Why do teams voluntarily do FIRST without adult technical mentors?

[Freddy Schurr]

I think it depends on each team situation and how it is ran. For our team, we are 100% student built, student made, robotics team. We have no engineers and adult-technical mentors. And thats what makes us proud, as mentors, that we can show and teach students about science and engineering. Yes, every year we try to get engineers to help and show better techniques on how parts and components should be made but we can't. Do I think it fair that engineers are working on the robots in the pits or at home, NO but everyone has they own idea on how it describe by FIRST.

I agree with Arefin, that when someone "tells me the word "mentor" I think of someone who will be there to teach me, and then watch over my shoulder when I am building cool things". That why I decided to stay on board and continue to help my team, because I can provided information and techniques to better help the team in the following years.

So in closing, ( I feel like I am in a debate) I think the one thing thats needs to be important throughout this, is that if we are teaching students and they learn and applied what we are saying to better understand who they are and the world, then thats great.