LEADERSHIP
The Landscape Architecture Student Association of Tarbiat Modares University held more than 20 activities between 2018 and 2021. Designing and gardening the Botanical Garden of Landscape Architecture Department, trips (Nowshahr, Shiraz, and Kashan), workshops, conferences, movie review sessions, software classes and etc. are among them. The “Don't Help Me” challenge was the activity that won the first prize of the International Student Festival of HARKAT in the division of creativity in 2020. It is my honor to say that I was in charge of Secretary of Association for this period.
“Don't Help Me” Challenge
The first “Don't Help Me” cultural challenge - coinciding with World Day of the Blind (White Cane) - was held at Tarbiat Modares University by the association. The purpose of this challenge was to make the educated and academic community familiar with the daily problems of the blind in the city.
Field interviews with blind people living in the neighborhood, several meetings with Mr. Ali Akbar Jamali, President of the Iranian Association of the Blinds, field study of pedestrian spaces in Amirabad neighborhood and Tarbiat Modares University, finally led to the spark of a cultural idea and low-cost challenge “Don't Help Me” According to our group, the most ideal form of a city for a blind person is in a situation where he does not need the help of others.
In this challenge, volunteer students and professors were given blindfolds and white canes and asked to start their daily journey from the north entrance of the university to their personal destination without being seen. Along the way, they were filmed without realizing it and were interviewed at the end. The result of the challenge for the volunteers and the reception was far beyond imagination. Participants described the experience of this challenge as deeply impactful. Notably, none of the participants managed to reach their destination.
