August 2023 Newsletter
Find something motivating at our latest newsletter
Hi there,
A lot has happened from the past months, and as we near the end of another year, it is not possible that we may feel a bit drained, exhausted, or burnt out with what we are doing. There is no denying that experiencing fatigue can be tough as we know that there is no such thing as a simple cure to recover from it.
Given this predicament, we are still left with a choice, and with this choice, we can choose to hope— to look forward. Looking forward for the good things that may come in our way. Having this mindset helps in making the load we carry a bit lighter.
For this edition of our newsletter, we hope you may find motivation from our updates for this August such as our first-ever EAGxPhilippines currently accepting applications and two members of our community being able to attend the AVA Summit in Los Angeles.
Not only these, One of our student chapters— EA UP Diliman— announces their executive board for the upcoming academic year and shares their congratulations to some of their members who successfully completed their undergraduate degrees.
At the end of the day, no matter how cloudy the sky could get, there is always a silver lining up ahead, and we hope this newsletter may bring you the motivation you need to keep on keeping on.
Highlights
EA PH Careers for High-Impact Retreat
Last month, EA PH hosted the Career Planning for High-Impact Retreat from July 21 to 23 at the Casa San Pablo in Laguna City.
The retreat was attended by our community members, a mix of students and professionals, who engaged in talks, panels, workshops, and 1:1 discussions that facilitated connections and helped them develop a clearer career plan for high impact.
Among the topics covered during the retreat were cause prioritization, AI safety, biosecurity, improving institutional decision-making, global health and development, mental health, and many more.
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to attend and volunteer at the retreat!
EA PH members in this year’s AVA Summit
The annual Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit was held last July 27 to 31 where two members from Effective Altruism Philippines were able to attend.
These are Alethea Cendaña— who is the current associate director of EA Philippines— and Chiawen Chiang— who also participated as a speaker at the summit and is currently taking graduate studies at NYU Animal Studies researching on the welfare risks of emerging aquaculture species.
The Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit is an overarching conference series for the animal and vegan advocacy movement, bringing advocates together from around the world who are focusing on systemic change and working on various tactics, strategies, and approaches toward one shared vision: removing animals from our food system and other human use.
Apply now for this year’s EAGxPhilippines
EAGxPhilippines applications are officially open!
We are inviting students and professionals all over Southeast and East Asia to join us for a weekend of learning, collaboration, and networking to solve the world's most pressing problems.
Travel support is also available for Filipinos— especially those currently residing outside Metro Manila.
📍The conference is taking place in Rizal Park Hotel, Manila from October 20 to 22, 2023
🔗Apply now: https://bit.ly/eagxph_apply
Have any questions? Contact the organizing team at philippines@eaglobalx.org
Our Reading Group Program
Have you ever wanted to discuss a cause area from an EA book or resource you read?
Here is your chance with the Reading Group Program!
Simply form a group of at least 3 people, choose a main point-person, and book a call with our Associate Director, Alethea Cendaña!
Previous reading groups were on improving institutional decision-making and Introduction to AI Safety!
You can read more about the reading program here.
Order an EA Book from us
Eyeing an EA-related book lately? Order it from our book form!
Simply fill up the details, check out the available books, order a book that you genuinely want to read, and send out your order form to us!
Kindly note that it may take up to 4 weeks for your book to arrive. We'll email you with more details on your order and once it is ready to be distributed out.
You can start ordering the book you are interested in through here until August 28!
News in EA UP Diliman
Fight of the CenturEA: EA UPD Sem Ender
EA UPD capped off the Academic Year 2022-2023 with Fight of the CenturEA: EA UPD Sem Ender last July 7, 2023. The event started off with a General Assembly highlighting the achievements and learnings throughout the semester, followed by a series of fun games, and a send-off for our graduating members.
Upcoming Executive Board of EA UPD for the next academic year
We also welcomed our new set of lead organizers, the Executive Board of AY 2023 - 2024. Co-Presidents Danielle Chua, Vice President for Human Resources David Mendoza, Vice President for Finance and Externals Lance Reamon, and Vice President for Learning Experience Jasmin De Jesus are excitedly preparing to spearhead the direction of the organization this upcoming school year.
EA UPD Class of 2023 Graduates
EA UPD proudly congratulates our 7 graduates, JM Borines, PA Echague, Kyna Millar, Kyle Reynoso, Darren Sarmiento, Alyssa Suñga, and Eugene Toribio, who have successfully completed their undergraduate degrees! We hope that they continue to use their Utak at Puso as they navigate their post-undergraduate life, the same way that they did throughout their stay in our beloved university!
Follow EA UPD for future updates!
EAGxPhilippines Spotlight: What can you do in an EA conference?
It is normal to get cold feet or be unsure of what to do in an EA conference especially for individuals who will be attending their first time.
That’s why the organizers of EAGxPhilippines prepared this guideline for everyone to take note of in hopes to keep you from being overwhelmed and to aid in maximizing your time during EAGxPhilippines.
