Outreach By Ankita Sharma and Laura Lee SWAT 771

About Us Ankita SWAT Co-Captain Grade 11 “You are the best person EVA!” - Laura Lee… who couldn’t come up with a fun fact (not that you aren’t fun) Laura SWAT Co-Captain Grade 11 Fun Fact: dream mode of transportation: TARDIS

Why Do We Do Outreach? Spreading the message of FIRST To inspire others in science and technology You have a passion for this program... share it It's not just about the robots Outreach is just as important as a good robot A robot only lasts 1 season, outreach lasts a lifetime

Communities School Community o Get all grades involved o This is your most accessible community, use it well o Connect your outreach to what your school is doing (ex. if your school has a trip to Kenya, hold a Lego drive for the trip) Local Community o Reach out to organizations, shopping malls, local events, etc. o work with other local robotics teams in your area (ex. CNE) Global Community o Outreach does not need to be face-to-face o Work through other organizations

What Should I Do For Outreach? Everything is outreach! Combine your interests outside of robotics with outreach Don't be confined in a box....be creative :) o Outreach knows no limits o If the idea can be thought, the outreach can be done Be unique Outreach isn't about who can start the most teams! Choose to do things that are feasible for your team Say YES to when people ask you to come to an event: this is outreach being handed to you on a silver platter!

Where To Start Start with what you have Find your team goal o Outreach is easy when you have an idea of where you want to go o refer to your goal when planning all your events Not every outreach project has to be big Brainstorm ideas with your team (this could be a time to have a group brainstorm with attendees?) Do locally, while thinking globally

How To Do Outreach? Outreach isn't as hard as people make it out to be. All you need is: A team member willing to organize the event from start to finish A Contact (don't be afraid to make cold calls) On the day of the event is: o a robot o knowledgeable people (min. 3) o transportation to the event o Enthusiasm!!!! Follow up with your contact after the event: creating a partnership is very important! o Building partnerships make it easier in the future

When Should I Do Outreach? ANYTIME!!!!! o Summer o Spring o Fall o Even build season! Team calendar o Dates can get confusing o Make sure everyone on your team knows when an event is coming up Double up on dates o Who said you can't do 2 events on the same day?

Getting the Team Involved Plan outreach events that are FUN! o Or sell boring events as being fun ;) Have each member on the team plan some outreach o Planning outreach events together makes it that much more worthwhile Give your team advanced notice (1 month!) of the event o There's nothing worse than short notice and only having 2 people show up

Most Importantly Have FUN with your outreach. You are doing this because you want to, not because you have to.