In November, the FIRST LEGO League junior robotics team made its debut when competed in its first competition. The team came together from a grant provided by Salesforce and, under the leadership of Falkon Robotics based out of Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS) and a partnership with the YMCA of the Foothills’ Verdugo Hills Family YMCA (VHY) in Tujunga, launched a “Robotics Takeover Day” at the Y’s 2023 Summer Camp. Falkon Robotics then established the junior robotics team where the creative force unfolded.

This newfound STEM play is inspired by longtime YMCA board member, chairman and donor Kirk Dawson whose vision was to bring STEM activities and access to youth and teens in the foothills by funding in 2016 the Dawson Garage at the Crescenta-Cañada Family YMCA branch. The garage had a weather tracking system, robotics lab and builders’ space for kids to come in and explore. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and out of necessity, the garage was converted to an open-air workout space to accommodate LA County mandates for gym reopening protocols.

“We saw this new partnership and program as an extension of the Dawson Garage and a continuation of Kirk’s vision of providing a place for kids to pursue their passions around STEM” said Vince Iuculano, CEO of the YMCA of the Foothills. “We are so incredibly grateful to Heather Abrams, Eric Shintaku and the entire team at Falkon Robotics and Salesforce for their investment in this program and our kids.”

Led by coaches Heather Abrams and Eric Shintaku, and joined by CVHS students and Salesforce employee volunteers, the mentors met with the VHY LEGO robotics team every week to build a robot, taught to code it and worked through the engineering process: identify, design, create, iterate and communicate. VHY robotics students not only built technical skills but also practiced critical interpersonal skills: teamwork, communication and conflict resolution.

“The opportunity to mentor young innovators and encourage them to engage with advanced topics in STEM is a great honor,” said Coach Abrams. “I loved seeing our team members’ ‘light bulb’ moments when they had a new idea to try in their code, listening to conversations they had when ideating on new robot designs and attachments, and seeing the focus and dedication they put into collaborative team efforts.”

Together, the Falkon robotics students, Falkon robotics mentors, and the Salesforce employees dedicated a total of 140 volunteer hours to inspire 43 VHY students (38 summer campers, five LEGO robotics team members) in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) during the summer and fall of 2023.