Opportunities and potential connections await, so apply now as slots and travel support are limited.
📍 The conference is taking place in Rizal Park Hotel, Manila from October 20 to 22, 2023
🔗 Apply now: https://bit.ly/eagxph_apply
Have any questions? Contact the organizing team at philippines@eaglobalx.org
Upcoming Events
EA Philippines' Komunidad this August
For this edition of our Komunidad, we will be having an introduction to biosecurity as a cause area to be given by Kirsten Angeles who is currently the project manager of Project SHIELD PH— a research initiative aiming to develop a biosecurity research agenda for the Philippines.
Kirsten's talk will touch on why EAs care about biosecurity, how to get started on it, biological risks, and a bit about what Project SHIELD is currently doing.
Register before August 24 (Thursday)
Upcoming Events at EA Anywhere
Office Hours with the Organizers of EA Anywhere
• Aug 18, 2023 (Fri); 02:00pm - 03:00pm via Zoom
• Aug 25, 2023 (Fri); 02:00pm - 03:00pm via Zoom
Drop in and ask questions to the organizers of EA Anywhere— Sasha, Dion, and Marisa— where you can ask about effective altruism, EA Anywhere, or just say hi! They would be happy to see you and welcome your questions whether you're totally new to the group or a regular attendee.
EA Creatives and Communicators meetup
• Aug 23, 2023 (Wed); 01:00pm - 02:00pm via Zoom
Are you a writer, musician, YouTuber, marketeer, painter, or anything else that falls under creativity and communications?
Join EA Anywhere’s upcoming meetup! Here, you can talk about the intersection between EA and art, how to use our work for good, how we could collaborate, ask for feedback, form connections or whatever seems fit!
How Minds Change Reading Group (Asia/Oceania)
• Aug 27, 2023 (Wed); 01:30pm - 03:00pm via Zoom
Join EA Anywhere for a discussion of How Minds Change by David McRaney. The book provides an arsenal of counterintuitive, powerful new tools we can all use to change the world around us for the better. Scientists now know that facts don’t change minds. Empathy and understanding are crucial to making this transformation.
They'll be discussing the book in full, but if you don't get a chance to finish the book before the group, feel free to join anyway!
• EA Anywhere can provide you with a free digital copy of the book if you're planning to attend the discussion: https://forms.gle/K4Dq3enEMN7wJ5Xa7
• If the time doesn't work for you, we are hosting another discussion on August 28 at 2 pm (PH time).
The Estimation Game: Oppenheimer and the Atomic Age
• Aug 30, 2023 (Wed); 02:00pm - 03:00pm via Zoom
Join EA Anywhere for a monthly Estimation Game: a quiz where EA groups around the world compete! Guess the answer to questions like “How many piano tuners are there in New York?” and help the EA Anywhere team to climb the leaderboard! See it in action with the demo game. The topic of the August game is "Oppenheimer and the Atomic Age".
Improve your estimation skills and epistemics. Everyone is welcome!
If you are interested in forecasting and estimation, join the #forecasting channel on EA Anywhere Slack.
Upcoming Conferences
If you’re considering applying, kindly check first this forum post on updates on spending for CEA-run events.
[Sept. 8-10, 2023]
[Deadline: August 18, 2023]
[Sept. 22-24, 2023]
[Deadline September 8, 2023]
[Oct. 20-22, 2023]
[Deadline September 30]
• EA Global Boston 2023
[Oct. 27-29, 2023]
[Deadline: October 12, 2023]
[Nov. 17-19, 2023]
[Applications will open soon]
Check out the EA Global website to be updated with upcoming events!
Upcoming Programs, Workshops, and Reading Groups
• Charity Entrepreneurship Incubation Programs 2024
Running for its 5th year, applications for CE's upcoming incubation program is now open for applications in the following dates:
February - March 2024: with a focus on farmed animals and global health and development mass media interventions.
August - September 2024: with a focus on the top most cost-effective Sustainable Development Goals (as identified by Copenhagen Consensus) as well as organophosphate pesticides and other neurotoxicants (as identified by a CE Incubation Program graduate).
[Deadline September 30, 2023]
• Global Challenges Project Existential Risks Workshop
• Oct 13 - Oct 16, 2023; Boston, US
• Nov 24 - Nov 27, 2023; Berkeley, US
• Dec 15 - Dec 18, 2023; Oxford, UK
• Jan 12 - Jan 15, 2023; Boston, US (TBC)
• Feb 16 - Feb 19, 2023; Berkeley, US (TBC)
Express your interest while slots are available through here
• AI Futures Fellowship: Exploring Catastrophic and Existential Risks from AI
• January - February 2024; ITAM, Mexico City
The AI Futures Fellowship supports exceptional and impact-minded early-career individuals by providing an outstanding platform to learn and work on questions of advanced AI.
