by Michael Meehan, AIA
2007 YAF Chair

Summary: This year, as the AIA celebrates its 150th birthday, the Young Architects Forum (YAF) is celebrating its 16th year as a committee. After 15 years, YAF leadership decided it was time to validate the mission of the YAF and arm ourselves with information about the young architects we represent. So, on February 5–6, we brought together 34 young architects, 2 associates, and 10 invited speakers and guests to discuss how the YAF can best address the needs of young architects.

Facilitator Ava Abramowitz, Hon. AIA, led the group through a series of exercises to identify the top issues quickly. Randy Clark assisted as graphic facilitator and helped the group focus on its goals through images and electronic voting. At the summit, participants identified and prioritized a list of the top 10 issues the YAF should address in the years to come to focus our efforts as we develop programs and projects.

The Top 10 issues are:

1. Mentorship
2. Human Capital
3. Leadership/Interaction Skills
4. Practice Management
5. Credibility of the Architect
6. Responsibility of the Architect
7. Outreach
8. Work/Life Balance
9. Integrated Practice
10. Technical Skills.

The list meshes nicely with the traditional YAF mission points of leadership, mentorship, and fellowship. At the top of the list is mentorship, an issue of particular relevance to young architects because we serve both as mentors and mentees. After passing the ARE, we are ready to help interns complete IDP and the examination process. Professionally, we are full of advice for our younger peers. The YAF hopes to play a significant role in increasing the rate of interns earning their licenses, by focusing more attention on IDP mentoring.

Next on the list is “human capital,” which encompasses diversity, talent identification and retention, and workplace issues. The next two issues, leadership and practice management, include the soft skills young architects need to become the next generation of leaders. As identified at the summit, these skills are the basis for growth in community leadership, sustainability, and for the transformation of the profession as outlined in the AIA’s integrated practice initiative.

Developing action plans
Each of the issues identified by the group is being developed into action plans. Summit participants have been invited to continue working with the YAF Advisory Committee to define further the issues about which they feel strongly. These 10 issues will form a filter for future YAF ideas. Successful ideas will meet as many of these needs as possible and help the YAF continue to be a valuable resource within the AIA.

Profile of the YAF
In 1991, the YAF was founded by a group of young architects who saw that recently licensed architects face unique issues. After internship and the exam, what is it architects want to do, to know, to learn? The issues are different from internship, and introductory to issues facing mid-career professionals. Over several months, many meetings, and with the help of excellent mentors, the YAF reached critical mass and has sustained itself for 15 years by sponsoring programs, events, and maintaining a network of regional contacts.

After internship and the exam, what is it architects want to do, to know, to learn?

In 2007, the YAF is still going strong. Today, there are more than 18,000 young architects in the AIA, or nearly one-fourth of the total membership of 80,000 architects. The definition of a young architect includes anyone who has been licensed for 10 years or less, regardless of age. As a committee, our strengths include convention and Grassroots programming that consistently receives great feedback from attendees. Our newsletter, Connections, reaches more than 5,000 young architects every other month. Occasionally, YAF will cosponsor special conferences or events with other groups. Last fall, YAF participated in the Livable Communities conference in Seattle.

Counting on collaboration
One collaborator of which YAF is particularly proud is the Young Constructors Forum, a group of the Associated General Contractors that supports young professionals in the construction industry. YAF has cosponsored weekend events with the YCF, where we have learned about early career issues from the contractor’s point of view and discovered that the personal and professional relationships we forge with contractors will make architecture a more powerful profession in the years to come.

The YAF also maintains a national network of regional liaisons. Set up to mirror the regions of the AIA Board, College of Fellows, and the National Associates Committee, the YAF regional liaisons successfully bring news and events back and forth between national and local AIA components. Regional liaisons have been key in establishing local YAF groups and play a significant role in the YAF efforts at the national level.

Regional liaisons have been key in establishing local YAF groups

As we implement projects based on the YAF 15 Summit, we will closely examine resources within the AIA for collaborations. Many knowledge communities within the Institute have developed programs directly addressing the top 10 list from the YAF 15 Summit. There is also significant overlap between the YAF 15 list of issues and the more expansive list of priorities from the AIA Board of Directors. Exciting new opportunities will also develop as we synthesize resources into new formats for young architects.

Focus on the future
Moving forward, the YAF will use data gathered at the summit to focus the activities of the YAF. The issues identified at the YAF 15 Summit will serve as the measuring stick for the future. We will strive to be the voice for young architects within the AIA by advocating for the needs and interests of architects licensed 10 years or fewer. Most importantly, YAF will be a resource to all AIA members in the areas of mentorship, leadership, and fellowship.

YAF will be a resource to all AIA members in the areas of mentorship, leadership, and fellowship

The YAF 15 Summit evoked the formation of the YAF in 1991 by bringing together young architects who identified the biggest issues facing recently licensed architects in 2007. We asked ourselves hard questions about the profession and how recently licensed architects fit into the AIA’s broader plans. What will the big issues be for the next 15 years? What will young architects talk about 15 years in the future? And most importantly, how can the YAF support young architects in their career growth? Armed with the experiences of the summit, YAF is ready to answer those questions.