OAA members who volunteer on Committees are vital to the Association’s work, with a diversity of voices, opinions, skills and knowledge critical to its decision-making process.
Right now, there are vacancies opening up for three-year terms in 11 OAA groups, ranging from the Regulatory, Interns and Communications Committees to the Sustainable Built Environments Committee (SBEC) and Policy Advocacy Coordination Team (PACT). If you’ve ever considered sharing your skills, perspective and experience to serve the profession and the public interest, now is the time! (To find out more about how to put your name forward by October 18,
click here.)
To help demystify what OAA Committees do and what work is involved, we’ll be sharing the stories of OAA volunteers on the blOAAg over the month of September. Today, we’re talking with Erin Broda of the Interns Committee.
1. Who are you?
I’m Erin Broda—an architect currently focused on institutional design and major renovation projects.
2. Why did you decide to join the Interns Committee?
After writing my exams and becoming registered in Alberta, I wanted to both advocate for the value of registration and improve the process for other interns. Joining the OAA Interns Committee was a good way to act on this and understand bigger-picture dynamics in the profession.
3. What kind of things do you do as a member?
As a member, I initiated a campaign to profile amazing mentorship stories, highlighting and celebrating the importance of this role. This originated with a small group of passionate individuals on committee who identified a need to improve on mentorship in Ontario, and have been working on nudges toward cultural change.
4. What are the meetings like?
Meetings are about two hours long, often after work. With a dozen individuals in the room, they are collegial but structured to give everyone a voice. Often we meet via conference call, in different firms’ offices, the OAA Headquarters, or architecture schools.
5. Why should someone join the group?
Individuals should join the group to challenge themselves using design thinking on an important process. The path to licensure is complex and embedded in law, history, consensus building and culture—how can we improve it?