QotW 10-19-03: Purpose lost.

[Madison]

Rather than further risk hijacking this thread, I thought this discussion might make a good question for this week.

(My apologies to the person who begged me to ask their question this week. I'll post it next week.)

Actions often speak louder than words, and the actions taken by FIRST, its teams, mentors and students, are often more visible, powerful and influential than the statements they make.

So, we have actions -- challenging conventional ideas about what a role model should be, teaching thousands of students invaluable lessons about science, engineering, management, and life, and empowering those students to go on and effect positive change elsewhere by further challenging conventional ideas of what's valued, important, and necessary in our culture.

Then, we have words. The FIRST website reads, "FIRST inspires in young people, their schools, and communities, an appreciation of science and technology, and how mastering these skills can enrich the lives of all."

Question of the Week 10-19-03: Which are more powerful, actions or words?

I would like to learn how the actions we've seen in FIRST and the things we're told about FIRST impact our experiences. Why are we all here? If you're participating in FIRST, but don't singularly promote the written mission of FIRST, how do you reconcile that difference as you work with mentors, students and sponsors?

I'm trying purposefully to leave this question as open-ended as possible. I think we can each learn a lot from others' explanations of why they participate, what they're trying to accomplish, and how they feel about the goals of others.