HOW CAN WE CHANGE THE WORLD? ONE CHILD, ONE ROBOT KIT, AND ONE NATION AT A TIME.
Changing lives starts with changing minds. The first step to inspiring a changemaker is letting them see the potential they have to make change. Beyond the robot kit and competition field, we equip students with a variety of skills, not only empowering each of them to reach their full potential, but to also extend that impact to others and be part of the generation that will change the world. Hand in hand, we can forge a stronger, more unified world that works better together.
198 NATIONS
reached since 2017.
1,290+ ROBOT KITS
distributed since 2017.
450+ MENTORS
involved since 2017.
3,000+ VOLUNTEERS
involved since 2017.
92% OF TEAMS
had female students in 2024.
41% FEMALE
participation in 2024.
73% FIRST-TIME
participants in 2024.
15% NO EXPERIENCE
with technology and robotics prior to participating in 2024.
90% MORE INTERESTED
in pursuing a science or tech career in the future after participating in 2024.
79% MORE INTERESTED
to pursue STEM major after participating in 2024.
91% IMPROVED SKILLS
and technical ability.
76% INSPIRED
to educate students in their community about STEM and robotics after participating in 2024.
198 NATIONS
reached since 2017.
1,290+ ROBOT KITS
distributed since 2017.
1,000+ MENTORS
involved since 2017.
3,000+ VOLUNTEERS
involved since 2017.
92% OF TEAMS
had female students in 2024.
41% FEMALE
participation in 2024.
73% FIRST-TIME
participants in 2024.
15% NO EXPERIENCE
with technology and robotics prior to participating in 2024.
90% MORE INTERESTED
in pursuing a science or tech career in the future after participating in 2024.
79% MORE INTERESTED
to pursue STEM major after participating in 2024.
91% IMPROVED SKILLS
and technical ability.
76% INSPIRED
to educate students in their community about STEM and robotics after participating in 2024.
“FIRST Global has genuinely fueled my interest in STEM and my passion for engineering. It has made me more of a problem solver… and has made me see the bigger picture — that each nation’s challenges related to food, water, energy and sustainability aren’t their own. They are all of ours, and we must work together to actively find solutions. It also made me feel like we do indeed have the power to solve the world’s problems, we just need the will and determination to do so.”
—Female participant, Team Zambia 2024
“This was the best experience of my life, and I really hope that other young people can have this opportunity to participate.”
—Female participant, Team Panama 2024
“No diplomatic action can ever unite the world as FIRST Global does — 190+ countries willingly working together is more than just an event, it is a milestone that represents what society should strive to be. This experience has gotten me to see how different countries cooperate in favor of technology; it helped to debunk pre-established notions about different cultures, and made me appreciate them more. thank you for this opportunity, FIRST Global is changing the world and we can feel that from deep within.”
—Male participant, Team Brazil 2023
“Robotics is more than just a research field or a geek club in schools, it is a mental and physical sport that not only makes you smarter, but it also creates generations of experts in every field that can only make tomorrow a better and more enjoyable place.”
—Male participant, Team Algeria 2024
“Why should robotics be recognized as a sport? Because every child deserves to be good at a sport.”
—Female participant, Team Great Britain 2024
FIRST Global ignited my passion for STEM, opening my eyes to the transformative power of technology in addressing global challenges. This realization, coupled with the inspiration gained from a global community of like-minded STEM enthusiasts, fueled my dreams of pursuing a STEM career. With newfound confidence and a broader perspective, I am eager to contribute my skills and knowledge to shaping a better future for all.
—Male participant, Team Ethiopia 2023
TEAM ARCHIVES
Click on the map or select a team from the dropdown to view links to all of their profile pages.
“We’re not using kids to build robots. We’re using robots to build kids who have self-confidence, skill sets, imagination, courage, and vision to do important things.”
