Welcome to the GEARED UP: Mentor Conference, where innovation meets inspiration!
Join us on May 17, 2025, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Kossiakoff Center, for a day filled with knowledge-sharing, networking, and empowerment.
This conference is proudly presented by Aramco America and aims to equip mentors with the tools and insights needed to effectively guide an increasingly diverse generation of students.
You’ve got questions, ideas, and maybe even a few funny stories—and this is the space to share them. In this FLL Unconference, you’ll help shape the agenda and dive into conversations that matter most to YOU and your fellow coaches.
Never tried an unconference? It’s a participant-driven session where everyone has a voice, and the format is as flexible as your LEGO builds. Whether it’s recruiting, project work, behavior management, or just staying sane during tournament season—bring it to the circle and let’s figure it out together.
Ever leave a conference wishing you could’ve had a real conversation about the exact challenge your team is facing? This is your chance.
The FRC Unconference flips the script—there’s no formal presentation, no slide deck, and no passive listening. Instead, we’ll co-create the agenda on the spot, based on what you want to talk about. Led by seasoned facilitator Anne, this interactive session invites mentors to share, ask, listen, and collaborate around topics that matter most in real time.
What’s an unconference? It’s a participant-driven session format that’s informal, flexible, and focused on peer-to-peer exchange. Whether it’s team culture, robot strategy, off-season training, or that one persistent problem you haven’t cracked, come with a topic, a question, or just curiosity. You’ll leave with fresh perspectives and practical ideas you didn’t see coming.
Bring your questions, your quirks, and your sticky problems—this session is about you. In this FTC Unconference, we’ll co-create the session agenda on the fly, based on the needs and curiosity of the room.
Never been to an unconference? It’s a flexible, participant-led format where there’s no wrong question and no passive listening. Whether you're tackling judging prep, tech constraints, student engagement, or program logistics, join fellow mentors for open dialogue, fresh insights, and unexpected connections. Facilitated by the ever-resourceful Shelly Stoddard.
Fundraising is never one-size-fits-all—and that’s exactly why we’re crowdsourcing the solutions. In this Fundraising Unconference, you and your peers will shape the agenda and dive deep into real-world challenges: sustaining teams in rural areas, funding buses, wooing sponsors, or just making that last $500 appear.
Come with a problem, a success story, or just curiosity. This open-format session is all about shared wisdom, collective brainstorming, and leaving with a few new tricks (and friends) in your back pocket.
Alex Bryant is committed to serving his communities. Bryant graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Music and a minor in Biology. He currently works for FIRST Chesapeake, an arm of the International FIRST Inspires, a global robotics community preparing young people... Read More →
Saturday May 17, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT Fundraising & Planning Room11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA
You’ve heard the keynote—now it’s your turn to weigh in. This Mentor Development Unconference is a participant-driven conversation hosted by FIRST HQ’s Lisa Mooney, focused on the newly launched Mentor Development Initiative.
Bring your lived experience, bold ideas, and hard-earned wisdom to help shape what resources, trainings, and recognition systems should look like for mentors across the FIRST ecosystem. Whether you're new to mentoring or have been in the game for years, your input will help build a better, more supported future for every mentor—and every team.
Saturday May 17, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm EDT Team Management Room11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA
