FIRST Tech Challenge Community – We Want Your Thoughts!

As we wrap up the incredible INTO THE DEEP^SM presented by RTX season and look ahead to the excitement of DECODE™ presented by RTX, we are filled with gratitude, energy, and anticipation for all that is ahead. Thank you for being such an inspiring part of this journey!

The end of a season is a great moment to reflect, connect, and imagine how we can grow together. At FIRST^® Tech Challenge, we are always striving to grow and evolve, not just in numbers of teams, but in how we support teams and make this program more impactful and inclusive for everyone. Right now, we are digging deep into a few key areas, and we would love to hear your voice!

Building on the success of the 2024 FIRST Robotics Competition Summer Taskforce's process and outcomes, the FIRST Tech Challenge program is also collecting community feedback and establishing working groups to investigate common areas of frustration for teams and volunteers. The feedback collected will be used over the next few seasons to help inform staff and volunteers in crafting program improvements.

Here are the key areas we are seeking feedback on this summer:

Team Advancement

We are taking a close look at how teams move from one event level to the next. A special task force made up of alumni, key volunteers, and experienced community members is exploring new ideas this summer to make advancement more equitable, accessible, and better align with our core values.

What would your ideal advancement process look like?

Judging Process and Awards

We are also reexamining judged awards—how many there are, how they are presented, and how we can make judging more transparent and meaningful for teams. Do our awards celebrate all the right areas or are there awards that are missing?

Robot Construction Rules

Are there rules about how you can build your robot you think should be updated or changed? Are there specific parts or processes that should or should not be legal? How would those changes help your team or improve the program as a whole?

Student and Team Barriers

• What challenges do you observe or encounter? We want to better understand what barriers teams are experiencing.
• What hinders student recruiting, engagement, and/or retention?
• What difficulties do mentors experience?
• Is there any specific support that would have made a difference?
• What are the biggest hurdles to starting and sustaining a team?

Student Outcomes

We want to hear about and celebrate success!

• What student outcomes do you value?
• What student growth have you observed as a result of their experience as a team member?
• What student experiences in the FIRST community support your vision of success?
• What are the biggest hurdles to starting and sustaining a team? What has been tough as a mentor or team?

FIRST Tech Challenge & FIRST Robotics Competition Perspectives

Over the past two seasons the FIRST Tech Challenge team and the FIRST Robotics Competition team have been working together to remove programmatic differences which do not add value to the program experience. These differences create confusion and friction for the many FIRST participants (parents, mentors, volunteers, and students) who are involved in both programs. This is not about making “FTC little FRC” or “FRC big FTC” but it is about a more seamless experience for FIRST participants.

There are many unique values and experiences which come from participation in either program and we want to hear from you which you value most. If you have been involved in both FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition, we would love your insights!

• What makes each program meaningful to you?
• What do you value most about each one and why?
• Are there specific student or team outcomes that you feel are unique to either program?

Your voice matters. Whether it is a bold new idea or a simple improvement, your feedback will help shape the future of FIRST Tech Challenge—and make it better for everyone.

Please share your thoughts here!

Thank you for being the heart of this community. Let us build the future together!