What is FTC?

The First Tech Challenge (FTC)

FTC, or FIRST Tech Challenge, is about way more than building robots. In FIRST Tech Challenge, teams of up to 15 students grades 7-12 are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format. Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles, while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and working as a team. Members can use kits and other fabricated parts to create a robot, which can then be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming language. Teams design and build robots, raise funds, design and market their team brand, and do community outreach to earn specific awards.

Gracious Professionalism

Gracious professionalism encourages high-quality work while emphasizing the value of working with others and respecting individuals and the community. With gracious professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn to compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. Instead of cut-throat competition, FIRST believes in coopertition®, which is displaying unqualified kindness and respect in the face of fierce competition. Coopertition® involves learning from teammates, teaching teammates, learning from mentors, managing others, and being managed. Coopertition® means competing always, but assisting and enabling others when you can.