Ideal for FTC teams
FTC Introductory Camp
A weeklong camp where students build, program, and present an FTC-style robot in small teams.
Spark Gears Initiative helps other teams run accessible STEM programs by providing Arduino kits, course materials, camp structures, and mentorship support for hands-on robotics education.
Host a Program
Bring Spark Gears to your community.
If you can provide a space, students, and time, Spark Gears can help with free lesson plans, training, Arduino kits, and volunteer verification. Our model is built for FTC teams, schools, libraries, and STEM clubs that want to make robotics easier to access.
Beginner friendly
Arduino Workshops
Short sessions covering lights, sensors, motion, debugging, and the basics of hardware plus code.
We help prepare
Materials and Training
We share course materials, kit guidance, and planning support so hosts can teach with confidence.
Who We Are
Student mentors building access.
Spark Gears exists to make high-quality robotics education easier to start, easier to teach, and easier to share.
Spark Gears Initiative is a nonprofit that helps teams and community groups run free, hands-on robotics courses for youth ages 8 and up. We provide Arduino kits, lesson plans, slides, activities, and guides so local organizers can teach robotics without needing to create a full program from scratch.
Our work is grounded in practical learning. Students gain confidence through hands-on projects that teach programming, CAD, the engineering design process, and FTC-style competitive robotics. Each program is designed to help students build, test, troubleshoot, and explain their work with the support of student mentors.
Learn by BuildingStudents develop confidence through hands-on projects that turn engineering ideas into working mechanisms, code, and presentations.
Access FirstWe remove barriers by offering free courses and welcoming students of all backgrounds to explore robotics.
Share What WorksWe publish course materials and provide teaching resources free of charge so lessons can be repeated and improved.
Goals
What we are building toward.
The initiative is structured around durable, community-run education rather than one-time demonstrations.
Bring robotics, coding, CAD, and engineering design to students who may not otherwise have access to structured technical programs.
Maintain Arduino kit guides, lesson plans, slides, activities, and event formats that other groups can use without starting from scratch.
Help robotics teams, STEM clubs, schools, and community organizations plan logistics, market to students, and teach in their own communities.
Events
Programs in the community.
Our programs turn open teaching materials, Arduino kits, and student mentorship into real learning experiences: hackathons, robotics courses, summer camps, and public showcases.
Code Crush Hackathon 2
Our second annual hackathon coding competition invited students to spend 24 hours creating a game or project related to a shared theme. The event also included bootcamps in marketing, AI/ML, Java, CAD, MVP pitching, and project presentation so participants could strengthen both technical and communication skills.
Curie Autonomous Robotics Course
Students learned Arduino development, servo control, motor-based robot movement, sensors, and how to troubleshoot hardware and software issues. The course was built for students with no prior robotics, programming, or technical experience and used project work to make abstract engineering concepts concrete.
Code Crush Hackathon
Our first annual hackathon coding competition gave students 24 hours to create a themed game or project. We also conducted introductory bootcamps in Python, Java, and AI so newer participants could learn core tools before building and presenting their final projects.
Curie Summer Camp
Students created their own mini FTC team for a week. Together, they learned about FIRST, built and programmed an FTC-style robot, practiced collaboration, and showcased their final robot to an audience.
ACL Maker Showcase
At the Academies of Loudoun Maker Showcase, we presented FIRST, competitive robotics, and our team’s engineering process to educators, parents, and students. The booth included robot demos, hardware and software explanations, outreach displays, and conversations about how students can get involved in robotics.
Mentor Teams
Teams we support.
Spark Gears also supports younger or developing FTC teams through mentorship, outreach guidance, and technical advice.
Mentor Team 01
Dauntless Dragons
We are an FTC team from the northern VA area engineering the future of robotics.
Dauntless Dragons represents the kind of student-led robotics group Spark Gears aims to support: teams learning design, programming, outreach, and competition readiness while building confidence as engineers and community leaders.
Mentor Team 02
Autonomous Angels
Autonomous Angels connected with our team for outreach and fundraising mentorship.
Through mentorship conversations, we help teams think through outreach planning, fundraising approaches, program organization, and how to share robotics with a wider community.
Join the Initiative
Bring Spark Gears to your community.
Anyone can join the Spark Gears Initiative: robotics teams, STEM clubs, schools, and community groups across the United States. We provide full course materials free of charge, including lesson plans, slides, activities, and guides. Local organizers plan logistics, market to students, and teach the course in their own community.
Donate
Support free robotics education.
Your donation helps sustain student-led STEM outreach, course materials, community events, and mentorship for teams learning to build and teach robotics.