PSYCHE International Summer Course is back this year. The annual program organized by the Faculty of Psychology of Diponegoro University was held on October 5-14 2020. The pandemic does not hinder the continuation of this year’s summer course, so even though it is different from the previous year, PSYCHE 2020 could be implemented virtually using the MOOCs UNDIP and ZOOM platforms. With the theme “Unlocking A Joyful and Meaningful Life: An East-West Way”, PSYCHE 2020 brings a different nuance to the previous year’s summer course program. This year, more summer course participants are invited to proceed within themselves by unlocking the real happiness that is already within ourselves. Besides Western Psychology, the Eastern Psychology approach is also introduced, especially in the context of Indonesian local wisdom in the field of psychology so that participants gain knowledge and skills in increasing happiness through the integration of the rich and interesting approaches of Eastern and Western Psychology.
At its initial launch, the PSYCHE 2020 program receives a lot of enthusiasts, both local and international, with more than 200registered registrants. However, after going through a number of selections and verification, only 26 participants have the opportunity to take part in the full program series. Participants of this summer course come from various countries, including: China, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Algeria, and Indonesia.
During the ten day summer course, participants are introduced to various Western and Eastern psychology concepts that are useful for personal growth, from body-and-mind relaxation, meditation, autosuggestion (self-hypnosis), psychology of emptiness, mindfulness, Sufi psychology, to Javanese meditation. Overall, this summer course material teaches how participants regulate emotions, seek calm, face challenges, and find their own happiness. Everyday, participants are also invited to relax and practice a number of exercises accompanied by the audio available at MOOCs.
On the last day which is also the closing day of PSYCHE 2020 series of activities, a number of participants expressed their deep impressions during this program. “I feel the great benefit from participating in this activity, I feel happier, more relaxed, and understand myself. I thank the entire committee for arranging this activity so well”, said Aishvirita, one of the participants from the University of Cyberjaya, Malaysia. Another participant, Seruni, from the London School of Public Relations, hopes that a similar activity can be held every year because it is very useful for her. Finally, the committee and the Faculty of Psychology of Diponegoro University, as the organizer, hope that the relations and networks between participants and organizers can continue to exist even though the summer course program has ended.
