Philippine Society of Youth Science Clubs

History

On March 5, 1971, twenty-six science fair winners decided to form the National Science Clubs of the Philippines. It was originally a friendship group under the auspices of the Science Foundation of the Philippines (SFP). The organization was renamed later on Philippine Society of Youth Science Clubs, Inc. when the organization was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1974 due to a regulation that prohibits the use of national in the name of private corporations. A Constitution and By-Laws was ratified and a broader objective, the promotion of science consciousness among the youth through the coordination of science club activities, was adapted.

The science club movement flourished under the SFP. Together with the Science Club Advisers Association of the Philippines (SCAAP) and the Philippine Association of Science and Math Supervisors (PASMS), the PSYSC conducted science fairs, symposia, quizzes, and other activities geared towards the promotion of public understanding of science, technology and the environment (PUSTE).

In 1979, these efforts were given due recognition when President Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 1895 declaring September of every year as National Science Club Month (NSCM).

With the reorganization of bureaucracy in 1988, the SFP (renamed Science Promotions Institute) was abolished. With this, the PSYSC, SCAAP and PASMS were left on their own. Youth science promotions programs met their untimely death and along with them, the SFP-attached organizations themselves.

The PSYSC stood firm, however. Its officers rallied behind the organization’s cause and continued to pursue the thrusts of the PSYSC. In 1990, it conducted the National Youth Science and Technology Summer Camp on its own for the first time. In 1996, the 1st National Children’s Science Interactive Workshop (CSIW) was conducted, an activity designed to promote ST&E among its elementary affiliates. To meet the demands of changing times, the organization amended its constitution during the 1998 National Centennial Youth Science Leaders’ Congress in Baguio City.

The PSYSC has grown tremendously. Its programs and projects are now more comprehensive in scope. Its affiliation has increased substantially, reaching a high of more than 300,000 in the fiscal year 1999-200, and attendance in its activities continues to grow. Truly, the PSYSC has come a long, long way, and would continue to reach greater heights.

Vision

We envision a Philippine society where Science, Technology, and Environment (ST&E) is a culture, a mindset, an orientation, an outlook, and away of life, where;

• Learning ST&E is easy, fun, simple, and comprehensible;
• There is a free exchange of ST&E concepts and ideas by, and among ST&E enthusiasts;
• ST&E is applied for the improvement and development of the individual, the family, the community and the society, and;
• There is a concerted action by all individuals and sectors for making this vision a reality.

Mission

• To initiate programs, projects and activities that shall complement and supplement formal science education;
• To popularize science clubbing as an effective means of promoting scientific consciousness and scientific culture among the youth;
• To organize, maintain, monitor, and initiate the network of youth science clubs;
• To promote the application and understanding of science, technology, and the environment (ST&E) among the youth through the conduct of relevant projects and activities, and;
• To call for the involvement of all sectors in ST&E programs projects, and advocacy.

Logo

At the very core is a man whose arms and feet are open wide, thus, the Science Club members amidst the advent of knowledge and who offers oneself in the service to the community and nation. Enclosing the man is a circle representative of the Science Club Movement, its dynamism amidst the changes, and the continuity of its ideals. On the outermost parts are the orbits of the electron around an atom, the basic constituents of matter, unifying the universe, humanity and society, and the Science Club Movement, all committed in one pursuit- Public Understanding of Science, Technology and Environment.