—Dean Kamen, FIRST Global Founder
IMPACT REPORTS
2025 FIRST Global Challenge
2024 FIRST Global Challenge
2023 FIRST Global Challenge
2022 FIRST Global Challenge
2021 FIRST Global Challenge
2020 FIRST Global Challenge
2019 FIRST Global Challenge
2018 FIRST Global Challenge
STORIES
Former students from Brazil, Albania, and the United States of America share how FIRST Global impacted their lives — and why they return each year to give back as volunteers. A Life-Changing Moment For Luiz Costa, the course of his life changed in 2017 inside…
In communities with few opportunities, dedicated mentors are helping students not only build robots—but reshape their futures. The Power of an Opportunity At the heart of FIRST Global are mentors—quiet heroes who guide, inspire, and sacrifice to help young people realize their full potential. For…
Composed of refugee students and mentors living across nine countries, Team Sudan overcame immense obstacles to represent their nation on the world stage. Under a starlit sky, Maab and her brother Mostafa stood at the border of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the desert air still…
Seeds planted by FIRST Global in the hearts of students are blossoming into leaders who are entrepreneurs, advocates, and mentors just six years after the inaugural FIRST Global Challenge. Here is the story of Keeghan. Keeghan from Saint Lucia “I think it inspired what I became today—a mechanical engineer…
Seeds planted by FIRST Global in the hearts of students are blossoming into leaders who are entrepreneurs, advocates, and mentors just six years after the inaugural FIRST Global Challenge. Here is the story of Emanuel from Venezuela. Emanuel from Venezuela Emanuel Andrade, a 2017 alumnus, is another example…
In recognition of our shared support of women’s representation in STEM, FIRST Global partnered with the Temasek Corporation to launch the Temasek Women in STEM Award as part of the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge in Singapore. Through this award, leaders from the Temasek Corporation recognized three outstanding young women…
FIRST Global Team Palestine spent a season proactively making friends all across the world. In the words of FIRST Global Founder Dean Kamen, “We don’t build robots. We build kids.” Though all teams travel to the FIRST Global Challenge carrying the spirit of international collaboration and friendship, some go…
On September 25, 2023, Belize made history by becoming the first country in the world to declare robotics to be an official sport. In the government of Belize’s statement announcing this decision, the country’s Minister of Youth and Sport wrote, “By recognizing robotics as a…
Team Haiti’s journey to the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge in Singapore was filled with twists and turns—and hope. Each year, FIRST Global brings together teams of students for a week of international cooperation and competitive robotics at the FIRST Global Challenge. United in their pursuit of STEM education, teams…
In a world where technology is rapidly advancing, it is imperative that young people are equipped with the necessary skills to succeed in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. This is the mission of FIRST Global, a nonprofit that aims to inspire the next generation of…
Every year since its founding in 2017, FIRST Global Team Hope has represented the refugees of the world in the FIRST Global Challenge, an international robotics competition in the Olympic model featuring teams from 190+ countries. The team’s reason for being is summarized by a saying of theirs: “refugees…
In India, more than six million kids drop out of school every year. Out of every 100, 29 don’t even get the opportunity to complete elementary education. By providing these kids with opportunities to realize their potential, we are able to change this. Team India…
For more than 10 years, FIRST Global’s partner in Argentina, Educabot, has been forming a new generation of Argentineans capable of using technology in the search for creative solutions to real problems. But it was Team Argentina’s participation in the FIRST Global Challenge that inspired…
A seed was planted in the mind of Nurdaulet Dosmagambet as he listened to Dean Kamen’s speech at the inaugural 2017 FIRST Global Challenge in Washington, DC. He was inspired by Dean’s words to go back to his country of Kazakhstan and take on the responsibility of…
In the Intibucá region of the Honduran mountains, quality education can be difficult to come by. More than half the population of Honduras lives below the poverty line, the net enrollment rate in secondary school was only 43 percent in 2020¹, and there’s a lack…
FIRST Global Team Afghanistan has continued to inspire ever since their debut in 2017 when they were initially twice denied, and then later granted, visas to attend the FIRST Global Challenge in Washington, DC. Although the students on the team have changed over the years,…
These teenagers orchestrated every aspect of their mission, including building, coding, launching, recovering, and analyzing data. And they did it on their own! [Team Cambodia cheers as their CubeSat prototype takes flight] You can hear the cheers as teams of kids from around the world…
For Team Madagascar, the 2020 FIRST Global Challenge was a chance for the students to broaden their horizons. They spoke about their dreams, highlighted their talents, built a paper airplane launcher, created a homemade water filtration system, constructed part of a global machine, and more….