For eight weeks, fellows will join the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in Mexico City and have the opportunity to interact with a rich intellectual community of AI researchers visiting Mexico City in January and February 2024 from various institutions, including Harvard University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Centre for the Governance of AI, Legal Priorities Project, and OpenAI.
[Deadline August 24, 2023]
News relevant to the Philippines
Be in the loop with local news and resources.
• 31 Filipinos train on cage-free egg production
(3 mins. read)
• Nuclear is clean. But can the Philippines handle its risks?
(12 mins. read)
(2 mins. read)
• PIDS, IPA partner for policy research
(1 mins read)
(~2 days read)
Foreign EA-related news
For this month, we have various updates across different cause areas. Get in touch on what happened so far.
• A new partnership to promote responsible AI
— by Google
(4 mins. read)
• Summary: When should an effective altruist donate?
— by Global Priorities Research
(4 mins. read)
• 2022 Effective Animal Advocacy Forum Survey: Results and analysis
— by Rethink Priorities
(12 mins. read)
• EA Funds organisational update: Open Philanthropy matching and distancing
— by Caleb Parikh
(6 mins. read)
• Global Catastrophic Nuclear Risk: A guide for philanthropists
— by the Founders Pledge
(5 mins. read)
• Novel ingredients: the expanding toolkit of crops shaping the future of food
— by the Good Food Institute
(5 mins. read)
• EA Survey 2022: What Helps People Have an Impact and Connect with Other EAs
— by Willem Sleegers and David Moss
(5 mins. read)
Some interesting reads
A list of some interesting and detailed resources we found
• Zoonotic diseases: how diseases spread from humans to animals
— The Humane League
(15 mins. read)
• Oppenheimer and Advocacy: You’ve Seen the Film, Now What?
— by The Nuclear Threat Initiative
(6 mins. read)
• Farmed Animals: How Factory Farming Affects Different Species
— by Animal Charity Evaluators
(9 mins. read)
• How climate change impacts blindness
— by the Fred Hollows Foundation
(2 mins. read)
• Thousands more children will survive by increasing access to pulse oximetry
—by the Malaria Consortium
(2 mins. read)
Opportunities in EA-aligned organizations
Below are some featured opportunities that are accessible to Filipinos from our Opportunities Board. It shows all the current opportunities available (full-time, part-time, internship, and volunteer opportunities). It also has links to other relevant places where you can find impactful jobs, and we also include there how we choose which jobs to feature.
Our opportunities board has remote jobs from foreign EA organizations, and also some roles at local organizations that we either think are impactful to work for, or they provide good experience and skills for making an impact later on.
Remote opportunities from foreign EA-aligned organizations
Operations Lead / Associate - Fish Welfare Initiative
[September 2, 2023]
Facilitator - Effective Peer Support
[Rolling applications]
Research Engineer - Fund for Alignment Research
[Rolling applications]
Research Analyst - Charity Entrepreneurship
[Rolling applications]
Research Intern - Fortify Health
[Rolling applications]
Research Assistant - Forecasting Research Institute
[Rolling applications]
Learn or deepen your knowledge on the core ideas of EA
Introductory EA Program - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from September 04 - October 29, 2023
[Deadline: August 20, 2023]
In-Depth EA Program - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from September 04 - October 29, 2023
[Deadline: August 20, 2023]
Pilot Career Planning Program - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from September 04 - October 29, 2023
[Deadline: August 20, 2023]
The Precipice Reading Group - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from September 04 - October 29, 2023
[Deadline: August 20, 2023]
Take the challenge and participate in these Opportunities
Most Important Century Writing Prize - Superlinear
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
Micro- grant for educational module/ tools related to EA - Clearer Thinking
Win up to $595
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
Climate Tipping Points - Metaculus
[Deadline: March 1, 2027]
Opportunities for Filipino EAs
Field Manager - IDInsight Philippines
[Deadline: August 25, 2023]
M&E Surveyor (Luzon), acting as Project Manager - Healthy Futures Global
[Deadline: August 21, 2023]
Attendee - Complexity Global School (CGS) for Emerging Political Economies
For students and early-career professionals
[Deadline: August 20, 2023]
Associate Director / Director - IDInsight Philippines
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
Associate & Senior Associate - IDInsight Philippines
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
EA Philippines’ Code of Conduct
The EA Philippines core team recently created the official Effective Altruism Philippines Code of Conduct in hopes to facilitate a constructive and meaningful collaboration among individuals. In order to achieve this objective, we have established some guidelines that we expect our community to adhere by as our local community slowly grows.
EA Philippines Anonymous Feedback Form
As a response to some of our members noting that sometimes it is uncomfortable for them to provide direct feedback to some EA PH members, we decided to create this form so you may raise any concerns you have related to EA Philippines, including on any of our projects, leaders, volunteers, or community members.
Feedback here will be visible to the EA Philippines core team: Elmerei Cuevas, Althy Cendaña, Tanya Quijano, Jay Chang, and Brian Tan.
We may follow up with your answers via chat or a call if you would like us to.
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Best,
EA Philippines