A total of 51 foreign students from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Russia participated in The 5th PSYCHE 2023, which took place from 26 July 2023 to 2 August 2023. The Faculty of Psychology of Universitas Diponegoro as the event organizer facilitated the participants to explore local culture with a theme of Empowering Community through Multicultural Friendship.
On the first day, The 5th PSYCHE event was opened by the Director of the Directorate of Academic, Student Affairs, and Alumni at Universitas Diponegoro, and then it continued with a Faculty Tour. The participants were introduced to the local culture through a Traditional Dance Workshop by Independence of Faculty of Psychology, City Tour: Lawang Sewu and Kota Lama, an introduction to Indonesian batik by Klub Merby Semarang, and an exploration of Lerep Ungaran Tourism Village.
The participants’ enthusiasm for learning about Indonesian culture manifested in their eager participation in planting rice in the rice field, harvesting cassava from the garden, and engaging with the daily lives of local residents. Furthermore, they appeared to relish every activity scheduled during the summer course amidst their hectic schedule.
Apart from the cultural overview, participants also attended classes delivered by several resource persons in classes, including topics, such as Fostering an Inclusive Work Climate, Career Decision Making in Young Adults, Exploring the Interconnections, and Managing Diversity. Additionally, participants were required to reflect daily to identify any compelling insights gained while engaging in the program.
The 5th PSYCHE series of activities were concluded with a gala dinner attended by all participants, committee members, and invited guests from Universitas Diponegoro. The closing event was enlivened with performance from the students, lecturers, participants, and ended with the special performance of a Line Dance.