Stepping Up!
The ACA is delighted to partner with Parlour and the Architecture Group of the Champions of Change on Stepping Up, a new event and editorial series that will run throughout 2022.
The series will share practical approaches to improving equity in architecture and built environment practices, and offers an opportunity to build knowledge and to facilitate exchanges of experiences, ideas and expertise.
The purpose of the collaboration is simple – to engage in meaningful projects that help further the conversation around equity in practice, so as a profession we are striving for more healthy, sustainable practices for all. Through a vibrant event and editorial exchange each month, we will share practical approaches, explore common interests, facilitate ideas, and learn about necessary new initiatives in tackling workplace changes in the post-COVID world.
The Architecture Group of the Champions of Change Coalition has spent seven years developing strategies, resources and policies to help advance gender equity within some of Australia’s largest architectural practices. This is a work in progress – many gains have been made, but progress is uneven and there is still much work to do. The group is now keen to share the resources developed to date, along with experiences of implementing these.
What are the roles and obligations of practice leaders? What progress has been made? How has this been achieved? What challenges and barriers have been encountered? How have they been navigated? What can these large practices learn from the experiences of others in the industry? Join us as we canvas these and many other questions through lively, provocative, honest conversations.
Stepping Up is for all those interested in creating long-term change – including developing and implementing policies and protocols and reshaping organisational cultures and habits to better support equity.
For more on the genesis, motivations, achievements and challenges of the’ Champion of Change Architecture Group, see the interview with Monica Edwards and Shaun Carter.
Topics
Each month we will tackle a different topic, sharing knowledge, resources and experiences that will assist ACA practices of all types and sizes.
Stepping Up will be available as an online CPD event series, held on Monday lunchtimes, but also available as CPD On Demand. Save the date for the following sessions.
- Series Introduction – Listening, Learning & Leadership (Monday 4 April)
- Flexibility (Monday 9 May)
- Parental Leave (Monday 6 June)
- Mentoring (Monday 11 July)
- Sexual Harassment & Bullying (Monday 8 August)
- Role Descriptions & Career Development (Monday 12 September)
- Sponsorship (Monday 10 October)
For more information or to reserve your place at the first Stepping Up online event, head to the Listening, Learning & Leadership event notice.
CPD
One hour of formal CPD will be available for all sessions on completion of the CPD questions. Recordings will also be available afterwards.
Once the questions are completed, you will receive an email with your responses. This provides the evidence of attendance and completion for the session. Please keep the response email for your records. A separate certificate will not be issued.
The learning objectives for the series are as follows:
- To increase understanding of the factors that contribute to gender inequity within architecture and strategies for addressing these.
- To increase understanding of the roles practice and professional leaders can play in improving gender equity, and to learn from the discussion of experiences gained, challenges met and progress made.
- To understand how gender equity issues have been tackled by practices of different scales and types.
- To gain increased knowledge of developing and implementing workplace policies and protocols to support gender equity.
- To gain increased knowledge of reshaping organisational cultures and habits with the aim of better supporting gender equity.
- To gain increased knowledge of how to support the career development of staff within architectural practices, with a focus on equity.
These are relevant to the practice management competencies set out in the National Competency Standard for Architects.