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FIRST Programs
Lead Students to STEM Success
As a coach or mentor, you’ll help inspire and empower students to be innovators. Whether they’re building problem-solving skills, their sense of belonging and self-confidence, or programming and engineering skills, every FIRST program gives you the tools to inspire – and the framework to lead.-
FIRST® LEGO® League
Start With Play, Grow With Purpose
FIRST® LEGO® League introduces STEM to students ages 5–16 (varies by region) through fun, team-based challenges. Mentors help young learners develop confidence, curiosity, and real-world problem-solving skills from day one.
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FIRST® Tech Challenge
Mentor Real-World Skills
Students in grades 7–12 work in teams to design, build, and program robots for exciting competitions. Mentors guide them through collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking – key skills for success in any STEM field.
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FIRST®Robotics Competition
Guide the Next Great Innovators
High school students take on large-scale engineering projects with the support of dedicated mentors and coaches. You’ll help them navigate challenges, build confidence, and prepare for college, careers, and leadership in STEM.
Start With Play, Grow With Purpose
FIRST® LEGO® League introduces STEM to students ages 5–16 (varies by region) through fun, team-based challenges. Mentors help young learners develop confidence, curiosity, and real-world problem-solving skills from day one.
Mentor Real-World Skills
Students in grades 7–12 work in teams to design, build, and program robots for exciting competitions. Mentors guide them through collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking – key skills for success in any STEM field.
Guide the Next Great Innovators
High school students take on large-scale engineering projects with the support of dedicated mentors and coaches. You’ll help them navigate challenges, build confidence, and prepare for college, careers, and leadership in STEM.
Join or Start a Team
Find A Team in Your Area
If you’re starting your own team or looking to join an existing one, there’s a place for you in the FIRST community.
Teams can be supported by many mentors, each providing subject matter expertise in one or more areas, such as fundraising, robot programming and software engineering, travel planning, project management, machining, and more.
Use our tools to connect with teams and students eager to learn from mentors like you.
Mentor Ready
Equipping Mentors To Make an Impact
FIRST offers multiple layers of mentor training to create an aligned onboarding experience for all mentors, so you feel prepared, meet safety requirements, and are ready to lead and inspire teams. Once you create a FIRST account, you’ll have access to a suite of resources and trainings specifically designed to equip and empower our mentors to best support students.
Youth Protection Program
Creating a Safe, Supportive Experience
FIRST mentors help shape a positive, respectful environment for every student. Through our Youth Protection Program, all coaches and mentors are trained to maintain safe and welcoming spaces where students thrive.
Why Mentors Matter
During our training sessions for our initial FIRST Robotics Competition, a student looked at me with her eyes shining and said, “Teacher, I did not know I liked robotics so much.” That is the moment I love the most: seeing the awakening of this passion that was sparked in me when I participated in FIRST Robotics Competition.
Mentoring in FIRST lets me experience the transformation firsthand. Watching students evolve into confident, capable engineers and leaders through teamwork, and seeing the inspiration they carry forward, is a testament to the power of these incredible programs.
Volunteering at FIRST is exciting and exhilarating and a way to give back to my community in a way that makes me feel full.
Supported by FIRST Strategic Partners
