Quote:
Originally posted by marlon_jbt
I'm actually quite angry at the way our robot was built. We barely got any time to build it. We had one engineer, and he built the robot. As a matter of fact, HE RAN THE ENTIRE TEAM. If anything, FIRST needs to set mandates for teams, telling them what the mentors/engineers/adult leaders are in charge of doing, and if teams do not meet requirements... they get penalized for their actions. That could be a part of the FIRST STAR system.
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I'll quickly close pandora's box, here, and point out that this debate is tired, old, repetitive and yields no appreciable results. Do a search and you'll see how others have fared.
With that said, I'll weigh in a bit about FIRST's growth some. I've meant to reply to this for a little while now.
I want, sincerely, for the goals and successes of FIRST to reach every corner of the globe. I want that growth to happen so that everyone, everywhere can grow a bit more themselves - by engaging in new experiences, by meeting new people, and by learning new things from both those experiences and those people.
But, since the interpersonal relationships have become so important to me, I have come to fear FIRST's rapid, relentless expansion.
Already, in the 5 years I've been involved in FIRST, I've seen the level of contact between teams and the FIRST staff decrease immensely. There was a time when I knew each and every team, their school, their number, their sponsors...everything. I can't hope to keep track of that anymore. There are so many new teams out there now that I know nothing about.
Let's face it, it's much, much harder to care about a stranger than it is to care about someone we know. It's harder for me to care for these teams and cheer them on and urge them success and help them when I don't really know them. FIRST has become very impersonal, and right at time when I'd matured enough to really want and need it to be personable and amiable and social.
I guess, really, I'm frustrated that the increasing size of FIRST translates to more opportunities to miss out on great people. That's probably a bit backwards, but, I'm usually a bit backwards, so. Of course, it goes without saying that this growth does bring our experience to many, many more people, and that's absolutely a positive, good thing. It's been a long time since my needs have been central to this program. But, still, FIRST needs to hire some more people and the rest of us need to make an extra effort at welcoming the thousands of new participants to FIRST, otherwise, the things we treasure so much about all of this may disappear.
Beyond that, my other biggest fear regarding the new FIRST is that it will lose focus of its main objectives. The pervasive desire to make FIRST media friendly terrifies me. I hope that in our drive to attract new participants, we don't make too many concessions. I fear that the power of money will corrupt FIRST, I guess.
I guess, in some ways, that's odd. FIRST's biggest fear, I'd suspect, is whether or not they'll have enough money to sustain the program. My biggest fear is that if they find that money, it'll come with strings attached.
FIRST is unique. It's pure, almost, in a sense, since maintains some amazingly noble, forward-thinking ideas about providing people with the opportunity to realize their potential, helping them to get up when they fall, and showing everyone the value of being a good person.
There are no rewards for participating in FIRST except for the personal satisfaction we each feel when we help to make a better person of ourselves and of someone else. That is the most personal thing that FIRST can do for any of us, and so long as that's not lost; for as long as trophies aren't valued, for as long as a win isn't required to secure sponsorship, and for as long as we can still form friendships and alliances with talented, interested, amazing people, FIRST is going to be okay.
At least, where I'm concerned. ...and, um, sorry for this making little to no sense. That's what happens when I write from a stream of consciousness.