Volunteer Design

JI is a platform that vets and connects volunteers in the architecture & construction industry (including university students) with humanitarian projects around the world.

Qualifications

Skillset

Volunteers must have a skillset that adds a professional value to the project.

Commitment

Volunteers must be willing to dedicate the appropriate amount of time necessary to produce a quality product.

Passion

JI only selects volunteers that have a true passion for humanitarian work.  Any ulterior motive will be rejected.

How The Platform Works

Step 1

If you are a volunteer wishing to offer design services, a student with a desire to study community-based humanitarian design work, or a professionals seeking to mentor/sponsor design, click on the appropriate button below and submit an application!

Step 2

The JI team reviews all applicants.  Approved volunteer designer applicants are contacted and paired with projects and professional mentors.

Step 3

Project teams are formulated and integrated into the JI Project Management Portal.  Design teams receive the JI Humanitarian Design Handbook and other resources, and get to work!

“JI has changed my perspective on the true purpose of architecture – to improve people’s wellbeing.  My experience opened my eyes to this world of vastly diverse cultures and needs.  The most beautiful and rewarding feeling is seeing your own design come to life and serve a community.”
-Carly Althoff, JI Designer

APPLY NOW!

Designer Application

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • i.e.: construction management, structural engineering, civil engineering, architecture, etc.
  • Are you seeking a thesis project? Looking to involve your professional staff with a project? Internship? International travel opportunity?
  • When can you start working? For how long? How much time can you dedicate per week?
  • Max. file size: 512 MB.
  • Max. file size: 512 MB.
    In addition to your resume, please provide a cover letter stating why you are a passionate and qualified candidate for our program.
  • Max. file size: 512 MB.
    if you have a showcase portfolio of your work, please attach.

Volunteer Testimonials

Jessica Labac, Past JI student designer – “JI gave my heart a voice and my career a direction.  Working with this organization gave me not only the resources, but the confidence to actively pursue my dream to become a humanitarian designer.”

Samantha Nason, Past JI student designer – “Being on the JI team was an invaluable experience for me – it was my first introduction to working with other designers, architects, and engineers in a realistic work atmosphere.  I learned to better collaborate, innovate, and ultimately had the opportunity to stand behind a mission that was bigger than me.”

Jonathan Allen, Past JI student designer – “Architecture.  It is a stamp that we designers leave on the world.  JI gave me the opportunity to design for a needed community, with the goal of making a difference in people’s lives for the better.  As an architecture student, there is no better experience.”

Gilbert Garzon, Past JI student designer – “The JI experience: A journey that opens your eyes to infinite possibilities that knows no boundaries.  It combines the hearts and minds of many to touch people’s lives across the globe.  A journey with experiences and bonds created with strangers that results in a second family lasting forever.  All with one mission to build what matters most.”

Anna Nagasugi, Past JI student designer – “My experience with JI has been pivotal to my life.  JI enabled me to pursue my passion to help others through architecture and has been a constant encouragement in my education and career.”

Carly Althoff, Past JI student designer – “JI has changed my perspective on the true purpose of architecture – to improve people’s wellbeing.  My experience opened my eyes to this world of vastly diverse cultures and needs.  The most beautiful and rewarding feeling is seeing your own design come to life and serve a community.”

Trevor Roberts, Past JI student designer – “JI allowed me to envision more from architecture than just building designs.  The experience has caused me to continuously strive for a deeper and richer involvement in the built world.”

Alex Lowden, Past JI student designer – “Working with JI was a life-changing experience.  It helped me realize I can make a difference at a young age and gave me the courage to dream big.”

Jessica Kuhlman, Past JI student designer – “Working as a JI designer has given me a better world view and taught me things I could never learn through school alone.  Seeing the impact of my work in the lives of people who need it most is the most rewarding experience!”

Paige Taff, Past JI student designer – “The JI experience exposed me to real world problems and taught me how to solve real world issues, most of which American designers are rarely given the opportunity to solve.  It opened my eyes to the role architecture plays in everyone’s life and what my duty should be as an architect, a designer, and an advocate.  The JI program grounded my educational experience in reality and gave me a chance to dream big professionally.”

Megan Snyder, Past JI student designer – “JI encouraged me to not only help people with an efficient design but to strive to push my design to be more inspiring for the local community.”

Anna Guenther, Past JI student designer – “JI oriented my mind back to what I believe life (and architecture) is about: serving others with the skills and opportunities we are given. My year working with JI brought me first to deep compassion for a new people group and then empowered me to meet a desperate need head-on.”

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