Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris is me
Think about it this way.
Sponsorships and grants make it easier for teams to compete. That's what they exist for. People try to get them in order to lower their burden of entry.
If the SWE wants to make it easier for a subset of teams to compete, it seems completely reasonable that the subset of teams they want to help are the ones that are demonstrating that they actively engage many women. If it's a bar you can't or won't meet, the grant isn't for you.
Think less as the grant trying to force an 80/20 team to become a 50/50 team and more a reward for those teams that are doing well with gender equality. It's not perfect; I think the terms and conditions have some problems, but we don't need to act like the sky is falling because one grant of thousands isn't for us.
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FRC 4607 could easily qualify for this grant this year. However, after careful (and LONG conversations) we decided that the grant is not fitting for our team. We could fit every segment of the grant's requirements - outside of #10 - we haven't decided on a drive team as of yet.
However, it goes against how we have developed our team - by allowing all members equal access to all segments of our team. We have been working closely with our sponsors to create an environment that enables all students equal opportunities and we feel that by accepting this we may limit qualified candidates from reaching their potential.
I have to state - we have great sponsors, great mentors, and great kids - as all programs do. However, if a possible sponsor/grant limits the potential achievements of the membership as a whole, it is not for us. We are already working closely with our sponsors to allow for achievement in a different manner for different segments of our population.
And as of this post, we have 5 members of our 8 person leadership team (and our strongest leader that encapsulates what our team is striving to be) that are females. On a note, our team captain is not the most outspoken; quite the contrary, she is very thoughtful and soft-spoken. Yet she is able to bring all leaders together and can create a consensus. She has been a part of our marketing team, our electrical team, and is now in charge of the whole team as her demeanor and communication skills have allowed her to rise to the top.
If we had determined leadership positions with certain criteria I do not think that we would be in the spot that we are in now. If the mentors and coaches laid out a master plan - chances of our team captain to rise to the level that she did would be near zero.
Through it all - it is just that the grant does not fit our team. We hope that other teams find that this grant fits them - but for us it would go against our ideals altogether.
So through my reasoning, Chris is me, I agree with your post. It is not for every team - but some teams will benefit greatly from the offering.