[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by mplanchard

Hi Jane
Good topic. I have found over the past 5 years the demand for teams to ask for help has been an exponential function. I used to go to every team that asked for a SolidWorks workshop from the Pink Flamingos (FLL) to the FRC teams in New England. Even my colleagues have pitched in. But when the number got too large we had to think of something else that was more sustainable from a company point of view.

That is why we decided to create video tutorials www.SolidWorks.com/robotics
Certainly video is not live - but it is a start and something to do in the off season to get stronger. It also allows us to help out our customers that mentor not only FIRST teams but also a variety of other robot competitions worldwide.

Luckily most people I work with are engineers and many volunteer at events and with teams. Also our user group network has been helpful www.swugn.org. to many FIRST teams. Still demand exceeds the need.

Marie

This is a very cool post coming from the viewpoint of one of the companies that 'gets' FIRST. It would be helpful to see more of these viewpoints and to understand them and also, for sponsors and potential sponsors to see and think of ways to help with the sustainability issues. Very cool, Marie. Thank you!

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Here's some questions regarding alumni. As Ed has pointed out - instability can occur for various reasons that he has mentioned and for other reasons as well. "Who will bear the torch for the students once they graduate?" How are teams and their alumni keeping the alumni involved and interested in the continual growth and development of the team? There are so many areas that alumni can help in just by being a felt presence of support for the current team. How can they help with the sustainability areas for their team and for teams in areas where they now reside? How can they be made or encouraged to understand that they are valuable still?

Jane