“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” – Shirley Chisholm
Architecture in practice exists at the crossroads of policy and the built environment. Architects regularly advance solutions that directly address the social, environmental, and economic challenges of today and tomorrow. As natural problem solvers, architects do not see empty lots as only places to build; we see them as places to build hopes and dreams.
We need your participation in elevating our profession: AIA Virginia’s ARCHITECTS Speak Up! 2022.
Architects often do not receive a seat at the table when it comes to making important policy decisions, creating a gap between seeing problems and solving them at a macro-scale. AIA Virginia’s advocacy initiatives form a natural bridge between architects and policymakers, allowing architects to be involved in the processes that impact not only our individual practices but our architectural community at large.
Advocacy means not only recognizing a problem but also taking the steps to make a difference. Good advocates organize themselves and their communities to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow. As architects, we engage in advocacy regularly during our practice – sometimes we do not even know when we are doing it!
About ARCHITECTS Speak Up!
The purpose of these meetings will be for AIA Virginia members to acquaint themselves with their in-district legislator(s) and effectively articulate the importance of architects and architecture in their community. The anticipated result is a structured and coordinated outreach event that can occur simultaneously within each of the five local components. For this year’s ARCHITECTS Speak Up! event we will be meeting and reconnecting with the legislators we met with last year and expanding to 5-8 new legislators.
AIA Virginia is looking for your participation in these scheduled virtual meetings this May. We are looking to pair a few Architects with legislators from their home district. This is a tremendous opportunity to familiarize yourself with whom represents YOU in the legislative chambers in Richmond. We want you to advocate and introduce yourself and AIA Virginia as a resource for industry issues in a relaxed (Zoom) environment.
PAC:
If you are not able to participate in ARCHITECTS Speak Up!, then that’s ok!
There are other ways you can support AIA Virginia’s advocacy and community engagement objectives. We are embarking on our 2022 PAC fundraising plan and we could really use your help and financial support in closing our fundraising gap for Quarter 1. Can you invest $50, $100, or $200 today? You can invest at Supporters of the AIAVA Political Action Committee – AIAVA PAC.
Every aspect of participation helps support our collective goals. Please forward this email to your firms, colleagues, and other friends in the architecture community who are as interested and passionate as you are.