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Empowering Young Minds Through AI and Robotics.
A community-powered nonprofit building workshops, scholarships, kit donations, and hands-on tech projects—currently sponsored by Magikid Robotics Lab Tustin.
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For Funders & Partners
Partner With Us
Explore sponsorship and partnership opportunities and review our strategic roadmap.
For Students & Parents
Get Workshop Updates
Youth, family, and adult tracks are on the way. Sign up to hear when they launch.
For Volunteers & Mentors
Volunteer / Mentor
Teach, mentor, or build community tech projects. Share your skills with the next generation.
Events
Where we've been, and where we're headed next.
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Fun With Robotics Level Up @ UCI - October
Saturday, October 3, 2026 · UCI Division of Continuing Education, Irvine
22
Student teams
74
Student competitors
15
Schools and clubs
12
Cities represented
13
Volunteers
137
Volunteer hours
Plus about 50 family members and spectators cheering them on.
See more photosSaturday, November 14, 2026
Fun With Robotics Level Up @ UCI - November
A day-long student robotics competition. Teams compete with robots they built themselves.
UCI Division of Continuing Education, 510 West Peltason Drive, Irvine, CA 92617
NOW RECRUITINGWe need event-day volunteers (field crew, queuing, judging support) and new board members to help lead the organization. No experience required for most roles—just energy for kids and robotics.
THEME_BANNER // LEVEL_UP — SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VIQRC 2026-2027
We believe every young person in Orange County deserves access to the tools shaping the future.
OC AI Innovation Center is a community-powered nonprofit bringing AI, coding, and robotics education to neighborhoods across Orange County. We're building from the ground up—starting with workshops, growing into scholarships, kit donations, and community tech projects.
We hosted our first student robotics competition at UCI on October 3, 2026, and we're building from there. Our approach is practical: real hardware in real hands, low-cost workshops first, and a roadmap that scales responsibly. Workshops, scholarships, kit donations, and community tech projects are on the way.
Community Projects
AI for Good challenges, monthly tech clinics, and nonprofit partner builds.
Workshops & Classes
Youth, adult, educator, and family tracks—from first robot to first chatbot.
Scholarships
Needs-based fee scholarships, competition travel, and mentorship-linked awards.
Kit Donations & Lending
Take-home kits, an equipment lending library, and classroom kit grants.
Growing the Vision
Mentorship, speaker series, internships, and an annual showcase—planned for Year 2+.
[SPONSOR]
Currently sponsored by Magikid Robotics Lab Tustin.
The Five Pillars
Five connected programs that build skills, remove barriers, and grow with the community.
01
Community Projects
Small teams solve real local problems with AI—then demo their work to the community.
- →AI for Good challenges (small teams solve a local problem, demo night)
- →Community tech clinics (monthly drop-in help with AI tools, scam awareness, resumes)
- →Partner projects with local nonprofits/schools (volunteers build a tool in exchange for hosting a workshop)
02
Workshops & Classes
Hands-on tracks for every age and stage—from first robot to first chatbot.
- →Youth track (ages 8–17: intro to AI/robotics, build-your-first-chatbot, Scratch-to-Python)
- →Adult/career track (AI literacy, prompt engineering, tools for small business owners)
- →Educator track (curriculum workshops + lesson-plan lending library)
- →Family workshops (parents and kids together)
03
Scholarships
Removing cost barriers so talent—not means—decides who participates.
- →Program-fee scholarships (needs-based application)
- →Competition & travel scholarships (FIRST, VEX, science fairs)
- →Mentorship-linked scholarships (paired with a mentor for the semester)
04
Kit Donations & Equipment Lending
Putting real hardware in real hands—take-home kits and a lending library.
- →Take-home kits (micro:bit, littleBits, Raspberry Pi for workshop-series graduates)
- →Kit lending library (drones, VR headsets, 3D-printer access)
- →Classroom kit grants (Title I schools + teacher training)
05
Growing the Vision
What comes next—mentorship, speakers, internships, and a signature showcase.
- →Mentorship program with OC tech professionals (Irvine, Costa Mesa, Tustin)
- →Speaker series with UCI/Chapman
- →Internship/apprenticeship pipeline for teens
- →Annual showcase/hackathon
[FEATURED_COURSE]
Introduction to Industrial Robotics
10 weeks · 96 instructional hours · Saturday lectures · simulation-based capstone
The plan, in the open.
We're a young organization. Here's exactly how we plan to build—sequenced, phased, and accountable.
The order matters.
Workshops
Builds audience and volunteer base at low cost. The foundation everything else grows from.
Kit Donations
Tied to workshop completion—cheap goodwill that puts hardware in graduates' hands.
Scholarships
Introduced once paid programs generate fees to subsidize needs-based access.
Community Projects & Showcase
Launched once a committed volunteer and mentor base exists to sustain them.
Quarter by quarter.
- →Recruit board & volunteers
- →Finalize curriculum
- →Secure a venue
- →Build web & social presence
- →Run first workshop pilots
- →Start kit fundraising
Milestone
First workshops delivered, volunteer roster set, fundraising pipeline open.
What's active, when.
| Program | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workshops | ||||
| Kit Donations | ||||
| Scholarships | ||||
| Community Clinics | ||||
| Projects & Showcase |
Where we're headed.
Foundation
Establish core programs—workshops, kits, scholarships, community projects.
Deepen Partnerships
Mentorship program launches, part-time staff brought on.
Scale & Signature Event
Speaker series, internships, hackathon-scale showcase, multi-city clinics.
Institutionalize
Permanent hub/facility, multi-year funding secured.
Regional Leadership
Recognized regional resource, satellite sites, alumni network, diversified revenue.
Program activity by year
| Program | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | Y5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workshops | |||||
| Kits | |||||
| Scholarships | |||||
| Clinics | |||||
| Projects | |||||
| Mentorship | |||||
| Speakers | |||||
| Internships | |||||
| Showcase | |||||
| Permanent Hub |
Three ways in.
Whether you're funding, learning, or giving your time—there's a path for you. Pick your terminal below.
TERMINAL_01
Funders & Partners
Your support makes every program possible.
Sponsorship funds workshops, scholarships, kits, and community projects.
Kit Sponsor
Support take-home robotics kits for workshop graduates.
Workshop Sponsor
Underwrite a workshop series or track.
Corporate Partner
Multi-year partnership with employee engagement.
TERMINAL_02
Students & Parents
Find your track and stay in the loop.
Ages 8–17
Intro to AI/robotics, chatbots, Scratch-to-Python
All ages
Parents and kids learning together
Adults
Curriculum workshops + lesson-plan library
Adults
AI literacy, prompt engineering, small business tools
Needs-based scholarships will be available once programs launch—ask us about them in the form.
TERMINAL_03
Volunteers & Mentors
Share your skills. Build the future.
Teach
Lead or assist a workshop in your area of expertise.
Mentor
Guide a student through a semester-long project or competition.
Build
Join a volunteer team building a tool for a local nonprofit.
NOW RECRUITING
Competition volunteers for the VEX IQ "Fun with Robotics @ UCI" event, and new board members to help lead the organization.