Western Mechatronics Association
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Mission Statement
Western Mechatronics' Mission Statement is to inspire and engage youth in robotics education and competition opportunities while recognizing the continuously growing impact of robotics in the world. We’re determined to build the next generation of engineers, STEM leaders, and problem-solvers by providing access to robotics. Our programs are designed to achieve our mission of providing robotics education to every student, regardless of their means. Robotics is our method to empower STEM learning excellence and leadership within the field. We believe these opportunities should be granted to anyone with interest, regardless of representation or financial limitations.
About This Cause
Founded in December of 2019 by Alberta’s VEX Provincial Champions, Western Mechatronics Association (“WestMech”) has edified robotics education to young students both locally and internationally. The Organization was created to bridge the gap in robotics and STEM education in Calgary and Alberta. With only seven schools in 2019 having a robotics club in the Calgary district, our mission is to connect and empower the youth to access STEM opportunities. To cope with the restrictions during COVID-19 Pandemic, our efforts were initially limited to interactive online workshops, where we reached over 1000 students from countries like Canada, the United States, and UK. As restrictions evolved over time, we adapted ourselves and implemented hybrid lesson models, then switched fully to the true hands-on robotics experience in the summer 2021. Over the past two years, WestMech has coached seven teams to qualify for VEX World Championships, an event only the top 500 teams in the world qualify for. These teams brought home various awards in engineering, design, and community impact, as well as a top-10 world ranking in the skills challenge and division finalists. Through the VEX Robotics platform, WestMech teaches our students STEM and engineering principles to enable students with the skills necessary to design, build, and program a competitive robot. Robotics also gives our students a chance to use the math and science skills they learn in school in a practical application. The greatest value that WestMech has been providing to local communities is that we leverage our unique capabilities and resources to make robotics accessible. Our team consists of young entrepreneurs and engineers. Our track record of inspiring students marks our evolution as an youth-help-youth solutions integrator differentiated by end-to-end expertise to envision, develop, and manage STEM education for students with different skills and level of commitment. We proudly provide robotics training to virtually everyone through our portfolio of robotics programs and flexible schedule. WestMech believes there is a huge opportunity for STEM education in Alberta. According to Randstad Salary Guide published for 2022, Canada experiences a general STEM skills shortage. In our view, one of the key reasons is education gap in early age. Most junior and senior high schools in Alberta do not offer courses to explore deeper in STEM learning. For example, in 2019 only 7 schools in Calgary had VEX Robotics. Schools also provide very minimal hours to support student steady growth in hands-on STEM learning. As result, most students would lose interest and move to something else such as electronic games and non-STEM extra-curriculum. This gap is widening further during Covid-19 pandemics because of activity restrictions in most Alberta schools. There are huge deficits in technology skill development among the students between 10-18 years old. WestMech believes that we have the experience and skills to face the challenge and close some gaps. What makes WestMech special and different from other organizations is our student-run philosophy. WestMech teaches students from grades 1-12 through the VEX Robotics program. We believe that competition is the best way to inspire and motivate our students, and the best mentors are the competitors themselves. Providing accessible robotics learning from teachers well-versed in the challenges of STEM and increasing the skill level of robotics students within Alberta are two of Western Mechatronics’ greatest priorities and serve as the foundation of the initial ideas that launched the program. WestMech offers several programs in the community, catering to different ages and levels of interest for everyone. We provide year-long competitive teams based on varying skill and ages. Our organization also offers summer camps and workshops, known as STEM Labs. WestMech Summer Camps provide students with an opportunity to experience robotics in a week-long, fast-paced camp, learning to design robots and compete with peers in a hands-on manner. In addition, WestMech teaches a 3-month long STEM Labs workshop, consisting of 12 weekly hands-on courses for students to apply coding, building, and STEM skills in a world-class curriculum.