How do I help my area move to districts?

[Ilovepineapples]

As requested by both cadandcookies and JABot67, this has been moved to a new thread.

I've titled the thead as "How do I help my area move to districts?", as that seems what the general question/topic discussion was about in the Districts 2017 thread. I also believe it would be beneficial to the readers of ChiefDelphi to have a discussion on how you can help your area move to districts. Who do you contact in your area to join the RPC or train in Key Volunteers? How do you become involved at the planning level and what are some best practices to do this?

I've also included the original comments below.

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Instead of helping to yell, help to get the work done. Join your regional planning committee. Recruit and train key volunteers. Approach other districts about the process involved in switching to the district system. Etc.

Sometimes trying to join the RPC or help train in key volunteers isn't as easy as it should be.

I was pm'd this document by recent alumni in the state of Minnesota. I am told that it is given to all of the recent FIRST alumni attending a specific University by the RPC. I was also told that these students have all but stopped volunteering at FRC events in the state because they feel that they are not wanted/liked. The document seems fairly professional but I could understand how if it was presented in the wrong way it would burn some bridges.

[Carolyn_Grace]

As a Senior Volunteer Coordinator, I look for volunteers who are always willing to help. The people who arrive early to help set-up and who stay late to take-down the field often become great Key Volunteers later, because they are willing to help with the grunt work when there isn't an audience to watch.

This year we are also doing a lot of training for roles. We have three different people training for FTAA roles by helping in various positions around the field.

I've noticed that sometimes Key Volunteers become possessive of their roles, feeling like they spent so many years volunteering that they earn the right to the position, and they don't like when new people start training or moving their way up the ladder. It's important to remember that almost every area needs more volunteers, and just because someone new is training or being moved up, doesn't mean your key position is going away.

So, how do you help prepare your area for Districts?
1. Be willing to do the grunt work, like staying late and packing fields.
2. Be willing to train other people for roles, including your own.

[Thad House]

Originally Posted by Carolyn_Grace

I've noticed that sometimes Key Volunteers become possessive of their roles, feeling like they spent so many years volunteering that they earn the right to the position, and they don't like when new people start training or moving their way up the ladder. It's important to remember that almost every area needs more volunteers, and just because someone new is training or being moved up, doesn't mean your key position is going away.

This seems to be Minnesota's biggest problem. They're actively holding back districts by not training new key volunteers. There seems to be a major power struggle by MN FIRST and the volunteers that want to help. That document posted above basically proves that. I'm sure there are more volunteers that would want to help, but they are getting actively denied. It seems like CA has the same issue too, which is bad because MN and CA are the 2 regions that NEED to move to districts ASAP. Hearing stories from these areas that the Regional Committees are trying to implement gag orders on CD about those areas does not help either.

[RoboAlum]

Collin would you give some advice to us, we want to follow the way Indiana went to districts we have 50 teams now and have growth potential but all schools see are the outrageous dollar signs. As for me I was the head of the planning committee for our off-season event and we realized that by training our seniors and alumni in volunteer roles as well as getting help from the local Air Force base we were able to fill the volunteer positions quickly but our biggest downfall is getting more teams in our area that will do FRC.

[Collin Fultz]

Originally Posted by RoboAlum

Collin would you give some advice to us, we want to follow the way Indiana went to districts we have 50 teams now and have growth potential but all schools see are the outrageous dollar signs. As for me I was the head of the planning committee for our off-season event and we realized that by training our seniors and alumni in volunteer roles as well as getting help from the local Air Force base we were able to fill the volunteer positions quickly but our biggest downfall is getting more teams in our area that will do FRC.

Hi - Great question. You're absolutely right that the investment in FRC can be overwhelming to some.

Your experiences are a great start. Hopefully your off-season event was a success.

Perhaps the largest initial hurdle is a state (or district) wide 501c3 non-profit who can act as the "Headquarters" for FIRST in that state. In Indiana, that non-profit is IndianaFIRST. FIRST HQ signs a Memorandum of Understanding with that organization, who then executes FRC in the area.

That non-profit has to show FIRST that I can represent the interests of teams in the entire area, as well as fundraise enough to support events and a local staff. How large that staff is varies by area.

My suggested first step: Start holding district information sessions at your regionals and off-season events. Listen to feedback from people. Shockingly, most people involved in FIRST are not on Chief Delphi. Odds are that there are many in your area that don't understand what "Districts" are. Also, be prepared for pushback. There will be some who do not see this as a net positive for them. As an example, in Indiana, many of the teams around the Chicago area were used to going to the Midwest Regional as their "home" regional. So the whole "this will save travel costs" argument didn't really apply to them. We, as IndianaFIRST, need to take that into consideration.

Please, continue to ask good questions. There are lots of people here to help.

Thank you!

-CF

[WCBC]

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[FarmerJohn]

Originally Posted by NetArcX

I feel that this document is worded wrong. I feel that I am somewhat close to the people that run Minnesota first and their intent is not to get people to stop volunteering. The main point of this document is trying to show the students that there is a lot of responsibility required in volunteering and you need to give it your all if can help out. Overall we need to remember that the coordinators in the state of Minnesota do a lot of work to keep FIRST running around here. They are also definitely not trying to stop the district model, but there are some major issues regarding the conversion to districts that put bluntly Minnesota is not ready for.

