How to deal with lack of participation

[ttldomination]

Originally Posted by xXhunter47Xx

Our team gained many new members over the Summer and Fall season, something us senior students were excited about. Everyone was bright eyed and full of amazement as we explained what we did and what we will do, and we thought that we finally grew from our team of 6 then juniors to a group of 20 students essentially overnight.

This should have been your first sign that something was wrong. Rome wasn't built in a day; why would you expect the same of a budding program?

Originally Posted by xXhunter47Xx

Obviously, this is an extracurricular activity. There is no obligation to show up...

Why not?

Three years ago, I joined FRC 1648 and the team was much like yours. We had numbers, but we didn't have dedication, we didn't have buy in, so we changed a few things around.

Joining the team required that you fill out an application and go through some tryouts. This meant that the applicants had skin in the game and attending robotics was more than simply showing up. You earned the right to be on our team.

When on the team, there were attendance and training requirements. Why should a student who only showed up a few times during the season represent our team? That's the question we asked ourselves and answered, "He shouldn't."

Finally, we had a solid plan for new members. People are interested in robotics; that is given. But don't expect a rookie to come into the program and just "pick up" robots. Don't expect rookies to come on board and enjoy watching you build a robot. You need to have a plan to engage, train, and grow rookie talent and leadership.

- Sunny G.