Excitement is growing as 14 teams from across Ireland get ready to compete in the Irish Girl Guides FIRST LEGO League Challenge Regional, taking place on Saturday 1st March at Dublin City University (DCU). This event is an important step in the season as teams compete for a chance to make it to the Ireland Final in April.
This year, a talented group of girls from 11 Guide and Senior Branch Units will showcase their skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), while testing their creativity and teamwork. The competition will include a robot game, a research project, and demonstrations of FIRST® LEGO® League Core Values.
The teams competing in the Regional Tournament are:
- Deep Blue Divas – Mosney Guides (8 team members)
- Mako Mermaids – Boherbue Guides (7 team members)
- Merlin Dolphins – St. Nicholas & Merlin Wood Guides (4 team members)
- The Squashed Squids – Macalla Guides (4 team members)
- Pretty Pearls – St. Brendan’s Guides (4 team members)
- The Gills – St. Brendan’s Guides (4 team members)
- The Guiding I’s – St. Brendan’s Guides (3 team members)
- The Winnie Fish – St. Brendan’s Guides (4 team members)
- Awesome Octonauts – Dilse Senior Branch (6 team members)
- Athlone Senior Branch – (5 team members)
- The Octonauts – Lucan Guides (4 team members)
- Coral Creators – North Longford Senior Branch (5 team members)
- Super SB Sealions – Villierstown Senior Branch (5 team members)
- Tiddles the Turtle – Lily Guides (7 team members)
The FIRST LEGO League Challenge encourages participants to tackle real-world problems through innovation, creativity, and critical thinking. The theme for this year’s SUBMERGED℠ Season is focused on exploring the depths of the ocean and learning how to protect our seas. Teams have been working on building robotic models, coding their designs, and preparing their research projects all about life under the water.
“Through the FIRST LEGO League Challenge, Irish Girl Guides is helping to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders,” said Katie Keogh, Irish Girl Guides LEGO Representative and the Mosney Unit Brownies and Guides Leader, “We are so proud of the hard work, creativity, and dedication these girls have shown. This event is a great chance for them to learn new skills, show off their achievements, and follow their passions in a fun, supportive environment.”
The Regional Tournament is an important part of the journey, as it determines which teams will move on to the Ireland Final. The day will be full of energy, learning, and friendly competition, with parents, Leaders, and volunteers cheering on the teams. The competition will end with a showcase where teams will present their projects and celebrate their hard work.
Supported by the Research Ireland Discover Programme, FIRST® LEGO® League is organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in partnership with Irish delivery partner, CreativeHUT.