My Nonprofit Reviews
ashaki
Review for FIRST, Manchester, NH, USA
FIRST Robotics tournaments are the single most exciting outreach activity that I have had an opportunity to witness. As a tournament judge, I am able to interact directly with students who work tremendously hard over a very short 6-week period to build robots for a specified challenge. It is amazing to see what students can do, if you just challenge them. And the FIRST organization does just that. The challenges are difficult, they require time, energy, and resource, but the students get it done anyway. More important is the focus of FIRST on transforming the culture. The award structure celebrates creativity and outreach through a philosophy of gracious professionalism (a term coined by FIRST officials), and a lot of the FIRST teams really get it -- and they know how to reach their school-aged peers. Finally, the FIRST tournaments are like attending a March-Madness basketball event. Music, dancing, and enthusiasm to beat the band. I even saw the band from the Bedford Stuyvesant school in Brooklyn perform at the NY city regional tournament this past spring. It was awesome. If you ever have a chance to go to a FIRST tournament, do yourself and your kids a favor -- just go and see with your own eyes. I guarantee you will have a renewed view of robots and young people in general.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I am a college professor and have several former FIRST participants in my classes. They are always happy to volunteer in tournaments held here at my campus, and the regional tournament about 90 miles away. In general, they just want to give back.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
