FIRST is an international program dedicated to exposing students all across the world to robotics. FIRST: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, the organization strives to give students an opportunity to connect with their community and develop a love for the sciences, through three different competitive robotics tiers. The tiers start with First Lego League, an introductory program that gives students ages nine to sixteen a chance to experience teamwork and FIRST values via a fun game, announced annually, that must be played with a robot built with Lego NXT or EV3 robotic parts. FLL acquaints a student with their community, and begins building teamwork and organizational skills that will last a lifetime. After FLL, there are two options for robotics enthusiasts: First Tech Challenge and First Robotics Competition. Both FTC and FRC give high school age participants the opportunity to enhance their skills and further their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, as well as construct and program a robot to compete against teams across the nation and the world. As explained on the FIRST website, “The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting Mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”
For more info, see these links:
FIRST Washington
FIRST Robotics Competition Game & Season Info
First Inspires
4‑H is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing. Kids complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and citizenship, in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles. Kids experience 4‑H in every county and parish in the country—through in-school and after-school programs, school and community clubs and 4‑H camps.
Source: What is 4-H?
Also see:
4-H
4-H Youth Development
FIRST Robotics Competition Team 4918, also known as The Roboctopi, is a FIRST Robotics Team based in Port Townsend, Washington. It was created in 2014 under the mentorship of Austin Henry, an engineer at Atlas Technologies, and in partnership with the Northwest Maritime Center. The rookie team was made up of a core of about a dozen students, most of which would go on to stay with the team until graduating. Returning team members would serve as helpful leaders to newcomers, allowing them to adjust and learn about the complexities of FRC. Over the next few years, the team would go on to win multiple awards, the highest being the honor of attending both the 2015 and the 2017 World Championships, in St. Louis, Missouri and Houston, Texas, respectively. In 2015, a retired Navy avionics engineer, Darrin Newlander, joined the team as a mentor. After several moves, the team eventually settled in a new home at the Port Townsend High School Robotics and Technology Lab, also becoming a 4-H affiliated program and being joined by parent and new mentor Brian Morningstar, a professional entertainment rigger and technical manager. The Roboctopi hold a philosophy that work should be driven by students. The current two mentors, Austin and Brian, serve mostly to guide, and to assure safety and timeliness occur in all tasks taken on by team members. This approach leads to a learning environment that inspires critical thinking and allows for the fostering of leadership and creativity. Students learn how to build, program, make business plans, and run an organization, all valuable life lessons. Students are exposed to wonderful opportunities as members of a FIRST chapter, such as scholarships, teamwork and Coopertition, a FIRST value, as well as instilling a love for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.