{"id":110561,"date":"2026-06-24T16:25:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=110561"},"modified":"2026-06-24T16:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:25:48","slug":"canada-cup-of-robotics-helps-international-youth-build-confidence-career-ready-stem-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2026\/06\/canada-cup-of-robotics-helps-international-youth-build-confidence-career-ready-stem-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Cup of Robotics helps international youth build confidence, career-ready STEM skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alongside hard-earned victories and new friends from around the world, Canada Cup of Robotics \u2013 Niagara 2026<\/a> participants emerged with confidence, career-ready skills and new possibilities they may have never otherwise imagined for themselves.<\/p>\n

The event brought thousands of students, mentors and spectators to Brock University\u2019s main campus and the adjacent Canada Games Park from June 13 to 20. Hosted by the University in partnership with FIRST <\/em>Robotics Canada, the international competition drew participants from nearly 30 countries to compete in the FIRST<\/em> Tech (FTC) and FIRST<\/em> LEGO League (FLL) Challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to have welcomed teams from around the world. Hosting the Canada Cup of Robotics gives students a unique opportunity to experience a global community of innovation right here in Niagara,\u201d says Peter Berg, Dean of Brock\u2019s Faculty of Mathematics and Science. \u201cIt reinforces the University\u2019s commitment to cultivating meaningful learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brock continues to grow its connection with FIRST <\/em>Robotics Canada, hosting the FTC Provincial Championship for the second consecutive year this past February<\/a>, in addition to the Canada Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada Cup of Robotics is about much more than robots on a field. It is about young people discovering what they are capable of when they are challenged, supported and connected to a global community of peers, mentors and innovators,\u201d says Dave Ellis, President of\u00a0FIRST<\/em>\u00a0Robotics Canada. \u201cWe were proud to partner with Brock University to bring students from around the world together in Niagara, where they could build their skills, grow their confidence, make friends and see new pathways for their futures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourth-year Brock Computer Science and FIRST<\/em> Robotics Canada alumnus Skyler Serwa knows first-hand how much those early interactions with robotics can impact a person\u2019s path.<\/p>\n

Serwa\u2019s experiences in competitive robotics began while attending Orchard Park Secondary School in Stoney Creek. He joined the school\u2019s Team #2056 and dedicated his time to building robots, testing fields and collecting competition data as a scout, all supporting his later pursuit of Computer Science in post-secondary.<\/p>\n

Over time, he came to realize how impactful the skills he was developing through robotics would be for his career. His earlier experience, paired with his time at Brock, led to three co-op work terms as an Asset Management Intern with the Town of Fort Erie, where he helped manage municipal asset and infrastructure data using GIS mapping tools.<\/p>\n

\u201cRobotics really helps you gain different types of experience quickly,\u201d Serwa says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sentiment shared by many who engage in competitive robotics, says Paul Zelisko, Brock Chair and Professor of Chemistry and a member of the University\u2019s organizing committee for the Canada Cup event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes robotics incredibly valuable is that students are learning much more than engineering concepts,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re developing leadership, project management, analytical thinking and communication skills that translate to virtually any career path.\u201d<\/p>\n

That impact on young learners has influenced the work of FIRST <\/em>Robotics Canada Chair Dorothy Byers\u2019 (MEd \u201912) for more than two decades. Returning to the University for the Canada Cup of Robotics was a full-circle moment for the Brock Master of Education graduate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always special to return to a place that helped shape my own learning journey,\u201d she says. \u201cBrock is a place of learning, and seeing students develop their skills and discover new opportunities in the same environment makes coming back especially meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her robotics journey began when two students at St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School, an independent all-girls school in Oakville where she previously served as Vice-Principal of Curriculum Innovation and Implementation, asked for help with their goal of building a robot.<\/p>\n

Byers embraced the challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf students want to do something, it\u2019s the educator\u2019s responsibility to figure out how to do that,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

That decision led to the creation of Team #771 \u2014 Canada\u2019s inaugural all-girls FIRST <\/em>Robotics Competition (FRC) team.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Byers has witnessed first-hand how robotics develops technical and interpersonal skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives students an incredible co-curricular opportunity to be engaged in a team experience where they are learning about leadership, what it\u2019s like to be a member of a team, problem solving and creative thinking,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For her master\u2019s research, Byers studied the long-term outcomes of Team #771 participants.<\/p>\n

She found that 85 per cent went on to study STEM (science, technology, mathematics and engineering) subjects. The most significant impact, however, extended beyond academic pathways.<\/p>\n

One former team member told Byers that FIRST <\/em>had given her a voice because, through robotics, she realized her ideas matter, and she can contribute meaningfully to discussions and decision-making.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo give someone their voice is a life-changing opportunity,\u201d Byers says. Robotics, she adds, can help open the eyes of students to new dreams they may not have otherwise known existed.<\/p>\n\n\t