Hey there,
As another downpour of rain occurs during the day, we welcome you to another issue of our newsletter for this July.
In this edition, immerse yourself in the warmth of our highlights such as some EA PH members attended EA Global London last May and our monthly Komunidad event where we had an introductory talk in AI safety given by our community members.
But that's not all, our student chapters— EA Taft and EA UP Diliman, provide amazing updates on what happened in their respective groups.
So, find solace in a comfortable spot and immerse yourself in the updates from our unstoppable community.
Together, we cultivate a world that thrives amidst the storm.
Highlights
EA PH Members in EA Global London
EA Philippines represent in the EA Global conference in London!
Six community members— namely Arvin Lagaso, Farrah Dingal, Joseph Alcantara, Lexley Villasis, Lorenzo Ponce, and Red Bermejo— were able to attend the conference last May. They were able to meet numerous key figures in the effective altruism community. As seen, they also took the time to reconnect with each other and share updates on their journey in effective altruism.
EA Philippines’ Komunidad in July
The EA Philippines Komunidad for July was held last July 1, 2023.
The event featured an introductory to AI Safety talk given by our community members— Kriz Tahimic, Lexley Villasis, and Ox Sandre— where they gave eye-opening insights of the risk posed by AI and on why we need to take proper steps towards safeguarding humanity's future.
We are grateful to everyone who took their time to attend our event and many thanks to Bayanihan Cafe for the providing a productive space for our meet-up.
We hope to see everyone in our next Komunidad in August!
CEA Group Member Survey
The EA PH Core team and CEA would like to hear from you.
CEA built an ~15 minute long survey which helps give both CEA and ourselves an idea on how impactful our group is, and how we might increase that impact.
Additionally, if you’re looking for employment opportunities within EA cause areas, you can consent to have your information shared with employers in our network.
You can take the survey here.
Filling the survey would only take about less than 15 minutes, and we would highly appreciate it if you could complete it before July 27th.
Your insights are crucial and helpful - thank you in advance for your time in answering this survey.
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 July 28!
News in EA Taft
EA Taft in EA Philippines Komunidad
The EA Taft Team recently attended the monthly Komunidad event hosted by EA Philippines.
The focus of the event was on AI Safety, and it featured an array of insightful speakers. Among them was Kriz Tahimic, the Vice President for Learning Experience at EA Taft, who delivered a noteworthy presentation drawing from his extensive experience and expertise in the field. EA Taft members engaged in various discussions made in the meet-up. The event took place on July 1, 2023.
EA Taft General Assembly
EA Taft successfully organized its First General Assembly on July 12, 2023, which was held virtually on Zoom.
The assembly was a delightful blend of engaging activities that combined entertainment and knowledge-sharing.
Participants enjoyed EA-inspired games like "Guess the Word," followed by an informative talk introducing EA Taft by its president, Shan Adorna. Another highlight was the spEAd datEAng activity, where attendees were randomly paired to discuss various EA-related prompts, fostering insightful conversations.
Attendees praised the event for striking the right balance between fun and addressing significant topics related to Effective Altruism. Reviews and feedback highlighted the value of the speed dating activity in exchanging insights and gaining a deeper understanding of EA and its offerings.
Some participants expressed their desire for longer meetings, but overall, the event made the most of the entire hour. The team eagerly anticipates the organization's 2nd General Assembly, which is tentatively scheduled for the last quarter of the year.
Follow EA Taft for future updates!
News in EA UP Diliman
Final General Assembly
As we approach the end of the academic year, EA UP Diliman gathered for a memorable Final General Assembly last July 7.
The event was an opportunity for members to celebrate collective accomplishments and bid farewell to graduating members. We reminisced about our successful workshops and campaigns, impactful initiatives, and the positive difference we made on campus and beyond. Members expressed heartfelt gratitude to our graduates for their contributions and wished them success in their future endeavors. The event also featured exciting games that fostered camaraderie and created lasting memories.
As EA UPD concludes another academic year, we extend our appreciation to all members for their leadership, support, and dedication. We look forward to the next one, where we will continue welcoming new members to the Effective Altruism community and building on our pursuit of doing good better. Here's to a restful break and an even more remarkable year ahead.
Follow EA UPD for future updates!
