Jacqui,
Although I won't claim to know FIRST's official stance on this matter, I can tell you that FIRST is more aware of this issue than you can even imagine.
Shipping and receiving goods across US borders has become a very involved process for an organization inside the US. (For very good reasons of course.) It is much more than just Fedexing the goods out the door. There are complications involving the
US Department of State (import and export agreements have to be in place) and the new
Department of US Customs and Border Protection -- there is lots of paperwork involved.
FIRST deals with this constantly in trying to bring many of the parts that you received in the kit into the country. They have also dealt with it in shipping the kits out of the country to the international teams. So, I honestly don't think they need to be told what to do on this topic.
Now please remember.... [Aidan's opinion here]... FIRST was started for a very clear purpose: to increase the level of interest in Science and Technologies amounst kids in the
United States. If you listen to Dean Kamen's speeches, he emphasizes that. FIRST is experimenting with some international teams - which is great - but it is certainly not their focus.
The fact that teams recognize that they can help each other is one of the most awesome parts of FIRST. And there is no difference whether a team in domestic or international. But I disagree with the suggestion that FIRST needs to do anything special for the international teams, other than get them their kits. The aid can come from all the other "mentoring" teams out there... just like it might have to for a team in Podunk, XX (fill in state here) who has no Walmart or Home Depot -- just the corner hardware store.
So help away! Do what you can to help other teams -- no matter what side of the border they are on. But don't ask the Manchester Crew to do more... I can't even figure out how they do what they already do!
Aidan (who realizes he just spent more than 2 cents at the penny store)