FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

In recent years, several FIRST Robotics Competition events have been experimenting with ‘Quiet Rooms.’ These are rooms in less-trafficked areas of venues set aside as quiet spaces for participants to de-stress and take a break from the general business of the event. They typically have chairs, tables, and resources for quiet activities such as coloring and crossword puzzles. Our friends at The Compass Alliance, as part of their Hear for You campaign, have developed resources for events to use in putting quiet rooms in place. These are being shared with FRC event leadership. If you would like to, you can take a look here.

FIRST is not requiring Quiet Rooms at events. While the feedback we’ve received on Quiet Rooms where implemented has been very positive, we recognize that not all events may have the space or other resources required. However, we are asking all events to consider the option of implementing Quiet Rooms.

It’s also important to recognize that Quiet Rooms are not intended to take the place of professional counseling or emergency services. Any event attendee experiencing a crisis or emergency should contact emergency services on-site or phone the appropriate service.

We believe this is a step forward in our ability to provide positive experiences for event attendees, and want to give a big thanks to The Compass Alliance for all their work in making this happen!

Frank