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Do I need experience to be a volunteer?
No! You just need to come with a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard to make the kids experience awesome! If there are any volunteer roles that require additional knowledge, training will be provided.
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How do I register to become a volunteer?
Please use our Volunteer Registration Guide.
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How much time am I committing when volunteering?
It depends on the volunteer role you’ve signed up for. Here are some examples (these are approximate times, some of the times might change based on need and venue):
Volunteer Role How Much Time Am I Committing To? Judges 2 days Referees 2 days Event Volunteers 1 Day (typically 7am – 5pm) -
What is the age requirement to volunteer with FIRST Washington?
It is dependent on the volunteer role. Here are some of the roles:
Volunteer Role What You Do? How Old Do I Need To Be? Judges Help evaluate and give feedback to teams 21 or older Referees Help the students play their game safely and fairly 21 or older Event Volunteers Help queue teams, field reset, greeters 18 or older -
If I have questions, who should I contact?
For questions about volunteering at FIRST® Washington, please contact Amy Clapham, Volunteer Resource Manager, at amyc@firstwa.org or volunteer@firstwa.org.
You bring great value to the students, teams, and our community.
There are multiple ways for you to be involved. All of these avenues of participation are highly valued by our community. Students are excited to be able to work with people from the industry and feel honored that an adult from their community will contribute time to help. Some local employers even participate with employer matching funds, which can make a huge difference in helping to fund the FIRST programs. But more than that, they recognize that you are providing your time and talent to help them.
The two main avenues for participation are working directly with a local team or volunteering at a local FIRST event.
Mentoring a team
Teams rely on mentors to assist the team with a range of different tasks.
Skills needed by teams include:
- Marketing and fundraising
- Graphic design and communications
- Team organization and project management
- Software and hardware engineering
Each of our programs has varying time commitments, but each is extremely rewarding. No previous experience required.
Most of our team activities run from September through April. Mentors can work out with their team when and how they are able to contribute. Working directly with a group of students is likely the most rewarding experience you will have.
Event Volunteers
Events are staged from November through March. Event volunteers put on a great show for the students. We have several roles for you.
- Judges – Help evaluate and give feedback to teams
- Referees – Help the students play their game safely and fairly
- Field crews – Help with setup and tear down of fields, A/V
- Event Organizers – Help plan and organize events
Event volunteers are mostly an entire day, some run two days, plus a small amount of pre-event training. No experience required, we will train you by getting you involved with an event.
Are you ready? Start the registration process here.
Need more information? Contact our Volunteer Resource Manager, Amy Clapham at amyc@firstwa.org.
- Amy Clapham, Volunteer Resources Manager
amyc@firstwa.org - Natalie Janson, Senior Volunteer Coordinator
nataliej@firstwa.org - Paying Team Registration Fees
accounting@firstwa.org
