Spark Gears Initiative
Your first outreach event, fully stocked.
Spark Gears gives FTC teams (especially rookie teams) a step-by-step roadmap, supply kits, and mentor backup to run free STEM outreach in their own communities.
Move your cursor (or finger) across the board.
- 3countries
- 6+partner schools & organizations
- $0cost to teams, schools, and organizations we support
- 120+youth and students reached
The gap
The guides exist. The help usually doesn't.
FIRST publishes great documentation, but a rookie team trying to run its first outreach event usually hits three walls:
Supplies cost money
Kits, parts, and printed materials come out of a budget most rookie teams don't have.
Plans are generic
Knowing outreach matters isn't the same as knowing exactly how to run a library station on a Saturday.
No one to call
When something breaks an hour before the event, there's no experienced team in your corner.
That's what we fill in, for free.
What you get
Everything for event day.
Event roadmap
A step-by-step plan from picking your event to logging the results.
SuppliesSupply kits
The parts and printed materials to run the day, at no cost to your team.
TeachReady-made lesson plans
Lesson plans, a run-of-show, and an hour log you can use as-is.
BackupMentor check-ins
A Spark Gears mentor helps you plan and is on call during your event.
CreditVolunteer hour verification
We verify hours and help you capture numbers for your portfolio.
Donate
Help keep it free.
Donations buy supply kits and printed materials for teams and partner schools. Every donation is processed through HCB, our fiscal sponsor.