Each year, many teams face obstacles to their participation in the FIRST Global Challenge. But civil conflict and unrest? This is the challenge that Team Ethiopia faced in 2020. The FIRST Global partner in Ethiopia was excited to assemble students for the 2020 FIRST Global…
Sometimes the greatest sources of inspiration come about through the unlikeliest of places. This is one such story, brought to the world by a handful of teenagers determined to let their light shine. Although the lives of refugees are commonly shaped by difficulty, the true…
FIRST Global is a testament to the power of STEM in transforming lives. STEM education can lift people up, providing opportunities for them to realize their full potential regardless of age, perceived ability, gender, socio-economic status, or country of origin. Abdelrahman’s story is one such…
Tristan is a young man passionate about robotics. He also happens to have autism. For Tristan, autism isn’t something that holds him back. Instead, it’s an opportunity to be uniquely himself while making a difference in his own way. And that’s a message he wants…
Before joining the FIRST Global Guinea-Bissau team, José would normally go to the Port of Bandim, the biggest fishing port in the country, to buy fish with his family. However, after joining the team and learning about the year’s Ocean Opportunities theme, he was inspired…
For Team Bahrain, attending the FIRST Global Challenge wasn’t even on their radar until just four days prior to the event, leaving them with no time to build a robot. The team made the trek to Dubai and proceeded to open a FIRST Global robotics…
When students Barbara and Mikhaeel returned to South Africa after their participation in the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge, they knew that their journey had only just begun. They saw that a lot of youth in South Africa didn’t have access to robotics, and wanted to…
Nabil Dabouz is a busy man. He’s a former FIRST Global participant, a software engineering student at the Polytechnic Montréal, and a volunteer with the FIRST LEGO® League in Canada. However, during the summer of 2018, he took on one more role – that of…
In early 2017, FIRST Global partnered with an organization called Shoulder to Shoulder, a nonprofit supporting health and education initiatives in Honduras, to send a team of Honduran youth to participate in the inaugural FIRST Global Challenge. “We’re introducing something down here that’s pretty novel,” said…
Rachael’s journey began when she started studying to be a software engineer. Out of a class of 43, she was one of just three women. It was then that she decided to make it her mission to engage more girls in technology fields. Rachael started…
The all-girl Afghan robotics team — the Afghan Dreamers — made headlines in the summer of 2017 for being denied, then eventually waived, visas to attend the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t the first challenge they had faced. Some girls’ families…
As the programmer for his robotics team, Nathan is responsible for making sure the robot’s code is top-notch. Looking at the enthusiasm and excellence he brings to his work, it may be surprising to hear that Nathan hasn’t always been recognized as the smart and…
Team Iran signed on to compete in the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge. The only problem? They couldn’t get a robot kit due to sanctions. Team Iran instead paired up with a robotics team from a Virgina high school who worked with them to build the…
“I can build a robot, you can build a robot; together, we can build a robot. Robotics is not just for boys, but for girls, boys, and everyone.” Meet Larissa, the only female member of Team Cameroon 2017. Larissa gets up at 3 a.m. to…
Team Liberia faced many challenges on their way to participating in the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge. Yet despite a lack of electricity, an abundance of flooding, and no previous experience with robotics, they pushed forward.
