We want to wish you an amazing and creative new year!

I want to personally thank all of the people who make Petit Architect work!

• Our wonderful teachers, Carolina, Evvie, Marta, Parsa, Corrie for leading first class workshops every week! You can learn more about them here! Let’s not forget our summer camp team: Kelly and Sophia:) It takes a village to run this adventure… BTW, we are still looking for a bilingual teacher to join our team - know anyone?

• Our amazing social media and marketing guru, Chelsea! She is the one who helps me deliver all the content and she is a star! If you need anyone to help you out with social media, marketing and all the things, she is THE best! (And, she is looking for new clients:)

• Our Vancouver Island program manager, Krystle, for her amazing online and in person classes and camps! We are so excited to grow our offering in and around Victoria in 2023, check out our Pro D days, and Spring break camps if you are on the island:) Krystle has a lot of new offerings coming up and will be going to many schools on the island to offer more architecture workshops. Cheers to expanding in person classes on Vancouver island!

• Vancouver Schools, the VSB and the CSF, the private schools, the teachers, french-immersion or english, the principals and the staff for their continuous trust and for welcoming us in their classrooms.

• Vancouver Community centers (Hillcrest, Troutlake, Westend, Oakridge-Marpole, and Mountpleasant) , a special thanks to the programmers and the staff who welcome us every week!

• The volunteers who have come to help us out! Poppy, Coco, Oriana, Nazgol….

• Ste Mary’s church and staff for welcoming us in their space as a tenant.

• All the parents and caregivers who have signed up their kids to our workshops, had us for a birthday party, or cheered us up!

• And you for following us on social medias, and reading our blog;)

  MERCI BEAUCOUP!

A look back…

2022 has now come and gone and it was a crazy year full of a lot of first for us. I will try to sum it up here for you. I think it’s always a good exercise to do, as it’s a time to celebrate the wins and reflect on the process, make changes, adjust, set new goals…

Studio Space

This was the year we got our own studio space! As you know, it’s tough to find an affordable space in Vancouver so we were very excited when we got into Ste Mary’s! This is a space that we use not only as an office, but to offer a bigger variety of classes. It’s easier to leave things at our studio from week to week which means we can offer projects that take longer to make and have more detail. It’s all very exciting!

We had our open house in September and started with new classes, Tiny Architects, Design Thinkers and Makers, and new Family workshops! We are excited to grow this space into a studio with lots of offerings. We welcome any group (homeschooling groups, adults, families, kids…) and would love to explore renting to other teachers as we know there is a need for art space in this city! The space is large and can welcome up to 20 people. Please reach out to us if that’s something you are interested in…

Afterschool classes

We had more locations than ever this year with 5 in Vancouver! We branched out as far as Richmond to offer everyone classes that are closer to home. We had over 120 students every week build, design and learn about architecture! We offer new themes every season so your kids can come back and explore more!

New classes were also added this year thanks to our new studio space (Tiny Architects for age 4 o 6, and Design Thinkers and Makers for longer projects). We’ve been trying new times and days and would love to add more in 2023. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome too, as we try to accommodate everyone and fill our classes… Tell us what you want! Come join us to design, build and learn about architecture!

In School Workshops

The start of 2022 was still Covid times, so we did a lot of online classes, sending materials to schools all over B.C. and connecting virtually with many teachers and students.

We were lucky to be part of the CSF’s catalogue of recommended francophone activities. which means our calendar was FULL! We were in the top 3 activities chosen by CSF teachers. Our classes are interactive and fun and the students are so engaged they never want to stop for recess:) We always send out a satisfaction survey and have excellent reviews from teachers we worked with. This year, we went all over B.C., as far as Mission or Pemberton, to teach in English or French, but always about architecture and design!

In 2023, we would love to visit your school! As a parent, you can suggest our workshops to your teacher, PAC or principal. Our classes are adapted to all grades and tick off many of the B.C. curriculum boxes, in areas like Applied Design Skills and Technology, Maths or Social Studies.

PRO D DAYS AND CAMPS

We love connecting with students for longer period of times, in our Pro D day camps or for a whole week! Allowing kids to dive deap in their creative flow is so beneficial for them and so amazing to watch! We love coming up with new fun, open-ended, gender neutral, architectural themes; and are always amazed by the creativity that takes place in our classes.

Look out for more pro d days, spring break camps and summer camps this year, at Hillcrest Community Centre and at our Kerrisdale studio!

In the Media

I had a few firsts this past year in the media realm:) First podcast with Kook Jester and first online events with Women In Architecture, as well as first interview on Radio Canada! So if you haven’t listened yet, you can learn more more about me and Petit Architect on our media page!

Talking in front of a camera is definitely something challenging for me (hence the awkward laughs and the fidgeting body) but I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and get better at it. You probably won’t see me much on videos on my socials yet though:) Yikes!

SOME 2023 GOALS…

1. Fill up our classes at our new studio location.

2. Bring enough revenue to be able to hire my first employee.

3. Grow our brand awareness.

4. Grow our school programs in the lower mainland and on the island.

5. Lead a team towards a successful adventure.

Want to help me achieve these goals? You can share your experience to your friends, give us a review on Google or Facebook, repost and like our social media content, talk to your school / teacher about having Petit Architect in your classroom, and of course sign up your children. I am forever grateful for all your support!

ENJOY THE PROCESS!

So! What a year guys! I am forever grateful for the work I do and for the shift that it’s made in my life. Being and entrepreneur is not an easy path, and has it’s ups and downs for sure… I am trying to embrass all of it as it has brought me so much pleasure, fullfillment and pride.

We’ve got a lot planned for 2023, we have big year ahead of us at Petit Architect, but today, let’s celebrate where we are and the journey of 2022!

Cheers to a successful new year, may it bring you everything you need, hope and wish for!

Lots of Love,

Maïa, Founder and owner of Petit Architect Design for Kids.