8. Mentorship Programs
TDP team member Cody Hearne is a part of the AIAS / HSA Mentorship program with Drury University. This is a program where local professionals in the field of architecture are paired up with Drury architecture students to give them a bit of an inside look at what they will be doing in their career after graduation. The mentors meet with the mentees and assist them with their designs by giving desk critiques and outside feed back, sitting in on reviews, and providing them with other opportunities related to our field of work. They also answer questions the students may have about what to expect after graduation. The main goal of the program is to to bridge the divide between students and professionals so that they are prepared for work once they finish school.
While this program is specifically for architects, there are a variety of other mentorship programs in our area that you could get involved in. The Mission to Mentor program through the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield is a great option if you want to be a fun, positive influence in a child’s life. The Boys & Girls Club’s main mission is to guide youth, especially those from at-risk environments, in the right direction through social, physical, and educational developmental activities. They feel that giving these youth a one-on-one mentor is a great way to help them stay on the right track.
Another similar organization is Big Brothers Big Sisters. Here, “bigs” (or mentors,) are matched with “littles” (mentees) based on personality types, interests, main need of the mentee, etc. Involvement in this program can be as simple as having lunch with your little once a week, or if you’d prefer to be a bit more involved, you can sign up to be a community based big, where you do some sort of activity with your little each week.
If you are interested in getting involved with either the Boys & Girls Club or Big Brothers Big Sisters (www.bigbro.com,) head over to their websites to find out more information and to apply!