Put out a fire with a Lego robot, lay a pipe or 'tap a cloud' so that rain comes out. These and more assignments were well spent on the youngsters. The competition was to complete as many assignments as possible with your team. The level of difficulty determined the number of points. ,,Engineering is very important here'', says Kor Visscher. “The young people are allowed to program the robot in advance, so some groups have mapped out entire routes with assignments. Other groups immediately looked for the most difficult assignments, after all, they yield the most points.'' Visscher is enthusiastic. “I find the afternoon very inspiring with so many enthusiastic children and parents. It's great to be able to contribute to this.”

Attention to technology

The collaborating high-tech companies are partners of the Benelux Final of FIRST LEGO League† And with good reason. Visscher: ,,In these competitions it is all about the combination of science and technology. That is the core of our companies. In addition, the young people practice research, design, construction and programming. Skills that are of vital importance to employees of our companies.” The high-tech business cluster is also happy to help bring technology to the attention of young people. “We do this, for example, with our own EDU robotics project and with all kinds of activities during the national Dutch Technology Week in May of this year. The Benelux Final of FIRST LEGO League fits in well with this," says Visscher.

FIRST LEGO League

FIRST LEGO League is a competition that challenges young people between the ages of 9 and 15 to investigate the social role of engineering and technology through various assignments. It has been a well-known global spectacle since 1986. More than 200,000 young people from 62 countries are inspired during this event. In the Benelux, the Techniekpromotie Foundation organizes the FIRST LEGO League Benelux together with 22 regional partners. This is a spin-off of the international competition in which more than 400 teams from the Netherlands and Belgium participate every year.