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The Young Architects Forum (YAF), a program of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the College of Fellows (COF), is organized to address issues of particular importance to recently licensed architects.

FAQ: What is a young architect and what is an emerging professional? Young architects are architects licensed up to ten years of initial licensure, and the name does not have any relationship to age. Emerging professionals are professionals who have completed their academic studies up to the point of licensure or up to 10 years after completion of their academic studies. Although young architects are now defined as distinct from emerging professionals, many components refer to these groups similarly. For example, a local YAF group may include emerging professionals and a local Emerging Professionals Committee may include young architects.

A message to 2015 Grassroots participants ...

  • 1.  A message to 2015 Grassroots participants ...

    Posted 03-01-2015 09:53 PM
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Young Architects Forum and Center for Civic Leadership .
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    ... WELCOME to our FIRST discussion post of 2015.  This message is specifically for you!

    If you are reading this post, there is a good chance it is because of a red postcard you picked up about the Center for Civic Leadership at the Grassroots Leadership Conference between March 4 - 6 entitled "Dare to Lead".  Or you may have been directed here by me in person at Grassroots so that I didn't drone on and on about all of the exciting initiatives our group is taking on in 2015.

    Over the last decade, developing and promoting architects as leaders in our firms and communities has been consistently growing.  Originally the "Committee on Leadership Education" knowledge community (2005-2008), and two years of joint AIA Board Advocacy Committee (BAC) collaborations, the Center for Civic Leadership (CCL) emerged in 2011.  Operating as an all-volunteer group with limited staff and no budget for four years, AIA leadership decided in late 2014 to provide the CCL with experienced staff and financial resources to continue our efforts.

    The CCL welcomes all AIA members to learn about our rejuvenated efforts to provide programs we need, the recognition we deserve, and the resources we can learn from to assist architects in becoming the leaders we were meant to be.  Our collaborative efforts are well underway with the Young Architects Forum, Board Advocacy Committee, the Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE), the College of Fellows, and SFRT/LFRT leaders.  Our three major initiatives include 1) the creation of a Leadership Institute, 2) defining, recognizing, and promoting all levels of AIA Citizen Architects, and 3) developing/distributing the resources we need to become better leaders.

    The Leadership Institute 'Initiative'

    Working with AIA staff, involved stakeholders, and sponsors/partners, the CCL expects to hold a Leadership Institute program in the Fall of 2015.  The CCL is currently researching what other A/E/C organizations have done in terms of leadership education, programming, and conferences, and developing the outline of what this Institute will look like - now, and in the future.  Alliances in this effort largely include the Young Architects Forum, the College of Fellows, SFRT, and CACE, with several other groups interested.  If you are a knowledge community or constituency group interested in helping our efforts, please contact us!!!  As details emerge, we will announce them here, in social media, and many other media sources.

    The Citizen Architect 'Initiative'

    The CCL's second major initiative is to work with AIA Advocacy and the BAC to survey and identify those 83,000 AIA members who find themselves in diverse levels of "Citizen Architect".  This information can strengthen, promote, and engage AIA Citizen Architects as leaders through greater website presence, A/E/C publications, and at industry conventions and conferences.  Eventually, the CCL and AIA Advocacy will create, implement, and oversee a robust Citizen Architect Recognition Program, as well as expand upon the existing "Creating a Citizen Architect Committee" guidebook and format the content into a toolkit and/or presentation.

    The Resource Development & Promotion 'Initiative'

    Our third initiative is to update and share existing content, create new material, and make leadership resources more readily available to AIA members through various channels and formats.  Updating and building upon the 5-year-old leadership awareness tool 'Living Your Life as a Leader' will be a major effort, along with revised material about this content to share with selected AIA members to present to constituents.  Model AIA (and non-AIA) leadership programs across the country, focused on architects of all experience levels, will be shared.  Most importantly, the CCL's online presence, working with AIA staff, will be improved and expanded upon.  A survey is now available on our AIA KnowledgeNet home page for CACE members to provide data about existing advocacy and leadership programs produced by the components, as well as their needs.  If you are a CACE member, PLEASE assist us by filling out this easy survey!

    Partnerships

    As 2015 progresses, the CCL will be looking for a number of partner companies and organizations to assist in our efforts, most notably with this fall's Leadership Institute program.  As you all know, outside support and the ability to offset expenses such as registration fees, printing, and content distribution are key to a successful event.  Please think about how you, your company, or your connections might be able to support the CCL

    Regardless of the times, there is (and always has been) a need for our AIA members to encompass the CCL's mission statement: "... to advance leadership among architects to promote livable, healthy, sustainable, and quality-designed environments for future generations through community participation and advocacy."  We look forward to increasing the impact the CCL has on our profession, AIA activities, and ensuring our members feel they are getting more value and support from their involvement in the AIA.

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    F. Michael Ayles AIA
    2015 Chair, AIA Center for Civic Leadership
    Antinozzi Associates, PC
    Bridgeport, CT
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