The Philosophy of What We Do

[Toolmaker51]

So pleased to find this thread; but not surprised. The HMT.net impact is personal; whether as contributor or receiver. And both sides mention desire to foster interest in the young. There is a pool of such students available, beginning with middle schoolers, that extends right through high school. The program is literally worldwide.
Familiar with or heard of Dean Kamen? He's a remarkable engineer, with all sorts of recognizable products in use. I believe he was producing a medical product in his parents basement before graduating high school. Around 25 years ago, he set out doing exactly what this thread leans to. Mentorship is keystone of his organization, and YOU have skills needed by students drawn to their local build site. He addresses the same issues identified in this thread; by connecting desire with a well (perfectly) developed goal structure. That desire might be just a spark, or a established skillset. Very little "everybody's a winner" PC nonsense, the rewards are attained, not just passed out. It even holds an extensive scholarship program. You'll be amazed at who's who in the corporate support; realizing education alone is not going to repopulate an aging workforce.

FIRST Robotics Competition | FIRST

At this site; the opening picture is a hint. One (or more) of those kids almost certainly never had handled a hack saw, seen a caliper, threaded a nut and bolt together, wired an arduino, or helped to create a semi-autonomous robot. This isn't BattleBots, because the rounds continue from local to world finals, but I guarantee, every bit as tense. Failure or breakdown doesn't create instantaneous elimination; the kids are so enthused to re-enter I've seen near complete rebuilds between rounds. Even if they're drawn to participate other than in mechanic/ technical aspects; successful teams are composed to conduct a 'business unit' 'safety team' 'inventory control' 'documentation' even 'advertising' groups.
That's why YOU have skills that will benefit a team. And then a few weeks later, poof it's done! And next year, many team members return. They'll enter a meet that utilizes a specific but attainable set of regulations. FIRST (capitalized and bold as a trademark) characterizes the atmosphere as one of ''coopertition", mashing up cooperative competition. The general game occurs every year, but the task changes.
I'll urge any interested parties; gauge their commitment to expanding our family of craftspeople and contact a local team base via the site.