A GLOBAL ROBOTICS COMMUNITY PREPARING YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THE FUTURE

We Are the World's Leading Youth-Serving Nonprofit Advancing STEM Education

Founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST® is a global nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of life-changing youth robotics programs that build skills, confidence, and resilience.

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FIRST® IN SHOWSM presented by Qualcomm

Bring STEM inspiration, holistic skill building, and fun to your classroom or after-school learning environment with collaborative problem solving during our arts-themed 2023-2024 robotics season.

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Inspiring Generations of Global Citizens

3.2 million youth participants since 1989

There are FIRST teams in 100+ countries.

81% of FIRST alumni declare majors in STEM by their fourth year of college

83% of FIRST alumni have confidence to take leadership roles in school

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A Suite of Hands-On STEM Programs for Every Age

Project-based, hands-on FIRST programs introduce students to engineering and coding in engaging, inclusive, and creative learning environments, where students work collaboratively to solve themed robotics challenges.

Because our programs are More Than Robots®, participants are guided by FIRST Core Values to build a better future.

GRADES
PreK-8
 
GRADESPreK-8
AGES4-16

FIRST® LEGO® League introduces STEM to children ages 4-16* through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program, helping today’s students and teachers build a better future together. FIRST LEGO League’s three divisions inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics.

*ages and grades vary by country

FIRST LEGO League is...

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FIRST LEGO League

GRADES
7-12
 
GRADES7-12
AGES12-18

FIRST® Tech Challenge students learn to think like engineers. Teams design, build, and program robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Robots are built from a reusable platform, powered by android technology, and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming.

FIRST Tech Challenge is...

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FIRST Tech Challenge

GRADES
9-12
 
GRADES9-12
AGES14-18

FIRST® Robotics Competition teams design, program, and build a robot starting with a standard kit of parts and common set of rules to play in a themed head-to-head challenge. Teams also build a brand, develop community partnerships for support, and work to promote STEM in their local community.

FIRST Robotics Competition is...

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FIRST Robotics Competition

 

FIRST inspires students to be forces for change in their communities

FIRST ® RISESM powered by
Star Wars: Force for Change Season Teams

FIRST STEM Community

Star Wars actors Daisy Ridley, Kelly Marie Tran, and Oscar Isaac highlighted a few of the FIRST® teams tackling challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic in a video message to the ...

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FIRST is a Place Where I Belong

Eduardo Pineda

FIRST Robotics Competition Team 6647 "Voltec Robotics," Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

FIRST Robotics Competition Student

"I had a feeling that FIRST® was the place where I belonged, and that feeling has never disappeared."

Before I participated in FIRST, I never saw myself with a career, many friends, or as a...

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In The Media

Hear what people are saying about FIRST.

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