In a move towards greater engagement and diversity, the Victorian Chapter with an initiative led by Caitlin Sinclair, Chapter Coordinator, are celebrating with an inclusive digital iteration of International Women’s Day. Instead of a single event, we will be hosting a month long celebration during March with an expression of interest that is open to all our members.
How to get involved:
We invite you to contribute one to two lines on the theme of Rebuild and Re-imagine and what this means to you in the context of IWD 2021. It takes courage, creativity and commitment to dare to re-imagine and then rebuild our world in a different way. Contributions will be published on the website with credit to the respective authors.
You can also get involved by striking the #ChooseToChallenge pose and send us your photo. Raise your hand high and show your solidarity in choosing to challenge.
Our theme speaks to the overarching IWD 2021 theme of #ChooseToChallenge.
A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. We can choose to challenge and call out gender stereotypes and bias. We can choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change. Choose to challenge.
This is an opportunity for you to share your insights, perspectives and to make it your own.
We look forward to celebrating International Women’s Day with you.
VIC CHAPTER PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE:
To all our members,
As we navigate through our professional and personal lives in 2021, relentlessly and resiliently ever adapting to these uncertain times, we are reminded of the necessity of strengthening our core values. To this end, we continue addressing the many and varied issues that we all face as a profession and within our community, in particular gender equality.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a celebration of how far we have come, and it is also a marker of further improvement and progress yet to be realised. Aptly, this year’s global theme is #ChooseToChallenge.
I would like to thank Caitlin Sinclair our Victorian Chapter Coordinator who led the initiative for a longer celebration during March this year in lieu of a single day of acknowledgment. Caitlin has essentially facilitated a new digital iteration of IWD 2021 with an “Expression of Interest” via our Institute portal that is open to all members. This is a refreshed approach to IWD stemming from the Institutes’ commitment towards greater engagement, equity and inclusivity for the profession and wider community.
Therefore in 2021 the Institute is encouraging all its members to contribute to the theme of “Rebuild and Re-imagine” in the context of IWD 2021.
We encourage all to participate, we are all parts of a whole; our individual actions, conversations, behaviours, and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, call out gender bias and inequality, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievement.
Contributions will be shared via the Institute website and socials with accreditation for the respective contributors. While this is an opportunity for our members to share their own professional and personal perspectives to a broader audience, this will also be timely for us all to create an “alert world” in the 90th year of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
Thank you to our members and volunteers for their insights and efforts in such an important space. Collectively, we can all create an inclusive world.
Have your say:
“If COVID-19 has taught me anything it is that we can disrupt our organisations and connect with our communities overnight. We can lead, collaborate and practice with compassion, kindness and respect for each other’s differences to come together to build a world that we want to actually live in.” – Alison Potter, Principal, Grimshaw
“COVID-19 has highlighted the vulnerability of women as they bear the brunt of the global economic and social fallout from the pandemic; it has magnified a flawed system but also created opportunities. As we work to re-build in a post-pandemic world, the time is right to re-imagine our studios, re-frame what it means to be Women in Architecture, re-focus on the value we bring and hold ourselves to account.” – Soo-Ling Kang, Associate, Grimshaw
“As society continues to evolve every day, is a chance to re-invent our perspectives and goals for the community both close to us and afar. As women particularly in Australia are in fortunate and unique positions in society to propound our ideas for what the future looks like.” – Cera Stribley Architects
“Endorsing equality is easy, achieving equality has proven to be harder – cultural change within our organisation is the key. Having our world turned upside down during the pandemic is allowing us to consider how we do things now and how we may change into the future.” – Denton Corker Marshall
“The first thing that comes to my mind is when clients are surprised how well their kitchens and laundries function so well. I tell them that’s because I cook and do the laundry!” – Nadine Samaha, Creative Director, Level Architekture Konstrukt
“The buildings we create are based on standards designed for men: from park benches and public toilets, to workplace layouts and the dimensions of furniture. I would like to see these gospel design rules challenged and reshaped from a woman’s perspective of experiencing the city and buildings.
Importantly, to recognise the advantage that men have physically while transitioning through spaces, whether it be on public transport or in a lift lobby, we haven’t reconfigured our city to be a parallel experience for women and until this occurs equality will always be at arm’s length.” – Isabella Peppard Clark, Architect, DesignInc Melbourne.
“Becoming a mother is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Pursuing excellence in Architecture sometimes made me cry – being a new mum made me wail. But, much like our beloved collective vocation, nothing is more rewarding. Cleo’s my best project. With immense resilience I’ll rebuild & re-imagine myself to emerge an even better leader – more empathy & patience to encourage others to thrive. But right now, I’m still asking for help and that’s powerful too.” – Monique Woodward, Director, WOWOWA
