Start a Team

FIRST® prepares young people for the future through a suite of life-changing youth robotics programs that build skills, confidence, and resilience. Our team-based PreK-12 robotics programs can be facilitated in school classrooms or as a structured after-school program in schools, libraries, youth organizations, community groups, and homeschools.

For more than 35 years, FIRST has been bringing competitive robotics to life. FIRST works because our programs use strategies known to increase student interest in STEM: hands-on learning, working as a team on real-life problems, exposure to careers and adult mentors, emphasis on FIRST Core Values, and a culminating celebration where students can showcase what they created and learned.

Anyone can start a FIRST team

FIRST provides resources (from fundraising to programming) to help you get started. You’ll also have the support of the mission-driven FIRST Community, including other coaches and mentors, volunteers, alumni, sponsors, and local Program Delivery Partners, who are eager to share their knowledge, resources, and insights.

FIRST does not match youth to existing teams due to our privacy policy. Use the Team & Event Search to find where teams and events are located.

 

Elementary school programs

Explore real-world problem-solving and introduce coding and robot building principles using LEGO® Education technology. 

Participants develop teamwork and collaboration skills and learn how STEM interacts with our world.

Middle school programs

Develop programming and robot-building skills using LEGO®  SPIKETM, SPIKE Prime*, or reusable control system and Java programming^. 

Participants build STEM skills and collaborate to solve annual themed challenges.​

High school programs

Teams of students create, build, and program robots to complete in exciting, themed challenges as they work alongside mentors and build workforce skills. 

FIRST participants and alumni have access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life.

 

FIRST Class Pack

An implementation option for classrooms or after-school programs. Class Pack provides educators and communities with flexible, high-quality STEM learning experiences for students. For information on PreK-12 Class Pack options go to the Class Pack website.