About
FIRST California offers mentor-based, research and robotics programs where participants work on project-based, hands-on STEM programs. The program includes engineering, coding, and themed, team-based robotics challenges through FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition. Teams design, build, and program robots, compete in an alliance format against other teams, build a brand, develop community partnerships for support, and work to promote STEM in their local community.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
FIRST California is part of the world’s leading youth serving non-profit advancing STEM education and offers a suite of hands-on STEM programs for every age. Programs introduce students to engineering and coding in engaging, inclusive, and creative learning environments, and participants are guided by FIRST Core Values to build a better future. FIRST LEGO League’s three divisions inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills, while teams in other programs design, program, and build a robot starting with a standard kit of parts and common set of rules to play in a themed head-to-head challenge. In some programs, robots are built from a reusable platform, powered by android technology, and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming. The 2025–2026 robotics season theme is FIRST AGE presented by Qualcomm, inspired by archaeology.
FIRST has been inspiring young people for 36 years, and FIRST Founder Dean Kamen is part of the leadership of this movement. The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, as well as well rounded contributors to society, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based, research and robotics programs. Teams in FIRST California develop community partnerships for support and work to promote STEM in their local community.
“The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect – of the program nor of themselves. They leave with a vision, with confidence and with a sense that they can create their own future.” – Founder, Dean Kamen
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Last updated April 1, 2026.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
FIRST California is part of the world’s leading youth serving non-profit advancing STEM education and offers a suite of hands-on STEM programs for every age. Programs introduce students to engineering and coding in engaging, inclusive, and creative learning environments, and participants are guided by FIRST Core Values to build a better future. FIRST LEGO League’s three divisions inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills, while teams in other programs design, program, and build a robot starting with a standard kit of parts and common set of rules to play in a themed head-to-head challenge. In some programs, robots are built from a reusable platform, powered by android technology, and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming. The 2025–2026 robotics season theme is FIRST AGE presented by Qualcomm, inspired by archaeology.
FIRST has been inspiring young people for 36 years, and FIRST Founder Dean Kamen is part of the leadership of this movement. The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, as well as well rounded contributors to society, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based, research and robotics programs. Teams in FIRST California develop community partnerships for support and work to promote STEM in their local community.
“The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect – of the program nor of themselves. They leave with a vision, with confidence and with a sense that they can create their own future.” – Founder, Dean Kamen
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Last updated April 1, 2026.
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