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Chesapeake BRIDGES · DC · MD · VA · WV
Success in robotics shouldn't be decided by your zip code.
Chesapeake BRIDGES is FIRST® Chesapeake's regional framework for building the infrastructure teams depend on — shared machine shops, practice fields, university partners, and a mentor corps that reaches the students who need it most.
The Bridges Network is almost live: shared machine shops, practice fields, and mentor matching in one place. See how it works
The thesis
We're building the connective tissue to bridge the district.
The Mid-Atlantic trains extraordinary young engineers and then loses too many of them. In rural counties, Title I schools, and under-resourced urban neighborhoods, the talent is already there. The tools, the mentors, and the pathways are not.
BRIDGES is about connecting people, programs, and places — linking under-resourced teams with critical assets, giving mentors the guidance and tools to grow, and aligning the region's universities, nonprofits, and industry partners behind a single goal: STEM access that isn't limited by geography.
It is one framework built on four values we design for every day:
Access, Mentorship, Integrity, Connection.
BRIDGES
B
uilding
R
esilient
I
nfrastructure for
D
evelopment,
G
rowth,
E
ngagement, and
S
upport
10,000 +
STUDENTS SERVED ANNUALLY
$20,000 +
HIGHER ANNUAL EARNINGS FOR ALUMNAE
2.3 x
MORE LIKELY TO MAJOR IN ENGINEERING
63 %
MORE LIKELY TO MAJOR IN ENGINEERING
The platform · bridges.firstchs.org
Helping teams help each other.
The BRIDGES Network is where BRIDGES lives day to day. One sign-in gives your team a map and directory of shared machine shops, a place to offer or find practice fields, and a mentor corps that matches you with a person, not a form.
No combing through websites or social media. List what you have, ask for what you need, and see what's nearby. The more teams that join, the more requests the region can carry.
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LIVE MAP
Teams sharing machining and 3D printing across DC, MD, VA, and WV, filtered by capability.
THE PROGRAMS
Everything the framework makes possible.
Each BRIDGES program closes a specific gap in team access, mentor capacity, or technical resources. Three are the flagships. The rest are the infrastructure underneath.
FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS
Geared Up · FTC
GRADES 7-12 · NEW COACHES & MENTORS
Geared Up FTC
The redesigned on-ramp for new FIRST® Tech Challenge coaches. A tiered model with a five-session training series, New Coach Chats, an MOU, and fiscal support for teams in under-resourced schools.
● Supported by Google. Org, Cameron Foundation, and the Brookfield Foundation
Geared Up · FRC
GRADES 9-12 · NEW COACHES & MENTORS
Geared Up FRC
Structured onboarding for new FIRST® Robotics Competition mentors, including an FRC Light track and a four-session series that carries a rookie team from Kickoff to its first competition.
● Supported by the Argosy Foundation
Mentor Conference
Aug 8–9, 2026 · JMU
Annual Mentor Conference
Two days where mentors learn, connect, and level up. Geared Up 2026 brings 50+ sessions across FLL, FTC, and FRC to James Madison University — free for mentors across the Chesapeake District.
● Presented by Google. Org & Aramco Americas
MENTOR NETWORKS
Chesapeake Mentor Corp
High-impact mentors · FRC → FTC
A regional corps of experienced mentors matched to the teams that need them most. For 2026–27 it expands from FRC to FTC, moves pairings earlier in the season, and builds in follow-through so no connection goes unanswered.
● Supported by the FIRST STEM Equity Community Innovation Grant and the Coastal Virginia STEM HUB initative
Near-peer · Howard University
Rising Tides Near-Peer Mentor Corp
Paid undergraduates mentoring at-risk teams across the region. A rising tide lifts all boats: near-peer mentors who share the communities they serve, launching with Howard University and Virginia State University.
● Supported by the Argosy Foundation & Amazon AWS · with Howard University & DC Public Schools
INFRASTRUCTURE & ACCESS
Tri-Cities · Virginia State University
University STEM Hubs
Campus engineering facilities opened to teams for workshops, practice space, and mentor engagement. The Tri-Cities STEM Hub at Virginia State University anchors the model, with Howard University conversations underway to extend into the DC corridor.
● Supported by the Cameron Foundation
Practice fields · demo zones
Field Access Network
A distributed network of regulation-size practice fields and demo zones, so build-season testing and scrimmages no longer depend on which team happens to have a gym. Priority placement goes to the regions with the widest gaps.
● Supported by the FIRST STEM Equity Community Innovation Grant and the Coastal Virginia STEM HUB initative
Shared fabrication · formerly CHS Hubs
Machine Shop Network
Teams with 3D printers, CNC machines, laser cutters, and fabrication tools share their shops with nearby teams. Find capability by location, send a part, and get it made — all through the Bridges Network app at bridges.firstchs.org.
● Supported by the FIRST STEM Equity Community Innovation Grant and the Coastal Virginia STEM HUB initative
● ON THE HORIZON
IN DEVELOPMENT · A FIRST LOOK
AI Mentor Support Agent
Imagine a coach getting a clear, trustworthy answer the moment a build hits a wall — at 9pm, mid-season, with no one else in the room. We're building an AI support agent for mentors together with the Morgan Stanley Technology for Good team to make that the norm, not the exception.
COMING SOON
FOR TEAMS & MENTORS
If your team needs it, BRIDGES helps you find it.
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Nearby machining help — find a team on the BRIDGES Network, send a part, and get it fabricated.
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Field time — find or list a practice field in the Field Access Network portal.
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A mentor who answers — get matched through the Chesapeake Mentor Corps or Rising Tides.
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Training to run a team — start with Geared Up and the annual Mentor Conference.
For funders & partners
Fund infrastructure, not a one-off.
The Mid-Atlantic powers national defense, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing — and it is running short on engineers. BRIDGES connects the students who could fill those roles to the tools, mentors, and pathways that get them there.
Every dollar builds shared capacity that compounds across teams, seasons, and regions. Placements are trackable, outcomes are measurable, and the model is designed to be handed to other regions.
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Help us build the infrastructure a whole region can stand on.
Whether you fund a machine shop, sponsor a mentor cohort, or open your campus — there's a place for you in BRIDGES. Let's find it together.