For Mentors Only: Inspiring Youth

[kaye]

I am a rookie mentor, but I will say one thing: SPIRIT.

Ain't no way to get this job done - not to mention have ANY fun at all - if people don't pull together. The FIRST manuals on building the robot are exhaustive, but there ought to be a Project Management pack to help inspire and organize the team crews and balance the flow of ego. It's almost as though if you are not actively involved in building the bot, you rate, well, less.

Yes, I know. It's First ROBOTICS, not FIRST, um, T-Shirt. Still, a quick look at Autodesk Streamline shows you how the hierarchy of a project flattens out--the sum is greater than its parts, etc. That's what I think we need to remind ourselves.

Team leaders and mentors have to work to get this message across. I think that you gotta do EVERYTHING to maintain a team atmosphere. Make sure that you start right away with sprit-building stuff like choosing a team name, logo design, getting t-shirts and logo-stickers and slogans onto anything that moves. Make NOISE. Choose a theme song. Be nuts!

Your project manager has to be an absolute MANIAC for teamwork. He has to make EVERYONE feel valued, right down to the kid who letters the safety signs. An "I can do it myself" Type-A personality may get the job done, but he/she will alienate most of the team before the first week is out.

I'd be glad to hear what y'all think.