FIRST® LEGO® League: Regional competition Spreewald-Lausitz at BTU

Excitement, team spirit, fun and the desire to win make the FIRST LEGO League an experience for young and old alike.

The regional competition at the BTU is financed by structural change funds and is organised in the categories "Explore" (6 - 10 years) and "Challenge" (9 - 16 years). After a brief welcome from the Head of the Department of Academic Affairs, Grit Scheppan, the children and young people can start the competition under perfect conditions in the lecture theatre building. Everyone is excited - students and supervisors anyway, and maybe even family members who are there to cheer them on and keep their fingers crossed. Around. 18:30, it will be clear who this year's winning teams are. The winning teams will be honoured at an award ceremony.

Young talents present their innovative solutions and creative robotics projects

The regional competitions of the FIRST LEGO League take place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Since late summer, intensive research has been carried out into solutions for tricky tasks and challenges in the deep sea. The results have been presented in competitions at the various locations since November.

The FIRSTLEGO League combines Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences and Technology (STEM) with playful learning and creative problem-solving. The young talents not only develop technical skills, but also important soft skills such as teamwork, communication and strategic thinking.

In the regional competitions, the teams' performances are assessed by volunteer examiners in categories such as robotics, research and teamwork. It is not only technical skills that count, but also creativity and presentation skills. As part of the SUBMERGED℠ season, the FIRST LEGO League teams will use creative thinking to explore the depths of the ocean and bring their findings and ideas for the future to the surface.

The realisation of the FIRST LEGO League at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is supported by the Brandenburg Participation Fund with project funding totalling 17,700 euros. The Participation Fund, a central component of Lusatia's structural change, funds innovative projects for children, young people and civil society. In this way, it enables people in the region to contribute their ideas and play an active role in shaping change - a joint process that thrives on local ideas and commitment. LWG Lausitzer Wasser GmbH & Co KG is donating a prize of 500 euros to each of the winning teams that qualify for further competitions.

Irrespective of the competitions, the FIRSTLEGO League educational programme can be used in lessons or working groups. Flexible participation formats allow schools to integrate the programme individually. Funding programmes facilitate financingfor schools and teams.

FIRSTLEGO League was created in cooperation between the US educational organisation FIRSTand the Danish toy manufacturer LEGO. HANDS on TECHNOLOGY e.V. has been organising the programme in Germany, Austria and Switzerland since 2002. Over 169,000 children and young people have taken part in the programme in the three countries to date.