Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean Schuff
Conversations regarding districts in Wisconsin have been going on for years among a variety of key stakeholders from both within and beyond our borders. There are benefits and drawbacks to both regional and district models and anyone can make a compelling argument for which side of the fence they fall on. Which is better will always remain a matter of opinion.
Beyond these details, there is a plan of action being implemented by the Wisconsin FIRST EAB to expand participation in FIRST programs in the state. Lessons have been learned from the rapid expansion in Minnesota and we are working on a system that will mitigate some of the issues associated with those types of growing pains. Districts have been and will continue to be part of the discussion.
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The key stakeholders are the teams. They are the customer and all decisions affect them. So I would have to argue that Wisconsin has not been in discussions for a number of years with key stakeholders because the teams have not been notified of said discussions.
If any region is seriously considering moving to districts, and I believe all should, the teams need to be notified and kept abreast of the situation. And when those in charge feel road blocks or issues arise the teams need to know about them, especially if it is something as trivial as "need more volunteers". Each team has mentors on it from all different professional backgrounds and have knowledge and experience that needs to be taken advantage of to move FIRST into a better future.
I believe that this flyer is a great resource to do that. Does it have all the information from both sides? Of course not, no one would read it and it would be to jumbled a mess. But it does get the conversation started, and gets the word out about what districts can mean for low income teams. If it motivates people to contact their RPC and get more involved or start volunteering than this flyer and other like it are a huge success.
Semi secret meetings about the future of FIRST in regions benefits no one and especially those that you feel you are helping, the CUSTOMER.