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  • About Us

    STEM Development for Detroit Youth

    The Motor City Alliance provides STEM development for Detroit students in elementary, middle and high school via Robotics competition through FIRST Robotics.  

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  • FTC

    Alliance Annual Summer Camp

    The Motor City Alliance held it’s second annual summer camp in August of 2022. 9 Detroit Public School teams attended the camp and learned about the engineering process, fabrication, and software engineering. 

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  • In the news

    Alliance Co-Founder Leon Pryor profiled

    Having excelled in careers at Microsoft, Amazon, and now Meta, the alum and renowned video game engineer co-founded The Motor City Alliance to make Detroit a powerhouse for FIRST Robotics teams

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  • December 3, 2022

    Local Robot Competitions

    The Motor City Alliance will hold their annual Robotics Qualifier on December 3rd, 2022. 30 Metro Detroit Robotics Teams will compete at CASS High School in Detroit Michigan

    Event Details

The mission of the Motor City Alliance is to inspire young people in Detroit, MI to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

The Motor City Alliance (MCA) is a consortium of Michigan FIRST robotics teams and industry professionals. The central goal of MCA is to create a successful and sustainable FIRST ecosystem in Detroit. The MCA provides support for 100 elementary, middle, and high school FIRST robotics teams in the Detroit metropolitan area by hosting FIRST competitions, after school enrichment programs , and summer camps.

Learn more about the Motor CIty Alliance

The Motor City Alliance has transformed our team! MCA has given my kiddos the encouragement to believe that they engineers, designers and marketers. We would not have been as successful this year if MCA did not exist.  The team scrimmages has built their confidence and allowed our team to learn from their peers and to see their future selves as high schoolers, who are passionate about robotics and willing to give back to their community. MCA is the embodiment of Gracious Professionalism in both spirit and action.

Andrea Whan, Neinas Dual Learning Academy
Critical Resources

Everything you need in one place

The Resource Repository is equipped with content for all levels of experience in all topics of FIRST Robotics. This is the constantly expanding guide to team sustainability and growth.

Explore MCA Resources
Who are we?

We are here to support you!

The Motor City Alliance(MCA) is a consortium of Michigan FIRST robotics teams and industry professionals. The central goal of MCA is to create a successful and sustainable FIRST ecosystem in Detroit. Our desire is for this to become your “one-stop shop” for all things FIRST. We are passionate about team sustainability and helping you get the most out of your robotics experience. 

Game strategy

The MCA will help teams to analyze each years robotics challenge and come up with an achievable and effective approach to creating a competitive robot. 

Technical Support

The MCA will help teams to diagnose problems large and small. Our support center is setup to answer any type of question and we will work hard to diagnose and resolve any technical issue that comes up. 

Software Engineering Help

Provide teams with help in programming their robots for teleoperation and autonomous modes. The MCA can provide support for both Java and Blocks programming. 

Training and Events

The MCA will provide opportunities for Detroit Robotics teams to participate in training covering team management, design, construction, software development, and the competition itself. 

Communications

Don’t work alone!

A key tenet of the Motor City Alliance is to foster communication between students, coaches, and local professionals.  We have provided a wide variety of mechanisms for support and collaboration. 

Online Communications

Join Our Discord Server

The Motor City Alliance uses the online tool Discord to provide an online community for our students, mentors, and sponsors. Alliance members and teams are encouraged to join this online community. Fill out this form to request an access link. 

Request Discord Access
Online Communications

Contact The Alliance

Contact the Motor City Alliance to request assistance with anything related to FIRST robotics. This includes technical and logistical support, media relations, and partnership opportunities. 

Contact The Alliance
Scheduled Events

Alliance Calendar

The Alliance provides a wide variety of events, competitions, after school programs, and help sessions for our partners in the Detroit area. Consults our calendar for information and registration for these events. 

View Alliance Calendar

We collaborate for success

The Motor City Alliance wouldn’t be possible without our partners who share our vision of empowering youth through STEM. First and foremost we are closely aligned with FIRST Robotics and FIRST in Michigan.  All of our efforts are designed to empower teams for FIRST Robotics competitions at the elementary, middle school, and high school level. 

The Motor City Alliance also works with a broad coalition of public and private organizations and individuals who support us through financial contributions, event locales, and volunteer their time to support our events. 

Alliance Partners