Because early exposure to engineering transforms futures
How the IET Futures Fund helped a team of ten grow from beginners to award-winners.
It’s one thing to fund a one-off experience. It’s another to support long-term growth, learning and transformation. For Team Activ8, sustained access to FIRST® LEGO® League, thanks to funding from the IET Futures Fund has helped them evolve over three years from complete beginners to award-winning innovators.
Their story shows why consistency matters. Year after year, they’ve come back stronger, growing not just in numbers, but in mindset, maturity and skill.
The IET Futures Fund ensures that teams like Activ8 can keep building, not just their robots, but their futures.
Helping young people explore their potential
When asked about funding the response from the team is clear and immediate:
“We’d be really, really disappointed if it stopped.”
“We’ve already seen the trailer for next year!”
“We’re so thankful.”
Their gratitude goes to donors like Qualcomm and supporters of the IET Futures Fund because that funding is the reason they’ve been able to return, grow and succeed season after season.
The IET Futures Fund aims to make these transformative experiences accessible to all students, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. Through the generosity of our donors and partners, we're able to provide the support that allows teams like Activ8 to not just participate once, but to grow and develop over multiple years.
From beginners to international finalists
Team Activ8 began with just three members who remained dedicated to continuing with FIRST® LEGO® League after the SUPERPOWEREDSM (exploring energy) season.
Since then, they have grown to ten committed young engineers and are now competing in their third season - SUBMERGEDSM (oceans), following a standout year during the MASTERPIECESM (the arts and STEM) season in which they travelled to the FIRST® LEGO® League Australian Open Championship, where they won the prestigious 'Rising All Stars Award', an extraordinary accomplishment for young engineers still in school.
Their innovation project - SenSea, is an underwater submersible made using Raspberry Pi, designed to collect multimedia data for ocean monitoring systems. This demonstrates how when given the right opportunities, young minds can solve real-world problems.
Why do they keep coming back?
“We love coding.”
“We get to meet new friends.”
“And we have parties when something works!”
But underneath the fun is something deeper:
“Now, if it doesn’t work, we just try again and again until it does.”
"We're not only learning technical skills, like hardware and building and coding. We're also learning lots of soft skills, like public speaking, teamwork and more such as cooperation and all of our core values."
From play to purpose
That resilience is a sign of something special, a mindset that will take them far, whatever paths they follow. And their coach, Isha, knows just how valuable that is:
“What I learned at age 22, they’re learning now at 10. That’s amazing.”
From changing team roles to gaining new skills, to taking on leadership tasks like ‘quality assurance’, even the youngest team members understand the depth of what they’re learning. Public speaking, teamwork, cooperation, they’re mastering the full engineering mindset.
Why it matters
As Team Activ8 gears up for the finals, their journey stands as a powerful testament to what young people can accomplish when provided with the right opportunities and consistent support. From humble beginnings to international recognition, they’ve shown that children can grasp and excel in complex engineering concepts when learning is hands-on, engaging and meaningful.
But their story goes beyond trophies and titles. It’s about cultivating a mindset that will benefit them for life, one built on perseverance, iteration, collaboration and problem-solving. These aren’t just the cornerstones of engineering; they’re the building blocks of success in any path they choose to follow.
And that's why funding for FIRST® LEGO® League matters. Your support enables children from all backgrounds to become tomorrow’s problem-solvers.