Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Part 2
September 30, 2021
Since 1989, more than 3.2 million youth have participated in FIRST® programs around the world. Furthering the FIRST mission would not be possible without the tens of thousands of dedicated coaches and mentors working alongside and inspiring participants each season.
As FIRST continues to improve and expand support, training, and recognition for these crucial individuals within our robotics community, we are thrilled to launch several new initiatives for the 2025-2026 season, all developed with our volunteers in mind:
Mentor Ready Training:
FIRST has launched a new mentor training path consisting of four trainings that will equip team mentors with some foundational tools and resources to confidently lead and inspire their teams. This path is now accessible on the new FIRST Training platform from your FIRST dashboard.
- Mentor Ready is comprised of four trainings: Welcome to FIRST; Youth Protection Training; Data Privacy for Mentors; and Role of a Mentor. You can complete the path all at once or complete one training at a time.
- The new FIRST Training platform is accessible from your FIRST Dashboard by clicking on the ‘FIRST Training’ button on the top of the dashboard. For mobile users, you can access FIRST Training from the dropdown menu.
- Upon completing the Mentor Ready training path, you will receive a virtual badge on your FIRST Dashboard account as well as a certificate and badge you can download for your records.
- The first 1,000 learners who complete the Mentor Ready training path and provide feedback will receive an email to select a gift. Be sure to opt-in at the end of the training to complete next steps for your free mentor gift!
Team Connectivity:
Connecting with other teams and mentors allows teams to collaborate on materials, building resources, game-play strategy, meaningful mentorship, pizza parties, and more.
- Teams can now provide a public-facing email address on the Team Search page of the FIRST website, allowing mentors, sponsors, and additional supporters to easily find and connect with your team. Active FIRST teams can opt-in by updating their communication options on their Team Profile in their Dashboard.
- Once teams opt-in to sharing their email, they will also be able to display if they are in need of mentors or are willing to mentor another team. Coming soon, this information will be available for anyone to view on the team search page, allowing teams and mentors to offer help or seek and find the help they need by reaching out to another team.
Updated Team Roles & Definitions:
Whether it’s serving as a primary team contact, providing hands-on skill building, or supplying snacks and transportation, every person serving in a supportive team role makes a big impact on the lives of our student participants. To better recognize the various support roles on a FIRST team, we are streamlining how we categorize these roles on team rosters to more accurately reflect each support person's position within the team structure.
- Lead Coach Update: Across all FIRST programs, the role of Lead Coach/Mentor 1 or Lead Coach/Mentor 2 will now be designated as Lead Coach 1 and Lead Coach 2. While all coaches are also mentors, this change provides more clarity about the unique authority, responsibilities and leadership of the Lead Coach role.
- NEW Team Volunteer Role: FIRST has created a Team Volunteer role in addition to the Lead Coaches and Mentors to create a designation for individuals who support teams but do not fit the definition of a coach or mentor. A Team Volunteer is an individual (18+) who regularly volunteers with and supports the team, but they are not a mentor or a coach, such as a parent who regularly chaperones the team.
- The Mentor Role remains unchanged and is for individuals (18+) with technical or non-technical knowledge that teach and assist a team.
- Learn more about team roles here.
Exclusive FIRST mentor recognition merchandise:
Now available in the FIRST Store, we are excited to offer new FIRST mentor items to help recognize the dedication and contributions of mentors, including:
- FIRST mentor sweatshirt
- FIRST mentor hat
- FIRST® AGE™ presented by Qualcomm coach mentor pin, and past season coach mentor pins (while supplies last)
- FIRST mentor logo added as an option on U Brand It apparel
- Coming Soon – FIRST mentor backpacks with option for customizable embroidery with team name and/or team number.
These new initiatives represent the beginning of an ongoing focus to improve and expand FIRST mentor training, recognition and overall experience. We hope these resources support you in your role to support the FIRST mission.
Thank you for all you do!
View additional team and mentor resources on the newly-designed FIRST website.