pic: What's all this East West Collaboration business?

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Michael Corsetto

I really like the open collaboration idea, very cool way to include many teams and get them hooked up with experienced FIRST members.

A few things I would suggest:
1. Since one of the opening paragraphs states an objective of this initiative is to help create sustainable robotics programs, getting a few mentors with specific fundraising/management experience would be very important IMO.

2. Additionally, it would seem at first glance that the mentors on your list are spread very thin, given that there are 6 mentors listed and 10 teams. Maybe require that each team puts forward an expert in at least one field? I realize some teams might be new altogether, but there are quite a few 3+ year teams on that list that are not contributing a mentor. Collaboration requires give and take, not just take.

All in all, I like the idea, I'm just afraid you guys might get swamped... I look forward to seeing how the project progresses.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I'll address these issues on here once I have some time to spare tomorrow.

[Bob Steele]

We would like to help too. I have sent an email to Akash.
Let me know what we can do..

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

We would like to help too. I have sent an email to Akash.
Let me know what we can do..

You'll receive an email in the coming days. I thank you and will be in touch.

[Akash Rastogi]

Woot! I've gotten some awesome responses from teams!

Glad to have some new teams on board.

[roboticWanderor]

Lewis wants in! Lewis wants to help!

[Akash Rastogi]

To anyone still keeping up with this thread and who had contacted myself or RC, really sorry if we haven't gotten back to you yet. Build season is a killer right now but the weekend approaches.

Oh and Lewis, you will receive your bag very soon. I appreciate your team's and your help.

[Akash Rastogi]

Sorry for the double post.

This is to inform teams that for the purpose of keeping the EWCP as useful as possible for the mentored teams, I am putting a cap on the number of mentor teams. The final mentor that I was willing to accept into this PM'd me just now and in the interest of keeping organized and keeping everyone involved I think a limit is necessary for now.

Once this program has a final and rigid structure we will be able to add more individuals and whole teams who want to mentor. This program expanded farther than RC and I had imagined in such a brief amount of time, this is because originally it was just 3 friends fooling around and sharing ideas. We never thought that this would become a large number of teams and mentors involved in an idea conceptualized by two juniors in high school.

Note that there is not a limit right now for teams who want help, it is just important for them to know that we can send advice to your entire team through just one person, so your entire team does not need to be directly involved, you just need to be a liaison.

Once again, I am really sincerely thankful to the individuals and entire teams who have signed up for this, it really means a lot to me and Ranjit (rc). We have a great deal of respect for the students and adults who have joined.