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Unread 30-03-2015, 22:33
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YAK'ker YAK'ker is offline
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FRC #2192 (YAK Attack)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Rookie Year: 2007
Location: Newport, Oregon
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Re: Chairman's Award -- is the bar too high now?

I think team sustainability is really key - this is the whole issue focusing on FRC teams starting a bunch of FLL, FTC, and FRC teams...how sustainable is that, when you have such limited community resources? At times it seems like the push to have each team start a hundred more is a pyramid scheme, with little thought to how this might drain volunteers and scatter energy. Our efforts are better spent sharing (non-FIRST) STEAM activities with our community, to help foster more interest in something that kids and families can do without having to spend a bunch of money on a kit and a laptop or without finding an FLL team with openings.

I remember recruiting kids to 4-H and showing them the incredible variety of projects available....then having to say "well, there's no leader for that project, so you are going to have to do it on your own and just work with the extension office if you have questions." In a way, FIRST is like that, but worse because the initial costs are so high and there really is no way a student can do it on their own. Our team was started 9 years ago by 4 students like that, and we still struggle with getting mentors.

All that said, I still think doing a presentation is helpful. Maybe format it so it can be used for sponsors and civic groups, not just for the CA?
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