Organizational Spotlight: The Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI)
Upcoming Conferences
If you’re considering applying, kindly check first this forum post on updates on spending for CEA-run events.
• EAGxNYC
[Aug. 18-20, 2023]
[Deadline: July 31, 2023]
[Sept. 8-10, 2023]
[Deadline: August 18, 2023]
[Sept. 22-24, 2023]
[Deadline September 8, 2023]
[Oct. 20-22, 2023]
[Applications will open soon]
• 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
• In-Depth Effective Altruism Reading Group
[Aug - Sept 2023]
Organized by EA Philippines
Requirement: Must have completed an intro to EA fellowship or any equivalent as discussions will revolve around some resources that require good understanding of the basic EA concepts.
[Deadline July 28, 2023]
• Gov AI Winter Fellowship 2024
[3-month mentorship program]
Summer and Winter Fellowships provide an opportunity for early-career individuals to spend three months working on an AI governance research project, learning about the field, and making connections with other researchers and practitioners. We are looking for candidates who are strongly considering using their careers to study or shape the long-term implications of AI.
[Deadline July 23, 2023]
• 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
• Sept 15 - Sept 18, 2023; Berkeley, US (TBC)
• Oct 13 - Oct 16, 2023; Boston, US (TBC)
• Nov 24 - Nov 27, 2023; Berkeley, US (TBC)
• Dec 15 - Dec 18, 2023; Oxford, UK (TBC)
Express your interest while slots are available through here
News relevant to the Philippines
Be in the loop with local news and resources.
• Spotlight on Philippines: Pushing for Greater Good in Environmental Health
( 8 mins. read)
• Philippines presses for rich nations’ climate change commitments
(2 mins. read)
• 2023 National Analytics and AI Summit: Dissecting the perils of artificial intelligence
(3 mins. read)
• Microsoft Assisting in Philippine Digitalization through Artificial Intelligence
(3 mins. read)
• [Publication] Critical Issues in the Philippine Digital Economy
(~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.
• Lab-grown meat is cleared for sale in the United States
—by CNN
(1 min. read)
• Summary: When should an effective altruist donate?
—by Global Priorities Research
(4 mins. read)
• UK to host first global summit on Artificial Intelligence
—by UK Government
(7 mins. read)
• Things I Learned by Spending Five Thousand Hours In Non-EA Charities
—by Jenn
(10 mins. read)
• We can all help solve funding constraints. What stops us?
— by Luke Freeman
(15 mins. read)
• Five Years of Rethink Priorities: What We've Learned
—by Peter Wildeford and Marcus Davis
(15 mins. read)
• An Overview of Catastrophic AI Risks
—by Center for AI Safety
(20 mins. read)
• Decision-making and decentralisation in EA
—by William MacAskill
(29 mins. read)
Some interesting reads
A list of some interesting and detailed resources we found
• The impact of mobile phones & mobile money for people in poverty
—by GiveDirectly
(4 mins. read)
• Rigorously prioritizing the top health security (biosecurity) ideas
—by Charity Entrepreneurship
(9 mins. read)
• Farmed Animals: How Factory Farming Affects Different Species
—by Animal Charity Evaluators
(9 mins. read)
• Challenges and opportunities to scaling up methane mitigation finance
—by the Clean Air Task Force
(6 mins. read)
• What Everyone Should Know About Live Animal Exports
—by Mercy for Animals
(4 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
Executive Assistant - Foresight Institute
[Rolling applications]
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]
Research Scholar | Policy Track - Centre for the Governance of AI
[August 9, 2023]
Learn or deepen your knowledge on the core ideas of EA
Introductory EA Program - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from Aug. 7 - Oct. 1
[Deadline: July 23, 2023]
In-Depth EA Program - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from Aug. 7 - Oct. 1
[Deadline: July 23, 2023]
The Precipice Reading Group - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from Aug. 7 - Oct. 1
[Deadline: July 23, 2023]
Take the challenge and participate in these Opportunities
Most Important Century Writing Prize - Superlinear
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
Climate Tipping Points - Metaculus
[Deadline: March 1, 2027]
Opportunities for Filipino EAs
Associate Director - IDInsight Philippines
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
Senior Research Associate - Innovations for Poverty Action
[Rolling Applications]
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