2024 FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, Greece
2024 FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, Greece: an unforgettable celebration of innovation, teamwork, and global collaboration! i.am Angel Foundation, will.i.am and Black Eyed Peas Celebrate 2024 FIRST Global Challenge Award Winners, Highlighting Global Unity and STEM Innovation for Food Sustainability
September 30, 2024 – The i.am Angel Foundation, founded by Grammy-winning artist and tech advocate / entrepreneur will.i.am, congratulates the exceptional young minds who participated in and won awards at the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge, held in Athens. Bringing together the next generation of STEM leaders from 193 nations, this year’s competition, themed “Feeding the Future,” spotlighted sustainable food systems through robotics, collaboration, and cultural exchange.
As a longtime advocate for STEM education in underserved communities, the i.am Angel Foundation, along with special support from the Black Eyed Peas, joined this year’s Challenge to celebrate the remarkable achievements of these students and their commitment to solving real-world problems through innovation. With food security as a central theme, the competition showcased ingenious approaches to sustainability, emphasizing the critical need for new solutions in global food systems. The foundation is proud to support FIRST Global’s mission, which aligns with its own goal of inspiring young people to pursue STEM and create positive change.
“Witnessing the energy and ingenuity of these young leaders gives me so much hope for the future,” said will.i.am. “The Black Eyed Peas and I are honored to support these future innovators who are literally feeding the future by applying STEM to solve global challenges. The creativity and teamwork here are just amazing.”
Throughout the four-day event, student teams designed and operated robots to tackle various aspects of food sustainability. From improving agricultural practices to ensuring efficient distribution, the participants demonstrated innovative thinking and collaborative spirit across national and cultural boundaries. FIRST Global presented more than 20 awards, recognizing not only technical achievement in robot performance but also dedication to international unity and STEM advocacy—key values shared by i.am Angel.
As part of the i.am Angel Foundation’s mission, this collaboration with FIRST Global allows the foundation to continue advocating for STEM education and highlight the powerful impact of giving young people the resources and support they need to innovate.
