About FIRST
Mission, Purpose, Values
FIRST is More Than Robots
Founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a global nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12). Their programs are suitable for schools or structured afterschool activities and receive support from a vast network of volunteers, educators, and sponsor/donors, including over 200 Fortune 500 companies.
Because their programs are More Than Robots, FIRST participants are guided by a signature set of Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements. Their thrilling, sports-like challenges build their self-confidence and collaborative problem-solving skills and have a proven and lasting impact on STEAM learning and interest. Their participants and alumni gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life.
Their Core Values
The FIRST Core Values are fundamental to FIRST and unique to its programs. They emphasize friendly sportsmanship, respect for the contributions of others, teamwork, learning, and community involvement and are part of our commitment to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Their community expresses the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® through the FIRST Core Values.

Gracious Professionalism
Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It’s a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.
Through Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain coexist. Participants compete intensely while treating each other with respect and empathy. There is no trash talking, nor disingenuous platitudes. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended.
The term was coined by Dr. Woodie Flowers, (1943 – 2019) Executive Advisory Board Chair Emeritus & Distinguished Advisor.
Coopertition
Coopertition fosters innovation by promoting unqualified kindness and respect in the face of intense competition.
At FIRST, Coopertition means that teams help and cooperate with each other, even as they compete. It’s about learning from teammates, teaching others, collaborating with mentors, managing and being managed. Coopertition embodies the spirit of competing while assisting and enabling others whenever possible.

Purpose, Vision and Mission
Their organizational statements are more than words on a page; they encapsulate their promise to build a thriving global robotics community and to remain at the very forefront of STEAM education.
Purpose

FIRST exists to prepare the young people of today for the world of tomorrow.
Vision

To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.
Mission

The mission of FIRST is to provide life-changing robotics programs that give young people the skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world.