The World's Leading Youth-Serving Nonprofit Advancing STEM Education

FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) inspires young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

FIRST was founded in 1989 in the United States by Dean Kamen, a prolific and successful entrepreneur. By implementing FIRST programs, students (ages 6-18) build a wide set of skills and become future leaders in science and technology.

FIRST Israel was founded in 2004 by Maj. General (ret.) Avihu Ben-Nun, former Commander of the Israel Airforce, in cooperation with the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
More than 25,000 students ages 6-18 from all parts of Israel participate annually and are inspired to pursue science and technology in more than 2,000 FIRST teams.

FIRST Core Values

The FIRST Core Values 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. We expresses the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^® through our Core Values:

Discovery

We explore new skills and ideas

Innovation

We use creativity and persistence to solve problems

Impact

We apply what we learn to improve our world

Inclusion

We respect each other and embrace our differences

Teamwork

We are stronger when we work together

Fun

We enjoy and celebrate what we do

Impact

The outstanding benefit of the FIRST programs is evident as FIRST Israel alumni are populating the elite tech-units of Israel Defense Forces, the engineering departments of the universities and the Israeli tech industry.

A recent wide study conducted by researchers at Technion‘s Samuel Ne’eman Institute found that graduates of the program declared the program had a very strong impact on their course of study. The program exposed the students to various aspects of STEM and helped them focus on the pursuit of a particular science or engineering career.

Most graduates indicated that participation in the program improved various capabilities including time management, public speaking, self-efficacy, teamwork, and coping with stressful situations.

Impact on Israeli Society

FIRST Israel is spread over the entire country, with participation of all sectors of the population such as Jews including Haredim, Muslims, Bedouin, Christian, Druze, and Circassian.

There are teams in schools, youth-villages, regional councils and even private basements.

The competitions and festivals provide opportunities for all participants to meet, get acquainted, compete and co-operate, creating strong bonds between youth that would have not met otherwise.

FIRST Israel has turned Dimona and Yeruham into powerful robotics hubs, where hundreds of children and youth embark on the path to tech-based careers.

An average of 30% of the members of the Israeli FIRST teams are young women. Many of them hold key leading positions on their teams.
One of ours goals is to significantly increase this figure over the next three years.