First Rise

For 30 years, FIRST^® has inspired millions of young people to reach new heights

Project-based, hands-on FIRST programs introduce students to coding, programming, and engineering in an inclusive, creative, and hopeful environment where students work collaboratively to solve a yearly robotics challenge. Explore K-12 programs designed to inspire innovation and help young people build a better future.

This 2019-2020 season, FIRST^® RISE^SM, powered by Star Wars: Force for Change, is setting out to inspire citizens of the galaxy to work together, strengthening and protecting the Force that binds us and creating a place where collaboration and collective wisdom can elevate new ideas and foster growth. Together, we RISE.

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Explore FIRST Programs this season

Ages 6-10 FIRST^® LEGO League jr.

Building Curiosity

FIRST^® LEGO^® League Jr. challenges teams of children to explore a scientific concept, then build a model and code it to make it move using LEGO^® Education WeDo 2.0.

Ages 9-14 FIRST^® LEGO League

Creating Innovators

FIRST^® LEGO^® League gives students the chance to develop, design, build, and code LEGO^® Education MINDSTORMS^® EV3 robots to perform autonomous “missions” on a themed playing field and design innovative solutions to a real-world problem inspired by the theme.

Ages 12-18 FIRST^® tech challenge

Reaching New Heights

Starting in September, FIRST^® Tech Challenge teams of up to 15 students explore the possibilities of STEM through designing, building, programming, and operating robots to play a competition challenge in an alliance format.

Ages 14-18 FIRST^® robotics competition

Powering Their Future

With limited time and resources, teams of students, supported by adult mentors, build and program robots to perform challenging tasks in alliance with other teams in FIRST^® Robotics Competition.

Inspiring a New Generation of Heroes

The Walt Disney Company is committed to providing today’s youth with inspiration and opportunity through transformative programming and has been a proud supporter of the global k-12 nonprofit organization, FIRST^®, for over 20 years. This year, Lucasfilm and parent company Disney are excited to team up with FIRST to inspire the next generation of heroes and innovators as part of the Star Wars: Force for Change philanthropic initiative.

Making an Impact

FIRST is More Than Robots^SM. FIRST participation is proven to encourage students to pursue education and careers in STEM-related fields and inspire them to become leaders and innovators. Through FIRST, students develop valuable, real-world skills applicable to all career choices and outcomes.

K+

participating
students

M+

volunteer
hours

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teams in over 95 countries

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official
events

Our 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.” — Dean Kamen, Founder