"Our mission is to show students of every age that science, technology, and problem-solving are not only fun and rewarding, but are proven paths to successful careers and a bright future for us all."~From the US FIRST official website.
FIRST
FIRST is a robotics program started by Dean Kamen in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1989. Its goal is to introduce young men and women into the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and to provide a hands-on opportunity for teens to design, build, and compete with their own robot. The organization is mainly in the United States, but other teams have been started all around the globe.FTC
FTC is a branch of FIRST that incorporates kids from 7th to 12th grade. Teams are to build a robot and then compete at events starting as early as December, finally culminating in April with the World Championships. Kids learn programming, critical thinking, robot design and problem solving, as well as being provided the opportunity of meeting with new people.US FIRST Website: firstinspires.org
FTC Website: firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc
FIRST in Texas: firstintexas.org