Get Involved
Empower the next generation of leaders
How to help
-
Volunteer
Set an example by becoming part of our global community of FIRST volunteers! Even a few hours of contribution can make an astronomical difference.
-
Mentor
Empower students by becoming a FIRST mentor! Help students gain the skills and confidence to forge ahead to create their own future through FIRST.
-
Sponsor
Sponsoring FIRST is an investment towards our next generation of innovators and leaders. Your support helps our student’s ambitions come true.
Volunteering
When you’re a FIRST volunteer, you empower students to be future changemakers. Working side by side with FIRST participants, you inspire them to use their skills to make a positive impact on their communities and the world. Volunteering with FIRST gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge – whether technical or non-technical, learn something new, build your resume, and network with other volunteers and sponsors. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, thrilling, and inspiring environment to make a difference, there’s a spot for you as a FIRST volunteer! #CHAMPIONTHEGAME
How to Volunteer
-
Register to volunteer
Learn more about available positions and sign up to volunteer in the global FIRST Volunteer Dashboard.
-
Become YPP Certified
Read through and complete our Youth Protection Program certification on your Volunteer Dashboard.
-
Sign up for events
Once you’ve registered and your YPP certification has been approved, you can now sign up for events.
Event Day Volunteering
FIRST events are an exciting and fun-filled opportunity to see youth in action, watching them apply the knowledge and skills they developed through team participation. Each competition event depends on an abundance of volunteers with a broad spectrum of talents to support operating needs and competition demands.
FIRST continually seeks more individuals to help. Whether you have four hours on a Saturday or a full day to spend with us, FIRST event-day volunteers help out during the event season, often for more than one FIRST program. Many of these roles are highly visible and can have a significant positive impact on the quality of the event. There is something to suit everyone’s style, whether you like fast-past actions or helping behind-the-scenes. Many event-day volunteer roles do not need to have any technical expertise.
-
Communication
Before each event, event organizers will reach out to you with your assigned role, a schedule for the event, and any other additional information that might be needed. They will be available to answer all your questions prior to and during the event.
-
Training
Depending on your role at the event, you may need some additional training before the event. You will receive training specific to your assigned job either before or on the morning of the event, depending on the role. FIRST provides appropriate training according to each Volunteer position.
-
Event T-Shirt and Name Tag
Depending on program and event, you may be given a t-shirt and name tag. These designate you as a FIRST Volunteer for the day, and they allow you access to the area of your Volunteer job and are your ticket to the Volunteer lounge for food and refreshments throughout the day.
-
Year of Service Pin
All FIRST volunteers receive a FIRST Year of Service pin based on how many years they have volunteered at the 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 year intervals. FIRST has an extraordinarily high volunteer retention rate, and we do have many 20+ year volunteers still with us today.
-
Lots of Spirit
Part sporting event, part rock party, you may just see moms with mohawks, six-year olds dressed as LEGO elements, and dancing flash mobs! The spirit is contagious, so if you are a new volunteer, you may want to remember your dancing shoes, your FIRST pins, and maybe even your Halloween costume as you get ready for a weekend of fun!
-
And More!
It doesn’t matter which FIRST program you Volunteer for, you will always walk away at the end of the day with a sense of pride and fulfillment, knowing that you have helped children experience what they never might have without FIRST and without your support.
Mentoring
As a mentor or coach of a FIRST® team, you empower students to be future gamechangers. You’re working side by side with FIRST® participants to build their leadership and problem-solving skills and, more importantly, their sense of belonging and self-confidence. Your contribution to the success of FIRST® programs is immeasurable.
Build up the next generation of innovators as a FIRST® mentor or coach. Learn more about mentoring here.
As a mentor or coach you can:
-
Teach others what you know
-
Be inspired by the students
-
Give back to your community
-
Build your own skills and resume
The FIRST Mentor Network
From finding their people to finding their path, mentors help students gain the skills and confidence to forge ahead and build their future with FIRST®. And now, more than ever, we need to empower and foster the next generation of innovators to feel hopeful and build a better future. The FIRST® Mentor Network is an interactive platform allowing mentors to find FIRST® teams to work with virtually or face to face, locally or across the country, for a few hours or for a season. Learn more and create your mentor profile today!
Brandon King, Mentor
“Participating in FIRST Robotics as a student is what inspired me to become an engineer, thanks to the amazing mentors I had on my team. To me, mentoring FRC teams is the most rewarding and fun way to put my knowledge and skills to use, to give back to my community, and to inspire the next generation of innovators and leaders.”
Kellen Hill, Mentor
“My favorite part about mentoring in FRC is getting to assist and watch as students develop their own problem solving processes. Encouraging them to chase their ideas, while also identifying the means to make them a reality, helps to create some really eye opening experiences that make the substantial long term impacts that this program is known for.”
Sponsoring
A generous and extensive network of Fortune 500 corporations, educational and professional institutions, foundations, and individuals support FIRST®. Through the resources they provide, our Sponsors are helping FIRST® inspire young people to become the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals.
FIRST® is the leading STEM program for students ages 6-18. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500, FIRST® designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering.
We cultivate innovative collaborations and strategic partnerships with corporations that share our founder, Dean Kamen’s, vision “to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”
This support, including financial contributions, in-kind donations, employee volunteerism and mentoring, provides vital resources for FIRST® organizational growth, and is a testimony to the value found in FIRST® programs.
-
Financial Sponsorship of programs and strategic initiatives
In-kind donations of parts, equipment of facilities
Scholarships & Internships for students
Employee Engagement
Cause Marketing
-
Strengthening your company reputation in the community
Recognition across FIRST properties and events
Creating a pipeline for interns and future employees
Rich employee volunteer opportunities
Provides renewed inspiration to company engineers and employees
Provides employee team building and training opportunities and increases positive feelings for employers
GeorgiaFIRST Corporate Sponsors come from industries of all shapes and sizes. All of our sponsors are critical to building our programs for that engage students in meaningful STEM education, and we are grateful to each one for their unique contributions.
See our full list of current sponsors down below.
For information on how to become a sponsor please contact us.
Thank you to our current sponsors:
