FIRST NIGHT PITTSBURGH OUTREACH

On December 31, 2025, TeraBridges 18603, with the help of Coach Sarah Beitler, organized a robotics outreach event in partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The event took place at Downtown Pittsburgh’s First Night, an annual celebration that rings in the New Year with a six-hour, arts-focused community event, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display at midnight.

TeraBridges hosted a free robotics booth where community members of all ages could explore hands-on activities and learn about the FIRST organization and its programs. The booth featured a variety of engaging activities for young children, including the opportunity to drive a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robot. Additionally, four mazes were set up for younger children to navigate using SPHERO INDI car-shaped robots, teaching them basic programming concepts with colored tiles through interactive play.

The team also displayed their current season’s competition robot, alongside informative materials about FIRST programs, including FIRST LEGO League (FLL), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). Over 750 people visited the booth, many of whom were unfamiliar with FIRST but became interested in starting teams for their children. We even had a School Principal express enthusiasm about launching FIRST programs in his district!

The response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. Many parents shared that our booth was their children’s favorite activity of the event, with several returning families eager to explore the INDI robots again. Our team also had the opportunity to meet members of FTC Team RoboKnights 22756 from Rhode Island. We are excited to collaborate with them in the future through an upcoming Zoom call.

Overall, our experience at First Night Pittsburgh 2025 was incredibly rewarding, and we look forward to participating again in 2026!