Regardless of the wording, this is saying at best, even with the benefit of the doubt, "We need meat to fill meat positions. Don't expect to be meaningful meat, because you're still just meat".

[DonRotolo]

duplicate

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Ilovepineapples

The document seems fairly professional but I could understand how if it was presented in the wrong way it would burn some bridges.

Originally Posted by Thad House

There seems to be a major power struggle by MN FIRST and the volunteers that want to help. That document posted above basically proves that.

Maybe this thread is trolling, but I honestly do not see the document in a negative light. Basically, I see it as setting reasonable expectations for volunteers.

Face it: You're not going to be a LRI the first or second year you volunteer, particularly if you are under 21. But be an RI for 2 years, shadow the LRI one year, and then speak to your LRI and VC and see what they can do. If that's what you want, you can do it.

For all who are complaining: Tell us your experience volunteering and if you have volunteered in VIMS (for what/where/when?) and not been asked to attend.

I am not as twitchy about anonymous user accounts, but please understand that it is highly frowned upon, and not a sign of courage. You want change, stand up and name yourself.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

Maybe this thread is trolling, but I honestly do not see the document in a negative light. Basically, I see it as setting reasonable expectations for volunteers.

Don,

I agree with you that most everything in that document is technically correct and I'm sure it was well intentioned attempt to level set expectations.

However, I think it also comes across as tone deaf. Do you sell FRC to incoming freshman by saying, "Well, our robot is probably going to be a box on wheels for a few years, and you won't get a chance to do any of the limited cool work on the team until maybe your senior year."?

[Basel A]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

Face it: You're not going to be a LRI the first or second year you volunteer, particularly if you are under 21. But be an RI for 2 years, shadow the LRI one year, and then speak to your LRI and VC and see what they can do. If that's what you want, you can do it.

Over here in Michigan we currently have 5 college student FTAs, including a sophomore and a junior, both under 21. This year two college students were asked to be an EC (they declined on account of being busy college students). College students have been CSAs, I can think of at least one who's been a HR, MCs.. I think we're doing pretty okay. It's ridiculous to use age as a big negative factor in volunteers, especially when you complain at the same time of too few volunteers.

[Knufire]

Originally Posted by Ilovepineapples

I was pm'd this document by recent alumni in the state of Minnesota. I am told that it is given to all of the recent FIRST alumni attending a specific University by the RPC. I was also told that these students have all but stopped volunteering at FRC events in the state because they feel that they are not wanted/liked. The document seems fairly professional but I could understand how if it was presented in the wrong way it would burn some bridges.

As someone a bit more familiar with the Minnesota situation, this document is extremely concerning.

[bkahl]

I would be interested (and likely saddened) by the number of alumni that received this document and subsequently decided to stop their involvement in FIRST.

While I find a hard time believing that is the intent of the document, I also find it hard to imagine I wouldn't be turned off from continuing my involvement upon the receipt of this.

[JABot67]

Originally Posted by Knufire

As someone a bit more familiar with the Minnesota situation, this document is extremely concerning.

I would agree.

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

Maybe this thread is trolling, but I honestly do not see the document in a negative light.

The main interesting parts of this documents are the parts that explicitly lay out things that should be obvious.

DO live Gracious Professionalism. When at an event, volunteers should become a part of every team they interact with. If a team starts to frown while a volunteer is working with them, something needs to change! If there is particularly bad news or a difficult situation, get the appropriate Key Volunteer to help. When not at an event, be aware that everything you do reflects on FIRST. This is especially true with social media – Tweets, posts, or blogs can easily cause issues for volunteers. Stay positive, think about how your post will be perceived, and if there’s an issue you’re concerned about, look for the appropriate avenue to voice it – bring it up with the appropriate Key Volunteer or Volunteer Coordinator!

What is the reason for this paragraph? It seems to be a reference to specific events. It doesn't seem likely to me that this is a repeated problem that needs to be addressed in a blanket statement to all FRC alumni at a university.

So you screwed up...

Most volunteers are very unlikely to "screw up". Why bring this up with all college-aged volunteers? If you have a problem with only a few college-aged volunteers, perhaps it would be good to talk to them on an individual basis.

If you have a problem with more than a few of them, perhaps there is a bigger conflict.

It doesn't seem like there's good communication between the sides here. If this document has really left some alumni with a bad taste in their mouths, perhaps it would be good to make amends and create a culture of understanding.

[Pauline Tasci]

This document is extremely appalling and not in the spirit of FIRST.
As a region struggling to get volunteers, Minnesota should not discourage young adults from contributing.
In fact, young adults just out of FIRST are some of the most passionate and empathetic to the needs and challenges facing teams.

Volunteering as a college student and getting into those key roles is a great way to maintain FIRST alumni's connection with the community.

I'm two years out of high school and have key positions within FIRST California. I am honored to have those positions based on hard work, but the fact that my fellow alumni in Minnesota don't have the opportunity is disturbing.

With Minnesota moving to districts soon, the board should look into encouraging college students to become key volunteers.
I have friends from all over the country in college that are FTA's in Michigan, head refs in Canada, regional committee members in NE, and more.
These regions are doing well in the eyes of inspiring and maintaining teams, Minnesota should strive to do the same.