Welsh School of Architecture students launch first issue of INVOLVED Magazine

Students from the Welsh School of Architecture have launched the first printed issue of INVOLVED magazine.

The student-led magazine aims to give young people a platform to engage in the current discussions surrounding architectural practice and education, something that they felt was lacking in the industry.

Dolunay Dogahan, one of the students behind the creation of the magazine said:

“My time in industry showed how important it was to bring the energy of young people into the profession. Many young bright people are kept outside meeting rooms, I knew that we could add value to the profession so at the beginning of this year, I called out to students to help to get the voice of young people heard. The turnout was incredible which showed just how much demand there was for a platform like INVOLVED.”

The team behind INVOLVED is made up of predominantly architecture students with support from both journalism and English students. So far, the team has released two issues; a special digital issue on Architectural Education and a hard copy publication Issue 01- 'The Future' featuring articles, artwork, and photography from young artists and architects across the UK and beyond. Through these publications they have reached out to 60+ universities through an open call.

Alongside this, the team has launched an accompanying website that acts both as an open platform for young people to get their work published and is also a means for learning.

Dolunay said:

“We have managed to start making waves in the profession and with two successful magazine issues we have been able to show what young people are capable of doing.  Through INVOLVED, we help students to become aware of the issues in industry and to be critical whilst encouraging them to take the matters into their own hands when it comes to shaping their own future in practice.”

The team now plan to grow INVOLVED into a platform that enables discussion between education and practice. They plan to hold more debates and events whilst continuing to grow their platform into being the voice of the architecture student through the UK and beyond.