ummm, by volunteering???




but seriously, most of mine was doing stuff with the local aia... serving on committees, organizing exhibitions, mentoring students at the local university, etc... i also did some pro bono design work for a non-profit...

also, i imagine that a lot of people do stuff like habitat for humanity...

I spoke to high school career classes about professions in Architecture. Wonder if any of those kids ended up in Architecture. Poor bastards.

- served as a board member of a young professionals group
- volunteered at a house for people to stay at when their family was in the hospital. I answered the phone, washed linens, checked families in, watered the garden, gave people rides. Many of the house's guests were there to adopt children, so came from all over the country. That was interesting.
- provided design services to redecorate that house, just finishes and furnishings. I did much of the shopping too.

All good experiences.

habitat for humanity

ACE Mentor Program and good ol' CANstruction

ACE mentor program as well...

Served on the board of directors of my local AIA chapter. Also volunteered with a neighborhood youth mentoring program.

offff OH YEAH

i just started getting back into good old category 16. like architphil, i did a some pro-bono work for a non-profit. lately, i've been volunteering at the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Volunteering with a middle school/community garden (making plan, building raised beds, planting veggies....)

H4H

Teaching Boy Scouts Architecture Merit Badge

a general note to all idp'ers for this requirement: regardless of what you decide to do, don't leave this one for last (like i did); do it as you go. if they still require something like 80 hours, what could be meaningful and enjoyable turns into a chore at the tail end of the many, many required hours before being allowed to take your exams (although i know in most places people test concurrently with idp, so this is now mute...). the only other recommendation i have would be to fulfill this requirement by doing something that really interests or inspires you.

Good advice, ess.

I helped disadvantaged youth make a float for a parade in a small town in Oregon. And judged science fairs at elementary schools.

i volunteered for a program called "fire free" that removed combustable material (sage brush, grass, pine needles, etc) from around houses and property of the elderly or immoble in rural areas at the wilderness/ suburban fringe in the drier, more ignitable portions of oregon.

good advice, ess.

i really dig this thread, it fleshes out the broad range of activities and settings which can fulfill this requirement.

I'd recommend picking an organization outside of the field of architecture- soup kitchen, boys & girls club, united way, humane society, etc...
It can be a good opportunity to meet people outside of your usual professional circle.
Its easiest to rack up the hours if you can get on a specific schedule instead of just hit or miss when you feel like it.

for IDP, I had already spent many years volunteering at afterschool and youth programs - so I just continued with that.

right now I'm mostly involved with urban greening/farming, and community development type groups... I've done a ton of volunteer/pro bono stuff over the years - it's really important to me to give back. the added benefit is that I've learned a lot about fund-raising and schmoozing with politicians... great skills (and contacts) to bring back to an office.

IMO - "community service" shouldn't stop after you've done IDP. It's a really great way of networking and connecting with like-minded people. plus, it makes our profession look good the more of us who are out there helping out in our communities.

I volunteered as a tour guide/docent at the Farnsworth House (by Mies van der Rohe, in Plano, IL). I really enjoyed the experience. I don't know where you live or what significant architectural buildings are nearby, but you might want to look into that as a possibility. I guess I'm fortunate living in the Chicago area that there are many people who come for architectural tourism, whether it's Frank Lloyd Wright fans coming to Oak Park, or the riverboat tours on the Chicago River looking at buildings downtown, etc. So there are many opportunities for tour guiding in this area.

i just signed on to volunteer with the BSA for National Rebuilding Day later this month...should be pretty cool exciting. it's odd how many opportunities have jumped out since i started looking for them.

http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/section/initiatives/nrd

I did some portfolio reviews at a college fair, as well as some studio reviews. These few hours won't fulfill the requirement, but I had already intended to do them, so at least it's a start. In general, I like the idea of doing some volunteering outside of architecture, and I think it's obviously a good habit/thing to do in general, but as yet I've been too busy/lazy.

mfrech - that sounds like fun. do you know what neighborhood(s) they are targeting this year?

toasteroven, i'm not sure which neighborhood we'll be working in, they are keeping us in suspense for some reason. but it should be a good time, i will give an update once i know.

We have a College here in the Boston area called the BAC. This institution gives young designers a chance to begin a teaching career. It is fairly simple for a talented, motivated professional to teach first or second year design...the only problem is...they don't pay. ( and no, I don't consider the $175 stipend actually 'paying').


Since you are not getting paid, I asked if this could be considered volunteer work...and the answer was yes. So...I used the opportunity to both start teaching and knock off the community service for IDP.