Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor
.. how do we as a culture-changing-entity transform that negative, contagious, contemptuous energy into positive, infectious, inspirational energy?
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Identify the root causes, acknowledge them, and educate in an on-going manner - team level, area level, and region level.
John provides insight by suggesting small shifts. Eventually, the culmination of small shifts creates a large shift. They already have if a small group can be fingered as the ones behind the booing, rather than an entire arena filled with boos. The shift is occurring and it, too, should be acknowledged and sustained as it develops.
A factor that should be explored is the overwhelming nature of mentoring. Yes, there are areas that provide workshops to help mentors. How many areas provide a time for mentors to understand a part of the big picture so that they can continue to grasp it and help it develop? How many areas have created a place/space for mentors to be allowed to share their doubts/concerns/frustrations and then help them turn those into fun challenges seeking creative and innovative solutions?
The minibot has created a place here in CD where some wonderful exchanges and food for thought have occurred and will likely continue to occur. Yes, it has been controversial. What's wrong with that? Why is that a negative? Are growing pains negative or are they productive, as painful as they are, when one grows through them? In the area that I'm from, turning 16 is a big deal. Change occurs when driving becomes a new development in a teen's and a family's life. 18 becomes a big deal when the teenager is viewed as an adult and has responsibilities and opportunities that were not there before. 21 is another milestone. All of those changes bring opportunity but they also bring added responsibility and some stress/tension/worry/concern. The 20th anniversary is a milestone and I think the game has reflected that. It has given all of the teams, old and new - an opportunity to see what our community is made of and how strong we are - how well-developed we are. How tough we are. How we face new challenges. Many of us talk about the beauty and inspiration behind innovation. Well, more than robots can be innovative - so can a FRC game. We all shifted. In our postmortems, many of us will look at the shift and determine how well we did as a team. Perhaps, some of us will look at the shift and determine how well we did as individual leaders. I hope the 25th anniversary provides an opportunity for another shift and that the community is curious enough and cares enough to explore it and think about and talk about it, like we have with the 20th.
Jane