Volunteering for FIRST
FIRST is truly a volunteer driven organization. With close to 27,000 teams in four programs worldwide, it takes a large and diverse group of volunteers to make FIRST successful; Mentors and Coaches guide the kids on their teams, Event Volunteers make the hundreds of seasonal events possible and field volunteers continue to help FIRST grow season after season.
Whether you have four hours on a weekend to help, want to mentor for a length of time, have technical or non-technical expertise, there is a volunteer role suited to your unique interest.
Become a FIRST volunteer and you’ll find a community of like-minded, dedicated individuals and a sense of camaraderie, excitement, and joy while working For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST).
Volunteering as a Mentor
Teams Need Mentors – With Wide Ranging Skills
Since the September 2002 founding of Colorado FIRST, visibility and interest has exploded! Schools from Fort Collins to Grand Junction to Colorado Springs to Denver are working to field teams for the competitions. Major corporations are working to provide financial, facility, and other support for these teams. However, to succeed, they need adult mentors who can help the teams organizationally and technically.
Do you have professional or personal experience or interest in:
- Engineering
- Electronics
- Robotics
- Computer programming
- Computer Aided Design
- Animation
- PR, marketing, and communications
- Finance and fundraising
- Team organization and operations
If you are interested in any of these, you can be a mentor.
What you will do as a mentor?
A FIRST mentor:
- Inspires students
- Motivates and engages students in the meaningful activities
- Creates open communication
- Facilitates instruction and has students do as much work as possible
Mentoring is the process by which an experienced person provides advice, support, and encouragement to a less experienced person. A mentor is a teacher or advisor who leads through guidance and example. On a FIRST team, the mentor’s goal is to actively share wisdom and knowledge with the students to foster intellectual growth. Mentors need to help each other discover ways of adapting instruction to reach every student on the team. The mentors and students are equal and become united through a partnership where each works collaboratively toward a mutual and beneficial goal.
The team mentors work with the students to learn technical and organizational skills needed to build a robot and compete as a unified team. You will help the team design and implement a robotic system to compete in a specific competitive environment. In addition to having fun, you will have a profoundly positive impact on our children, our schools, and our community.
Time Commitment
Time commitment is a highly individual thing – there is no one answer. It can be as little as a few hours per week for just a couple of weeks, to back-to-back days for one to two weeks, to a whole bunch for those that choose. The only meaningful answer comes out of attending a team meeting and/or talking with a Team-Leader and agreeing on that piece with which you are personally comfortable committing. It is always your choice.
Review Mentor Resources
If you want to mentor but don’t have a connection to a team, please let us know more about you, including where you live and work, what type of team you are interested in mentoring and what your area(s) of expertise are.
Volunteering at an Event
FIRST LEGO League Explore Season
| Late Spring – Fall | Team formation and organization |
| August | Challenge Announced and Season Begins |
| November – April | Various Local Festivals |
FIRST LEGO League Challenge Season
| Late Spring – Fall | Team formation and organization |
| August | Mission Announced and Build Season Begins |
| November – December | Various Local and State Tournaments |
FIRST Tech Challenge Competition Season
| Summer – Fall | Team formation and organization |
| September | Kick-Off |
| January | Qualifying Tournaments |
| February | Colorado Championship |
FIRST Robotics Competition Season
| Summer – Fall | Team formation and organization |
| November | Registration and Payment Deadlines |
| January | Build Season Kick-Off |
| March/April | Regional/Championship Competitions |
FIRST LEGO League Explore Festivals
FIRST LEGO League Explore Festivals are usually held from mid-November through March depending upon venue availability. Duties for volunteers at these events range from crowd control to welcoming guests and participants.
FIRST LEGO League Explore presents the perfect opportunity to get the whole family involved. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and others can all take an active role in this exciting program.
Check out the FIRST LEGO League Explore Volunteer Positions. Must be 13 years old or older to volunteer.
Click here to login or create an account to volunteer for a FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival (please remember that we require that our volunteers be at least 13 years old.)
FIRST LEGO League Challenge Competitions
FIRST LEGO League Challenge competitions usually are held on Saturdays from November through early December depending upon venue availability. The volunteer needs for each event depend upon the size of the competition.
Check out the FIRST LEGO League Tournament Volunteer Positions. Must be 13 years old or older to volunteer.
Click here to login or create an account to volunteer for a Colorado FIRST LEGO League Challenge (please remember that we require that our volunteers be at least 13 years old.)
FIRST Tech Challenge Competition
To have a successful FIRST Tech Challenge competition, we need several positions with ages ranging from 13 to 21. Don’t worry about not having the right skills or knowledge; all of the volunteer jobs are easy to learn and fun to do. You can even volunteer as a group and work with a group of your friends. Our volunteers have so much fun that they look forward to it as a sort of vacation each year!
Click here to login or create an account to volunteer for a Colorado FIRST Tech Challenge (please remember that we require that our volunteers be at least 13 years old.)
FIRST Robotics Competition Regional Competition
To have a successful Regional Competition, we need over 90 volunteers. Volunteer positions are listed below. Your commitment can be as short as one day up to the entire three day event (some roles require a multi-day commitment). Don’t worry about not having the right skills or knowledge; all of the volunteer jobs are easy to learn and fun to do. You can even volunteer as a group and work with a group of your friends. Our volunteers have so much fun that they look forward to it as a sort of vacation each year! We do require that our volunteers be at least 16 years old.
Click here for a list of volunteer positions available at the Colorado Regional Competition
Click here to login or create an account to volunteer for a Colorado FIRST Colorado Regional Competition (please remember that we require that our volunteers be at least 16 years old.)