[Rickertsen2]

Originally Posted by KathieK

Sounds like you need a positive marketing campaign! To many people, FIRST (if they know about it at all) is "just a bunch of kids building a robot." Unless they have been educated about the program, why else would they have any other opinion? You need to let your school system (students, staff, faculty, board of education) know what you are doing. They need to understand why you spend so many hours in that space. They need to be told what you are getting from the program - besides the valuable technical skills, you are learning leadership skills, time management, teambuilding.. all the things that colleges and employers look for today. And it will make more of an impact if the story comes from the people who are gaining the most from the program - you, the students. Write letters to the school, meet with the principal and board of ed, invite everyone with personal invitations to come see what you are doing before ship date and THEN invite them to visit you at competition. Be sure to invite the media to see the positive things happening in your school. Be sure everyone attends the Championships - and assign someone who is articulate on your team to take them on a tour through the pits; note all the colleges and univ. that are there due to the scholarships offered; note all the businesses who are there because they provide services and equipment to the program; point out the thousands of adults who volunteer their time and expertise because they recognize the value of the program; take them by the conference area to show them that there is professional development offered at the championships; and finally, take them into the competition itself. FIRST speaks for itself if you can just get people to come to watch.

Thank you these are all good suggestions.