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.
FIRST Helps Kids "Get Anywhere"
The breadth of career opportunities that an education in STEM provides is wider than ever. Today’s students are inspired by FIRST to build futures tailored to their unique talents and interests.
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
Hear from the FIRST Community
Parents
Students
Educators
Volunteers
Educators
"I'm a firm believer in FIRST — it boosts confidence, builds collaborative skills, and is hands-on. It takes the best of pedagogy, and best practices in education, and brings it all together."
- Urvi Shah, Director of Educational Technology and Innovation
Volunteers
"Volunteering at FIRST is exciting and exhilarating and a way to give back to my community in a way that makes me feel full."
- Kari Karwedsky, FIRST Volunteer for 13 years
FIRST® DIVESM 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 ocean-themed 2024-2025 robotics season.
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.
Children can join any of our three programs based on age or grade level. Ages may vary by region.
FIRST® LEGO® League introduces STEM to children through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program using LEGO® technology, 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 and showcase what they learned.
FIRST® Tech Challenge students work together with their mentors to design and build robots to compete in a dynamic and exciting challenge released every September. Teams program classroom-scale robots to follow autonomous commands before student drivers take control in two-on-two matches. On and off the field, students develop STEM skills, engage in community outreach, practice engineering innovation, and build confidence to help them succeed.
Each January brings a new challenge for FIRST® Robotics Competition teams. Starting with a Kit of Parts, they design, program, and build industrial-sized robots to play an action-packed game on a themed field as part of a three-team alliance. Guided by mentors and sponsors, students learn engineering and problem-solving skills as they compete for awards, create a team identity, raise funds, hone teamwork skills, and advance appreciation for STEM in their community.
FIRST inspires students to be forces for change in their communities
FIRST ® RISESM powered by
Star Wars: Force for Change Season Teams
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 ...
FIRST ® & Qualcomm: A Pioneering Partnership to Inspire Young Innovators
Qualcomm Incorporated
FIRST Strategic Partner
It’s a future understood by two like-minded organizations: Today’s students will be the drivers of tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Together, FIRST ® and Qualcomm IncorporatedTM are...
FIRST Updates
Stay up to date on the latest events and conversations in the FIRST community.