CHANGE THE FUTURE

FIRST Team 1305 is looking for new mentors or coaches to help with the success of our team.

Volunteers power FIRST at every level, impacting more than 400,000 young people around the world each year. Whatever your expertise, FIRST has a volunteer opportunity for you. Whether you have a few weekend hours, the desire to mentor a team for a season, or want to work behind the scenes to help FIRST grow, opportunities abound for people who want to give back - helping to change lives, change our culture, and change the future.

Who are FIRST mentors and coaches? Our team members say it best. A mentor/coach:

• Can be a person of any age, teaching others what they know

• Brings either technical or non-technical expertise to the team

• Provides the opportunity for students to learn directly through experiences

(firstinspires.org)

NEW MENTORS - GETTING STARTED INFORMATION

FIRST ISN’T JUST FOR KIDS.

FIRST programs are driven by the involvement of adults who inspire and learn alongside student participants in all progressions of FIRST. If you are interested in competitive robotics, fill out the contact form below and we will invite you to our next meeting.

As a Mentor or Coach of a FIRST team, you are, through the kids, the key ingredient in the success of your team. Your contribution to the success of FIRST programs and ultimately to the success of FIRST is immeasurable. The time, responsibility and expertise of a Mentor or Coach will vary but the one constant is that you are bringing something to your team that they need to learn, grow and succeed.

Who are FIRST Mentors and Coaches? Our team members say it best. A Mentor/Coach:

• Is a person of any age, teaching others what they know

• Can get involved in any FIRST progression/team available

• Brings either technical or non-technical expertise to the team

• Provides the opportunity for students to learn directly through experiences

• Begins as a teacher, evolves into a colleague

• Knows that Mentoring and Coaching is about inspiring and guiding

• Provides students the environment to succeed

• Is patient, supportive, enthusiastic, compassionate and available

• Remembers what’s important – it’s about the kids and they come first

HOW TO BECOME A COACH OR MENTOR

 Step #1:  Contact our head coach Mr. Todd Alkire (todd.alkire@northcantonschools.org)

          Step #2: Register for a FIRST account

              Step #3: Complete Screening through the Youth Protection Program

To ensure the safety of all participants, every coach, mentor, and adult volunteer must complete the Youth Protection Program. This includes a police background check every 4 years, as well as online training courses that cover topics like creating a safe environment, how to identify abuse, and the proper method to report code of conduct violations. For more information, please see the FIRST Mentor Checklist.

MENTORING FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION (FRC)

What does it mean to be an FRC Mentor?

FRC is so broad, and covers so many topics, teams often have mentors with many different areas of expertise, including:

• Project Management

  • Provides an overview of project management concepts for the team

  • Guides the team throughout the project life cycle

• Marketing

  • Provides a basic overview of Marketing concepts

  • Assists students with development and implementation of a Marketing Plan in coordination with the development of a Business Plan

• Finance/Sponsorship

  • Assist the team in preparing a Business Plan, financial planning/budget for the season

  • Organize and assists with fundraising efforts

• Programming/Software Engineering

  • Assist team members with writing code to control robot in Java and/or Python

  • Maintains process focus

• Electrical Engineering

  • Assist team with wiring the robot’s power and signal system

  • Assist and instruct the team members in the electrical and electronics systems on the robot

• Mechanical Engineering

  • Provides assistance with design and construction of the robot

  • Advise students on the safe use of tools and safety procedures

What is the time commitment?

As a Mentor or adult Volunteer, you should be meeting with your team at least several times per week during the build and competition season (January – April). Many mature teams also meet throughout the school year, and some compete in off-season events during the summer.  Based upon your available free time, you determine how much time you can devote to the program.