Five FIRST Global Teams Making an Impact with STEM

Through a shared mission, FIRST^® and FIRST Global are empowering students everywhere to transform their passion for STEM and robotics into skills that open doors to a brighter future. In the process, they’re gaining far more than technical know-how — they’re developing leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving skills that will serve them for life and support their success in future careers. 

FIRST Global was created by Dean Kamen with a vision to expand and deepen the impact FIRST is making across the globe. The FIRST Global Challenge is an Olympic-style robotics competition developed to plant a seed in every country that makes STEM education opportunities more available to youth.  

In celebration of National STEM Day, we worked with FIRST Global to shine a light on five teams who are making a difference in their local communities and beyond. Using their STEM and real-world problem-solving skills, these students are putting innovation to the test and igniting positive change around the world. Keep reading to discover how these teams are turning big ideas into lasting impact. 

Team Nigeria 

Team Nigeria has been hard at work improving their community. From establishing other robotics leagues in Nigeria, to creating an app to help mothers struggling with postpartum depression, team members are using their STEM skills and innovation to uplift and support others.  

Through months of research, Team Nigeria found that many new mothers lacked access to information and resources about postpartum depression. In response, two student team members — Victor and Diago — developed MamaCare, an app designed to provide education and support.  

In addition to their app development, the entirety of Team Nigeria is focused on one bold vision: expanding robotics and STEM skills across Nigeria. Current outreach efforts include trips to schools to present, teacher trainings, podcasts covering the sport of robotics in Nigeria, and so much more. 

Team Guinea-Bissau 

If any team understands the spirit of Coopertition^®, it’s Team Guinea-Bissau. Cristiana, an alum of Team Guinea-Bissau and one of FIRST Global’s youngest mentors, has worked tirelessly to help students from two different countries work together as one unified team. The team itself is made up of students from two different countries in West Africa; working from Bissau and Côte d’Ivoire, they must get creative when working on their robot. 

Dedicated to sharing STEM skills with their community, the team has gathered at local schools to facilitate workshops and FIRST Global presentations. This has allowed other students in the region to have hands-on experiences with STEM, many of whom have never had learning opportunities like this before. 

Fun fact: The team even met with the Minister of Sports, Alfredo Malu, in Guinea-Bissau to present their idea for making robotics an official sport! 

Team Seychelles 

Team Seychelles has been fostering dedication, excitement, and passion for robotics and FIRST Global since 2017. Led by the Director for Educational Technology within the Ministry of Education, Daniella Athanase, Team Seychelles is passionate about using STEM skills to improve the environment. They have worked hand-in-hand with organizations involved in aquaculture and telecommunications to discover more ways robotics can support vital functions in Seychelles. 

Team captain, 16-year-old Gabrielle, has unlimited energy when it comes to outreach. He is committed to building a stronger team, in addition to providing students with opportunities they might not have had before. Along with leading the team, Gabrielle drives outreach, recruits new members, inspires his peers, and introduces new students to fun and important skills and concepts such as coding, CAD, and so much more. 

Team South Africa  

To help support the growth of 100 new FIRST Global teams, Team South Africa mentor Roxanne and her team traveled to remote schools across five different provinces – often down unpaved roads – delivering kits and training local mentors to launch new teams. These teams, made up of five students each, then competed to see who would represent South Africa at the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge in Panama.  

Now, others have started to notice the large impact this team is making on their community. While the team itself has begun to source outside funding, individual team members themselves have started to receive special accolades for their work in robotics.

Team South Africa is reaching students who weren’t initially interested in STEM and who didn’t initially see themselves pursuing STEM careers. This year, Team South Africa is made up of students from nine different schools and two different provinces. 

Team Saint Kitts and Nevis  

Team Saint Kitts and Nevis’ mission goes far beyond just building robots. Their goal is to inspire the next generation to imagine, invent, and innovate for a better world. Grown from a single team of three students in 2017, to now being a national movement with over 1,300 students participating, Team Saint Kitts and Nevis is dedicated to bringing STEM to the Caribbean. 

From outreach programs, agricultural fairs, school presentations, and demonstrations where other local students can have hands-on experience with STEM, robotics and FIRST, the team’s summer camp showcases how brightly this team shines. The RoboMindset Summer Camp is the team’s passion project, allowing each member to mentor and guide other students using hands-on robotics and coding skills. 

“My experience at FIRST Global opened my eyes to see what’s possible when young minds come together to solve global challenges. But, it’s also made me look closer to home to see how much potential we have. Technology isn’t just something we can use... it’s something we can create.” - Nayla, Team Saint Kitts and Nevis 

These five stories are just a glimpse of the impact FIRST Global teams are making around the world. Working alongside, FIRST and FIRST Global are opening doors to STEM education and helping young people turn curiosity into innovation. Do you have a STEM story to tell in celebration of National STEM Day? Share it on social media and tag FIRST and FIRST Global — every story has the power to ignite change.