Today, teams 18603 Terabridges and 20223 USC Dynamics held a joint meeting with PA district 40 representative Natalie Mihalek as a part of our robotics advocacy movement.
Western PA faces a challenge in participating in the FIRST robotics programs. There is lower support for teams on this side of state, hence the significant disparity of FLL, FTC, and FRC teams in eastern PA versus the western side. Philadelphia and its surrounding area contribute to FIRST participation in PA noticeably more than Pittsburgh, and it’s in part due to the greater population and higher support for robotics programs. Philadelphia has a grant program in place to cover certain costs for teams and encourage adults to volunteer their time and coach.
That is why Terabirdges is actively working on advocating the establishment of similar support programs in western PA to balance the representation of both sides of the state in FIRST events. Creating more teams in Western PA would not only establish more opportunities for students to be involved in robotics, but also strengthen the FIRST community around PA.
We built and presented a pitch to Natalie Mihalek highlighting the strengths of the FIRST community and the positive impact robotics has on our teams. USC Dynamics and Terabridges described how FTC teams engage in outreach, strengthen the community, and learn many life skills from FIRST.
We also had Tom Zawislak, the FTC program delivery partner for PA FTC, present to Natalie Mihalek and explain why FIRST is essential for students interested in robotics and urged the need for programs to support teams in western PA.
This meeting proved to be worthy, as Natalie Mihalek expressed her support. She acknowledged the high presence of FIRST in Pittsburgh and the need for a way to support the needs of teams. While Terabridges has yet to confirm a program for supporting teams, we are proud that we are one step closer to bringing awareness of this situation to state politicians and officials.
The goal of our advocacy efforts is to establish a system that supports the creation of new FTC teams (or other FIRST teams) in Western PA. This would allow our side of the state to strengthen its presence in the compeitive robotics arena and increase oppurtunties for children. Hopefully, work toward creating a grant program that supports team registration, materials costs, and coaching stipends can be done