Host a Townhall Meeting
In 2011, Frog Force hosted our community's first "Novi Robotics" townhall-style meeting. We set up 50 chairs in the meeting room at our local library, filled the room with robots and waited hopefully for a few people to arrive. Imagine our surprise when over 200 people showed up! Novi police had to lend a hand with the traffic, and we quickly adapted our agenda into split sessions as the room wouldn't hold the crowd. Over 140 students became members of Novi FIRST teams as a result of that meeting yielding 5 FTC teams and 7 FLL teams. We were also able to add to the Frog Force ranks as well.
We knew we had something here! Our townhall-style meeting has been duplicated in communities around our state. We've shared our planning resources, answered questions and provided robots for demos at events. Many new teams have formed as a result, further strengthening the presence of FIRST in these communities and in our state.
In 2012 Novi Robotics Boosters (NBot) was formed to grow the progression of FIRST programs in Novi, as well as the involvement of Novi students in FIRST robotics. NBot is a sub-group of FRC team 503, Frog Force and is 100% volunteer driven. Nbot organizes all aspects of team formation and support in partnership with the district. We provide team training, assign student mentors, and facilitate grant processing as well as direct teams to sponsorship opportunities through the district.
Today, Novi has 50 teams registered in the district for the 2023-2024 season from FIRST LEGO League Explore to FIRST Robotics Challenge. Students progress through the FIRST programs from level to level and help sustain the program once they reach Frog Force, who runs the Novi Robotics Boosters organization. This pipeline has provided numerous benefits for our team, as a majority of new members come into the team with FIRST experience. Students return to mentor younger teams, and parents of new Frog Force team members fill key mentorship roles.
Examples of our planning resources are available below and can be adapted for use by your community. In return, we'd love to hear about your event, especially feedback and suggestions to fine tune the process. Email nbot@frogforce503.org with questions or to provide information about your event.
