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Re: A Request
On the whole culture change thing:
Minnesota was part of the original FLL pilot program in 1998. We've been growing an FLL volunteer basefor sixteen years now, and we have 600+ teams in the state. Our annual growth is around 20%. It has gotten to the point here where FLL is an expected school activity at the majority of elementary and middle schools in the state. Our FLL qualifiers have volunteers who have been volunteering for more than ten years. FTC is smaller, but we're looking at next year a minimum of doubling our teams next year to around 140. I would be very surprised if in the next three years the amount of sustainable FTC teams eclipses that of our sustainable FRC teams.
Why is this important?
By introducing kids to FTC and FLL at an early age, and expanding those programs, we help to make robotics an anticipated activity for elementary, middle, and high school students.
If you want to actually fix a problem, you don't go to the symptoms, you go to the roots-- in this case, the impressionable young students in elementary, middle, and high school. Like it or not, FTC and FLL are as important to culture change as FRC is. FLL is a large program than FTC and FRC combined, and FTC is going to catch up and pass FRC in terms of students and teams soon.
If you personally aren't interested in being involved with FTC or FLL, that's your deal and as intensive as FRC is I don't blame you-- you certainly aren't under any obligation to put even more of your time into it-- but don't diss the programs. They're as essential to the broad picture as FRC is.
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Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you. - John Perry Barlow
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'Snow Problem CAD Files: 2015 2016
MN FTC Field Manager, FTA, CSA, Emcee
FLL Maybe NXT Year (09-10) -> FRC 2220 (11-14) -> FTC 9205(14-?)/FRC 2667 (15-16)
VEXU UMN (2015-??)
Volunteer since 2011
2013 RCA Winner (North Star Regional) (2220)
2016 Connect Award Winner (North Super Regional and World Championship) (9205)
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