About the Program
The SHOUT Robotics Program was started in 2026 to create a program able to both host and support events focusing on increasing engagement for girls in STEM. By partnering with local robotics teams, the SHOUT Robotics Program is able to amplify the voices of women in STEM throughout the FIRST Robotics programs.
As of the 2024-2025 FIRST Wisconsin Annual Report, about 27% of participants in FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) are female.
Through our program, we strive to actively encourage recruitment of girls into FIRST programs, and promote inclusive team cultures.
Volunteers
In addition to running our events, one of the big goals for our program is also to develop and bring new people into the FIRST volunteering pipeline, which has helped support dozens of events across the Midwest. SHOUT is about trying new things and growing confidence in possibly unfamiliar roles, and this has also extended to our volunteers as well.
Accessibility
SHOUT events are dedicated to making FIRST and STEM accessible to all. Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors, we have been able to provide a grant for teams to help eliminate the entry fee as a barrier of entry so that they are able to provide this opportunity to their students.
We have also been able to facilitate partner teams. A partner team is two or more teams worth of people working together to compete with one robot with the intention of allowing teams to compete without enough girls for a full drive team on their own