The FIRST Regional Robotics Competition is an initiative founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen with the intention of helping young people discover and develop a love of science, technology, engineering and math.
In Mexico, this international program is promoted by the mining companies Peñoles -since 2012- and Fresnillo plc -since 2017- for young competitors to build a robot and thereby develop their technical and scientific skills to enter the real world of innovation and technology. .
Also, in this contest they learn and strengthen other skills such as self-confidence, communication and leadership.
Mexican companies promote interest in science and technology through robotics, both in young people from the communities surrounding the operations, and in the educational centers of these companies. For both companies, the program represents an opportunity to support talent in Mexico, therefore, they maintain a commitment to the education and development of skills for children and young people. In this decade, companies have promoted more than two thousand young Mexicans.
According to Rafael Rebollar and Octavio Alvídrez, CEOs of Peñoles and Fresnillo plc, respectively, it is essential to encourage the study of science, technology and engineering, promote the development of scientific and technological skills, as well as communication and leadership skills and be a inspiration for young people to become leaders in robotics and innovation.
For the 2022 edition of this contest, the two companies will sponsor 23 teams from different
states of the Republic such as the State of Mexico, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Guerrero, Durango, Oaxaca, Sonora and Zacatecas, where the participation of young women has been increasing in various areas of the contest such as mechanical, electrical and administrative, in the case of Fresnillo plc, between 30 and 40 per cent of the participants are women.
In this regard, Sergio Barrientos, general director of the Laguna del Rey Center for Technical Studies (CETLAR), commented: “it is really important to encourage young people a lot to continue their development and training. In addition, we like to continue encouraging them to continue studying and be an inspiration to other children and young people in their families and communities. The fundamental idea is that they also work under personal values such as commitment, integrity and ethics. We have to change the culture, that they imagine, believe, solve”.
And it is that, in addition to this program, Peñoles works on other initiatives such as the “Inspiration to Engineering” program, where girls and women are encouraged to collaborate on projects related to science, technology and mathematics, as well as the series of multi-workshops offered by the company so that basic education students learn by playing.
For his part, David Hernández, in charge of Sustainability and Community Relations at Fresnillo plc, said that with this program the company encourages students to commit to their training and their participation in the contest; “Young people grow a lot as people; They learn from technical issues, to programming, making a business plan, designing, managing websites and social networks, managing resources and, of course, values such as teamwork, tolerance, leadership, communication and negotiation”.
For Fresnillo plc, this program is a social project, since after participating, young people apply their knowledge in the communities where they live, support environmental initiatives, water care, volunteer to teach some skills to children, youth and adults older and, very importantly, they continue to strengthen their mentoring skills with other students of new generations.
It should be noted that Fresnillo plc also maintains educational programs such as Chopping Letters and Rocks and Minerals that encourage children to read and inquire in a playful and entertaining way.
In conclusion, the sponsorship that these companies offer to the participants of the First contest is not only in terms of resources and materials, but also in generating a positive impact on these young people and their communities, in how to open up a range of opportunities for them, to have with moral support to encourage them to study, meet and live with their families, friends, and colleagues.
The four FIRST programs reach more than 400 thousand young people a year and young people from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico have participated.
