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Originally Posted by codeoftherobot
Well just speaking from a minor political science background, the letters need something to back it up. It's great to say we want this to happen but it also takes a group of people make it happen.
Don't just target the common list of political bodies (governor, senators, etc). Also look at the people who make the decisions in education (state superintendent, education lobbyists, teacher's unions, PTA, etc), target them and tell them how important it would be for FIRST to be in high schools and elementary/middle schools. FIRST has many programs available.
Have meetings with school officials or bring up the topics at council meetings. Lay out a formal presentation with cost-benefit analysis and polls from the community. Once people know how much it is going to cost and where the rest of the community stands, then they will start thinking about it. If no one but the governor knows about this, the rest of the constituency is not going to be supportive of it.
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agreeably, you have to remember what is in these people's job descriptions. granted yes, going to senators and congressman is a great way to get widespread notice across entire states but you have to be aware how things really work. FIRST does have a lot of name value but think about the dollar figures being discussed here, this is a decent investment here, one which won't go without background research and some considerable thought. while FIRST is a great organization for the people in it, you have to remember that there are still students that are not on a FIRST team. this might make any large quantity of money look like your state is spending money on the elite or on a select group. key to making this work is to influence both the people in your areas who have yet to know about FIRST
and to influence the people who help your senators decide what he should support. mass mailings are the hardest to blatantly ignore but think of the image of FIRST we're trying to convey. we're not an (only) an annoying group who won't be silence til we're appeased, we're a group of smart young people who think problems through and come up with the most logical course of action. going through your school's administration is an excellent way to get the same end to different means. if you have the direct backing of your school or are lead by someone of power like a superintendent, think how much more effective any argument you present will be