Ready to take on the world

By Sheree Hoddinett  

What happens when you mix Lego, robotics and a clever bunch of kids keen to make a difference? A group of passionate kids who love STEM, robotics and solving real-world problems who are gearing up to head overseas to show the world what they can achieve with their skills and initiative.  

Team Brick Rolled, encompassing Jacob and Elijah Wersin, Grace and Daniel Kupers, Abi and Jack Degen, are heading to Cape Town in May for the FIRST LEGO League Open Africa Championship. Their coaches (and very proud parents) Judith Kupers, Dan Degen, Heidi Degen and Fiona Wersin will join them for the experience.  

The group, aged 11 to 16, who are all home schooled and meet every Wednesday at a central spot in Petrie, participated at a regional level in October, nationals in November and in May, they will represent Australia on the world stage to showcase their skills.  

With a mixture of excitement and nerves, everyone is looking forward to travelling, meeting new teams, hanging out with their friends, “cable cars and safaris” and even “seeing the wildlife”. 

What is FIRST LEGO League? FLL is a global STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) based robotics competition where teams build and code a robot to complete missions on a mat (everyone in the world gets the same mat).  

Part of the competition also involves an Innovation Project and the theme for 2024 was ‘Submerged’. For months, this team has been dedicated to perfecting their project. The SeaChange Education and Recycling Centre was designed to combat ghost fishing, by encouraging the recycling of fishing gear like nets, hooks and lines. With their recycling depot, upcycle art gallery and hands-on workshops, their project wasn’t just an idea—it was a vision for change. 

“We chose ghost fishing as the problem to solve because not enough people know about it and it’s actually a really important problem that more people need to address,” Eli said. 

“We brainstormed lots of ideas, talked to heaps of experts, even one in the Galapagos Islands and then we did a vote,” Jack chimed in. 

“Our solution was to create a research centre where we could learn more about the effects of ghost fishing and also educate the general public to stop this from happening,” Jacob added. 

So what makes robotics and Lego the ultimate combination? 

“Ever since I got my first Lego set, I have loved playing with it. But today I have a lot of fun engineering and building robots and celebrating when we get a mission right,” Daniel said. 

“I like learning new techniques and new ways to think, problem solving and who doesn’t like Lego?” Grace added. 

“I love to learn new skills,” Abi said. “I love coding and robots, but FLL gives you a chance to learn new life skills too, maybe one day I’ll end up at NASA, haha.” 

For their coaches/parents, watching their kids grow in confidence and achieving so much on so many levels is like a dream come true.  

“FLL is more than just building robots and coding,” Fiona said. “It’s problem solving, working together, pushing boundaries and stepping outside of comfort zones. These kids have interviewed professionals, contacted politicians, presented in front of a panel of judges and advocated for themselves to referees. These kids have gone above and beyond in every way.” 

“This team, with these kids are amazing, I feel so privileged to see these kids do so well. Everyone has their own qualities and I truly love and am impressed with each and every one of them,” Judith said. “To be participating at an international level has been a cheeky dream of this team for the past two years. To be able to go all the way to Cape Town with your friends is something we, as parents, support. 

“There’s so much extra learning that they wouldn’t have been exposed to if this hadn’t come up, so we’re making the most of it and enjoying being able to do it alongside them,” Dan said. 

“They are all really good kids and I’m very proud,” Heidi said. “I’m also confident that with kids like these, with a keen interest in the environment and with their sharp minds, the world is in safe hands!” 

Here’s hoping this wise group of Aussie kids show the world how to make a difference - one LEGO brick at a time.