourselves future experts on the black psyche and then afraid to sponsor mental health related community projects. Through servicing our people, we are servicing ourselves.
Last, but certainly not least, we must focus on academic support. We must help one another as we progress through our academic programs. For example, no student should feel alone in the internship or dissertation process. It is up to us to utilize the technology that we have at our disposal to support one another. We can do this by creating an internship and dissertation support group online. Through this initiative we can give and get advice from each other about our work. We also need to support each others scholastic achievements by posting this information on our list serves, and website.
I want each student to feel supported by the family as we share in the work of revitalizing and reclaiming our communities. However, we must make sure that the internal community is revitalized first, because when the home front is strong and intact, the community benefits.
- Marva M. Robinson, MS
- ABPsi Student Circle Chair, 2007-2008
- Nova Southeastern University
- Marva_robinson@hotmail.com
