Parlour is delighted to welcome you to On the Verandah, a new online discussion series convened by Debjani Sarkar and Lameesa Yousuf – a platform for sharing knowledge, increasing intercultural literacy and increasing opportunity for those marginalised through cultural background and gender.
On the Verandah highlights the value of cultural background and intercultural literacy – within practice and beyond – creating a space for discussions that focus on increasing access and opportunity for practitioners who are marginalised in multiple ways. It is a forum for both speculative discussion and practical advice, which aims to catalyse actionable change within the architecture community.
The Verandah is a space to dissect the uncomfortable interstices of marginalisation within our profession. It is a reminder to those who may feel under represented within practice, that they are not alone and that there is a way forward to advocating for each other.
Each month, Debjani and Lameesa will welcome guest speakers to the Verandah for lively, topical conversations.
We start the series on a positive, productive note. The first session, “What do we Bring”, will explore the perspectives and possibilities that a multicultural background brings. The second, “Advocating for Yourselves” focusses on communication, confidence and culture. Sessions in 2025 will tackle a range of topics, including some of those challenging topics we have to have!
What’s in a name?
The verandah is a space of shelter, a place to gather between public and private worlds. It is a place to gather and talk, to exchange ideas and share knowledge.
The word verandah traverses many cultures – in Bengali bārāndā, in Hindi varaṇḍā, in Portuguese varanda, in Spanish baranda. It is thought to have come into English via India.
On the Verandah is committed to the cross-cultural significance of communal knowledge sharing. It is a communal meeting place, a platform that supports the coincidental cross-fertilisation of ideas.
Who are we?
Debjani and Lameesa are two people who are eager to curate a space for discussion, sharing of resources, knowledge and access to pathways for practitioners who are marginalised at all intersections – our focus, however, is on cultural background
Our interests lie in addressing the intersections of racially motivated exclusion and discrimination that remain suppressed beneath a veil of secrecy and the ‘we don’t talk about that’ mentality.
To find out more, watch clips from Debjani and Lameesa in the 2024 Sydney Spring Salon.
CPD & learning objectives
Formal CPD is available for each session. We provide a set of questions for each session, which will ask you to reflect on what you have learned, and what it means in the context of your professional practice.
The response is submitted via an online form. You will receive an email with a PDF certificate of your responses. Please keep the response email for your records. If you don’t get the email please check your spam folder
Learning objectives
The learning objectives of the series as a whole relate to the Practice Management and Design units of Competency in the 2015 NSCA.
On the Verandah includes content relevant to the 2021 NSCA across all the Professionalism, and Communication Professional Capabilities – and the Practice Management and Professional Conduct Unit of Competency.
The learning objectives are as follows:
- TO COME
- TO COME
- TO COME
