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Unread 30-06-2014, 08:45
BrendanB BrendanB is offline
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AKA: Brendan Browne
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Re: FIRST Youth Protection Program

Quote:
Originally Posted by magnets View Post
Perhaps I'm missing something, but why is this considered a violation?



When I went through the FIRST program, I knew my head mentor really well. I saw him for 30 hours a week for about 10 weeks for FIRST, and usually had multiple classes with him each year for four years. We got to know each other really well, and he was a massive influence on my life. He was way more than a "robotics" mentor to me. I would consider him a life mentor and a life long friend. Our team encouraged getting to know the mentors better, and openly recommended in doing things with mentors "not related to the FIRST program, educational matters, or career concerns"

Don't get me wrong, I understand where they're coming for, but it would be a big change for my old team.
I'm very curious about the social media policies as well. I totally agree that above all students need to be protected but the wording seems a bit vague. I know Facebook has become an increasingly popular site for FIRSTers to connect on over the past few years for both students and mentors (myself included). Does this only pertain to just the students I directly mentor on my team or does it expand to all students in the FIRST family which I assume it would expand to every student? It looks clear that inside of FIRST related areas its okay as long as things remain appropriate (design feedback, strategy discussions, etc) but what happens if I post something non-FIRST related and that person likes or comments?

Like I said I'm totally on board with bringing in standard policies for engaging with students but I'm just curious how we handle some of these other issues. I think most of us would agree that FIRST mentors interact with students on their team (and others) more than your average student program between competitions, here on CD, and through social media. This area just seems a little loosely worded for me.
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Last edited by BrendanB : 30-06-2014 at 08:48.
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