The Role of the Professional

A professional in the field of architecture doesn’t need to limit their capabilities to a drawing board and a few tools. Olwethu Jack spoke about how he used his skills as an Architect to help out smaller communities by providing them with the skills they need to improve their lives. He was able to catch their attention and them involved by starting out small by simply making them aware of the problems. This was achieved by throwing pieces of cardboard on the floor randomly and telling them this was their house. They began to notice the problem and started reorganizing them by themselves.

Next he capitalised on the fact that some of the locals were construction workers and gathered the few people with skills. He reached out and brought people from other informal settlements in so that he could also teach them the basic skills. This then led to multiple group learning sessions where they were taught skills like scale and measuring.

These are just small ways in which a single skilled individual can make a massive difference to communities in need. As a skilled individual who has the ability to help others, it is the professional’s role in the community to seek out, help, aid, educate and uplift those around them.