Quote:
Originally Posted by JesseK
Interestingly, half of the outreach we (1885) do is not FIRST-related or even completely student-oriented*. So even though we probably won't win a CA until we start N # of FLL teams and Y # of extra FTC/FRC teams we will continue to do more FIRST and non-FIRST outreach in order to quickly spread FIRST's message to a broader scope of people.
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In FRC, FTC, and FLL, the judges invited to participate have an understanding of the FIRST vision, goals, and mission. In the events that I've been privileged to be a part of, the event planning committee is very careful to invite judges that bring a diverse variety of skills to the competition so that the many aspects of the competition can be covered and judged efficiently and well. We have also been asked to make notes for helpful feedback for the teams.
It may be frustrating to the teams who want specific reasons and suggestions as to where they should improve or where they may be lacking, but I don't think that is the judges' job to figure that out. I'm not sure that is FIRST's job to figure that out. We are a part of a global community where there is so much variety that it would be wrong to limit the possibilities. For example, I think your quote is an assumption. I think that you are assuming that you have to start N # of FLL teams and Y # of extra FTC/FRC teams to garner an award. Perhaps you live in an area where FRC, FTC, and FLL teams are lacking and helping to establish those programs and help mentor new teams would be an invaluable asset to the community. Perhaps you live in an area that is saturated with FRC teams or FTC teams or FLL teams and they are already an invaluable asset to the community so the need to grow isn't the same as an area that is sparse in teams.
Is FIRST supposed to tell you that? Are the judges?
Teams identify their strengths and weaknesses and work those out. They also learn to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their communities and surrounding regions. Dean's, Dave's, and Woodie's speeches help teams with that. Sponsors can help with that, too. A rep from one of our team's sponsors and I were talking at an event this past year and we discussed the lack of diversity in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. We also discussed how that lack is reflected in the enrollment in university majors in these fields. What I know from that discussion is that diversity is very important to all of us and it was reinforced by that interaction. Do we need FIRST to tell us to talk to our sponsors and find out what is important to them or valued? We can spend time in the FIRST website and glean a lot of information and understanding. How many of us do that? People gripe about the speeches and their length at the Championship. Those speeches are often highlighting the impact that we are making and that we should continue to strive to make or increase. They aren't just empty words. These are just a few examples of what FIRST is already doing and providing for teams to think about, pick up on, understand, and get involved in.
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If we want to put together a list of what would be helpful to teams in understanding the Chairman's Award, let's do that. That is not the same as asking for specifics in how to win the Chairman's Award.
Jane