August 2020
Hello to our FIRST Canada family! With our world evolving daily, it’s imperative that we continue to encourage and support our students to be science and technology leaders and innovators. FIRST Canada’s number one priority is to provide a safe environment for all of our teams. We know you are eager to understand how you’ll participate in the 2020/2021 FIRST season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate that teams will encounter unique challenges during the FIRST® GAME CHANGER powered by Star Wars: Force for Change season and we are here to provide support and guidance for navigating these scenarios.
When meeting with teams in person, coaches and mentors are now faced with new expectations around cleaning and working with shared materials within their educational and extracurricular spaces. The recommendations included here should be used for guidance only and all teams should adhere to their local government and public health guidelines. Registrations are now open for FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge.
We are also giving you a glimpse of how our seasons will run for all of our programs. We are excited to offer remote (virtual) events in FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge programs. We hope that in-person events (reduced size) will continue for the 2021 FIRST Robotics Competition events and we will adhere to local health guidance and protocols.
FIRST is truly Sport for the Mind™ and we are looking forward to connecting with our strong FIRST community in the fall. We are offering engaging initiatives for practice and remote events, and we are anticipating our provincial championships in 2021. We will continue to keep you updated as things progress. We will be offering all programs and competitive tournaments either virtually or face to face.
Best of luck to all teams as we navigate these challenging times together. The health and safety of you, your families, as well as the FIRST family is of utmost importance. We hope to see you all at our upcoming events and tournaments.
- Recommended Safety Practices for all teams
- Options on how to run your team during COVID-19
- Upcoming Events
- Program Specific Related Information (see below)
FIRST Canada is pleased to announce the following events:
FIRST Canada LIVE! show for all FIRST Programs – every Tuesday
October 16-17
FIRST Gateway Conference
October-November
Skills Challenge – Recharge Your Bot Challenge
November 30 – December 5
FIRST LEGO League Challenge Remote Practice events
December 12
FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival
FIRST LEGO League Challenge Remote Qualifying Events
January 23 – February 13
FIRST Tech Challenge Remote Qualifying Events
March – April
FIRST Robotics Competition Events will be one day events (18 teams) with expanded safety measures in place.
April 14 – April 17
FIRST LEGO League Challenge, FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST Robotics Competition Provincials in April
Information on FIRST LEGO League Discover Program
| Teams | Registration Open. Register as a Class Pack. Here are some recommended guidelines to meet with your teams. |
| Events |
Check out our event calendar for a more up-todate list of all the events. |
| Resources, Registration and Costs |
Information on FIRST LEGO League Explore Program
| Teams |
Here are some recommended guidelines to meet with your teams. |
| Events |
Check out our event calendar for a more up-to date list of all the events. |
| Resources, Registration and Costs |
Information on FIRST LEGO League Challenge Program
| Teams |
Here are some recommended guidelines from FIRST Canada for meeting with your teams. |
| Events |
Check out our event calendar for a more up-to date list of all the events. |
| Resources, Registration and Costs |
Information on FIRST Tech Challenge Program
| Teams |
Here are some recommended guidelines to meet with your teams. |
| Events |
Check out our event calendar for a more up-to date list of all the events. Events will be completely determined by safety and the medical guidance from local public health units. Please reach out to Dave Ellis to get more information. |
| Resources, Registration and Costs |
Information on FIRST Robotics Competition
| Teams |
Over the summer months, the team dashboard information is being updated, so make sure you check-in regularly for updates. Lead coach mentors should also consider logging into the dashboard and updating the consent and release forms and possibly the Youth Protection Policy (YPP) if that is due for renewal. As part of our commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community for all our participants, we encourage all our participants; mentors, coaches, teachers, students to complete the EDI Training Modules. It is important for teams to register their teams and update their dashboards as usual. Note – dashboards have a new button added this year for lead mentors to select to designate their intent to run a team for the 2021 season. Please do check that button if you intend to run your FIRST Robotics Competition team this year. Here are some recommended guidelines to meet with your teams. |
| Events |
Check out our event calendar for a more up-to date list of all the events. The safety of all participants is our top priority. The plan for events will be completely determined by safety and public health guidelines. Stay tuned for more information in the fall. Please reach out to John Hobbins for any further information. |
| Resources, Registration and Costs |
Check back for more information! |