One part of Grassroots that you may not be thinking about is partnerships! A large part of what makes our conferences and programming throughout the year possible is our national partnerships: international and local firms, allied organizations, product manufacturers and more! We collaborate on webinars, content and competitions throughout the year, and at Grassroots, you will be able to chat with representatives from our partner organizations- you never know what a connection could bring you in the future! Every tour, workshop, and networking event, (including a Career Expo!) has a partner involved!
Career expo
Have you ever wanted to network while playing corn hole? No? Is that too specific of a dream? Well don’t worry, we thought of it for you!
On Friday, July 29, AIAS has our annual Block Party at the AIA Headquarters in DC, and this year our first 2 hours will feature some of our favorite firms! We know not everyone will want to work in DC for internships, after college, and throughout their career, so we are inviting firms with offices all over the country (and world!). We want to ensure that a connection made in DC can benefit you whether you are in Portland, Atlanta, or Minneapolis (and many more places, of course). Check out what Vice President DeFranza has to say about the Career Expo:
“Grassroots serves to enrich your experiences, making sure you can face the world after school. There’s no better way to get ready than crafting a network of support and opportunity! At the Block Party this year, we are going to have firms with offices around the world (and country!) on display at our Career Expo. So you’re coming from California for the conference and don’t want to move to D.C. after? That’s all good! While the firms you’ll see will be represented by their DC offices, they can serve as connections to wherever you may go in the future. Your networks are exponential- we all know someone who knows someone. So take advantage of this moment to grow the list of who you know!”
Who will you meet?
On Friday and Saturday, Grassroots will feature tours and workshops with many of our partners. Some of the firms you will get to meet include Perkins Eastman, Quinn Evans, Gensler, and many more! We also have some large workshops on Architecture’s role in addressing homelessness with Friendship Place DC, Advocacy Training with AIA Advocacy, and many more!
Take advantage of seeing our partners Benjamin Moore, ConstructConnect, Graphisoft, James Hardie, Kawneer, National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association (NTMA), Sherwin Williams, and Sierra Pacific! Are you interested in getting materials samples for your schools? Sponsored materials and knowledge for FBD projects? Free software to try out? This is a great chance to make those asks and provide membership value at the local level!
NCARB Grants Reminder!
We also want to remind you to take advantage of partner Grant opportunities! On Saturday, July 30th, NCARB will be running a Student Licensing Advisors Training, and to support as many student licensing advisors to attend, NCARB is funding travel and expenses for these advisors to attend! Chapter presidents can appoint these representatives, and should as soon as possible. If you don’t know how to do that, check out this blogpost. Apply by May 31st for this travel grant! NOTE: Please do not book any arrangements. Expect outreach in early June to share whether you have been selected for the grant and you will be given instructions from there!
LICENSING ADVISOR GRANT APPLICATION
Additionally, AIAS is offering in partnership with NCARB, our Freedom by Design Director Grants. These will cover the cost of registration for the conference. If you are the FBD Director for your chapter, or a member of the FBD team in place of your director, please apply ASAP for this grant so we can notify you!
