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volunteer hq.

postal

So I'm looking for opportunities to volunteer for the IDP credit and was wondering any good/horror stories from volunteer experience. (besides the obvious habitat for humanity)

also, since i'm in chicago, I'm wondering maybe somebody has worked with perservation chicago, green drinks, etc.

anybody work with a neighborhood's chamber of commerce or other councils?

i'm just looking for any good ideers at this point.

(actually, i was somewhat suprised to find little help searching past discussions)

have at it

 
Nov 14, 06 6:12 pm
mdler

I give handjobs to quadriplegics

Nov 14, 06 6:20 pm  · 
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mdler

is this what you meant by ideer???

Nov 14, 06 6:32 pm  · 
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dml955i

The Habitat for Humanity here in Seattle is overloaded w/ IDP people wanting to volunteer - they're backlogged!

I helped build a new neighborhood playground & coached some little league...

Nov 14, 06 7:15 pm  · 
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postal

isn't that in iBuck or iMoose? I hope you didn't spend too much time on that.

but dml, that's what I figured, even though i did send in an app. for HforH. anyone volunteer through or for aia? (is that asking for an archinect archi-onslaught?)

Nov 15, 06 9:16 am  · 
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Chili Davis

I called HFH here in Detroit and they were booked for 2006. I did, however, manage to volunteer for 9 days in spring 2007. That's 72 hours of volunteer time. I am also aware of a group called Freedom by Design, within our AIAS, who do design/build projects to aid people with disabilaties. Many schools of architecture also do a great deal of volunteer work and will welcome any additional help. I suggest contacting the nearest college.

Nov 15, 06 9:35 am  · 
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in ky we have an aia program called kydat (kentucky design assistance team) in which a team of volunteers goes to a community and has a weekend charrette to help with renovation recommendations, streetscape development proposals, urban design issues, and general brainstorming about things our hosts would like to tackle. your aia chapter might have something similar.

Nov 15, 06 9:47 am  · 
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myriam

There's a really cool little office of sustainable volunteering up on damen near the intersection of damen and sunnyside near lincoln square. I keep walking by it and staring in the windows. They're always chatting around a worktable and they have ibooks open next to them. There's a sign in the window advertising the green drinks thing, so they might be part of the team that puts it on...? I wish I could remember the name of the place, but I bet you anything they'd have things to put you to use on, and they looked like interesting types. I meant to contact them myself.

Nov 15, 06 10:45 am  · 
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FRO

I fight fires, clamp off spewing gas lines, and pull people out of car wrecks

Nov 15, 06 10:45 am  · 
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myriam

also, if you like communicating, there might be one of those architecture after-school programs in chicago. some of the students at my university were involved in that, and it always looked like incredible fun.

Nov 15, 06 10:46 am  · 
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postal

was it the foresight design intitiative?

Nov 15, 06 10:58 am  · 
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myriam

yes. thank you.

Nov 15, 06 11:00 am  · 
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postal
http://www.foresightdesign.org/

fyi...

i was going to follow up with them, but it looks like the volunteers do event coordination, (not my ideal situation), i've never gone to green drinks or walked by their office thought, it's something i may need to check out.

anybody here gone to green drinks?

Nov 15, 06 11:12 am  · 
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Bloopox

For IDP purposes there's no requirement that the volunteer/community service be in architecture or anything design related. Don't feel that you have to be limited by finding something like HFH or something at the AIA or anything like that.

On the other hand if you especialy want to earn these units in something architectural, I remember seeing an ad on craigslist a few months ago from someone volunteering a certain number of hours of free design consulting to any non-profit that took him up on the offer, in order to fulfill his IDP units. That seemed like a potentially good idea since he might end up with some independent design work for his portfolio and make some new contacts while he's at it that might lead to projects down the road.

Nov 15, 06 11:46 am  · 
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postal

bloopox, the second paragraph was exactly what i was thinking, i'd rather not just frame a house and call it a day, i'd rather build a relationship with an organization, political, nfp, or otherwise that might be beneficial to me in the future. don't get me wrong, i'd love to help out at the local soup kitchen, but if at all possible i'd like to forge some "connegtions"

hmmm...maybe you will see me on craig's list

Nov 15, 06 12:01 pm  · 
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futureboy

i don't know if there's an architecture for humanity chapter in chicago yet (i'm sure there is at least a small group), but it's a great way to get involved and do something architectural. i helped start the one here in new york and now we've got a consistent stream of community design, design/build projects that we're involved in.
let me see if i can find out who runs the chicago chapter....

Nov 15, 06 6:21 pm  · 
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stephanie

i volunteer at my local art film house that has people take tickets at the podium and instead of paying grants free admission to any films.
i also volunteer at the local contemporary theater as an usher (or sometimes drink server). these both are regular basis volunteer positions that have been extremely rewarding in a social, cultural, and community aspects.
plus both have great perks!

i just wanted to reinforce that it is just as rewarding to do non-architecture related community service.
(even if court ordered. J/K! J/K!)

Nov 15, 06 6:31 pm  · 
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futureboy
link

looks like their website hasn't been updated in a while.
i'll check and see if there is someone in charge out there...if cameron stops by maybe he can let you know...

Nov 15, 06 6:33 pm  · 
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vado retro

i got all my hours by giving advice on archinect...

Nov 15, 06 7:59 pm  · 
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migrod

i got screwed by not getting paid for a design i produced for a church, so i asked the pastor to at least sign my hours. he couldn't refuse. i'm sure he feels we're even now. i don't. oh well, at least i got those hours out of the way.

Nov 28, 06 5:35 pm  · 
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snooker

I volunteered at the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). Made flags and things for them....it was a delightful internship.

Nov 28, 06 7:37 pm  · 
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sunburntkamel

i get that you can get your hours by doing non-architectural volunteer work, but even if you're serving soup at the homeless shelter, don't you need a mentor there?

how do you get a licensed architect to go volunteering with you? or do you just need to tell your mentor "hey, i'm going to candy stripe the cancer ward this weekend, see you on monday"?

Feb 13, 07 7:49 pm  · 
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