Support Youth Robotics in BC

BC + AI is backing youth robotics because the next generation of AI builders is already here: designing, wiring, coding, testing, documenting, and showing up for each other after school.

This season, BC + AI supported the Prince of Wales robotics community and FTC Team 20266 POWER as students advanced through the BC competition season. That run connected into FTC Team 26025 Furious Frogs, whose official FIRST record includes the 2026 FIRST Championship – FIRST Tech Challenge in Houston.

Why This Belongs In BC + AI

AI does not begin at the conference podium. It begins when students learn how a sensor sees, how software talks to hardware, how teams make hard tradeoffs, and how an engineering notebook turns messy work into shared knowledge.

FIRST Tech Challenge gives students a real arena for those lessons. Teams design, build, and program robots for a new challenge each season, then compete in a culture that emphasizes Gracious Professionalism: doing excellent work while helping others.

What Your Donation Supports

Donations through the BC + AI robot team Zeffy page help reduce practical friction for students trying to compete and keep building: robotics outreach, team participation costs, travel pressure, shared tools, food, and the small supports that decide who gets to stay in the room.

• Robot parts, tools, and field materials when teams need practical build support.
• Student access to events, meetups, demos, and mentorship opportunities.
• Travel and participation help when a team earns a shot beyond its local budget.
• Community showcases where youth teams can demo their work to BC technologists.

The 2026 Season Story

In January, Team POWER made a statement at the Port Moody qualifier. In February, the team continued through the BC championship path. By late April, the story had reached Houston, where Furious Frogs joined the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship field.

Ollie O’Hagan and Fiann O’Hagan helped connect the team to BC + AI. The partnership started with sponsorship and grew into something warmer: robot demos at community gatherings, mentorship offers, judging support, and a visible bridge between high school robotics and the broader BC AI ecosystem.

Help Keep The Door Open

The students have already done the hard part: built the robot, documented the work, competed under pressure, and represented BC with heart. Our job is simpler. We can make sure money, access, and adult networks do not become the bottleneck.