FIRST Robotics Canada Mentoring Certificate Program

The  FIRST Robotics Canada Mentoring Certificate program will provide authentic evidence to teams who bring rookie/new teams into the FIRST program. FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Mentor teams will have provided extended mentorship, both in the offseason time period and through completion of the mentee’s team first qualifying competition.

FIRST LEGO League Discover/Explore Mentor Certification is awarded to veteran/mentoring teams who initiate or have “Started a Team” and worked to support that team through the team’s first full FIRST LEGO League experience and exposition.

FIRST Robotics Canada will archive data of these mentor/mentee team partnerships and provide digital certificates to recognize Mentoring teams. The certificate will serve to provide authentic evidence of the mentoring team’s efforts in support of the rookie/new team who have joined the FIRST program from recruitment to qualifying competition completion. Mentoring teams who receive these authenticate certificates will be able to demonstrate verification and evidence of their mentoring efforts as per the Chairman’s Award “definition” criteria.

Please confirm criteria has been met by checking off the applicable statements:

  • Mentoring team has mentored rookie/new team from offseason through the FRC/FTC robot build season, and/or FLL qualifying competition, and/or FLL season cycle & exposition
  • Mentoring team has worked closely with team to prepare them for one or more competitions and/or season cycles and may end with exposition(s)
  • Mentoring team has successfully met the overall criteria based on the Chairman’s Award definition of “Starting, Mentoring, Assisting a Team” as found here (and below)
  • Mentoring team has mentored for one full season
  • Mentoring team has provided/submitted via website application all detailed information regarding key examples and areas of mentorship with their mentee rookie/new team

*Currently, this program will only recognize team mentorship in the first year with a particular team in a particular FIRST program

A Team Has:

Started a Team if they have met either A or B of the following requirements. The Mentee team must check off point “C”.

  1. A) Funded or sourced funding (i.e. grants or sponsorship) of at least 50% of the team registration fee.
  2. B) Made the team aware of FIRST and/or the specific program and assisted the team with the official registration process. /
  3. C) The Started Team would agree that the Starting team did provide this level of support.

Mentored a Team if they have met all of the following requirements:

  1. Providing consistent (at least once a week during the lead-up to competitions (e.g. FIRST Robotics Competition Build Season) communication, either in person or via phone/email/video conference, to the Mentored team helping with technical or non-technical FIRST program-specific issues.
  2. The Mentored team would agree that the Mentoring team did provide this level of support.

Assisted a Team if they have met all of the following requirements:

  1. Providing communication, either in person or via phone/email/video conference, to the   Assisted team, helping with technical or non-technical FIRST program-specific issues, OR providing funding and/or supplies to the Assisted
  2. The Assisted Team would agree that the Assisting team did provide this level of support.

FIRST Robotics Competition

  • Digital certificates sent to teams immediately once approved

FIRST LEGO League Discover/Explore

  • Certificates awarded for mentoring for one full Season Cycle
  • Certificates generated following an FLL Season Cycle – digital certificates go out immediately, paper certificates sent asap

For all Programs:

  • There is no retroactive recognition of past practice through the Mentor Certification program
  • Certificate program season begins May 1 – April 30th each year. Teams can apply after May 1st. of the new season going forward.
  • For some FLL teams, this may mean mentorship during the last half of the previous year’s game some teams
    • e.g. if a team mentor in July/Aug – this would count as a season for a specific team’s participation in the program.
  • All teams will receive a Digital Certificate immediately after being approved by the program director
  1. The mentor team will go online to start the submission process – entering mentoring team information and mentee information. Please ensure the contact information is correct.
  2. An email will go to the mentee team asking them to complete the submission process thereby verifying the mentoring partnership. The mentee team has to complete the application to proceed.
  3. The Program Director or Partner lead will be automatically contacted about the submission and request for the certificate. The Program Director or Partner will review the uploaded information, and if they agree, will approve the digital certificate and hard copy certificate
  4. Teams will immediately receive notice if their application is accepted or denied, and if approved, will receive a digital certificate followed by a hard copy sent out to the mentoring team

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