Drones That Build Skill, Confidence, and Future Pathways
CARES Drones combines the STEM of drones, restorative practices, and social-emotional learning to create engaging drone experiences for recreation, racing, and workforce development.
CARES Drones is a hands-on learning initiative designed to bring drone education, drone racing, restorative practices, and future-ready skill development to schools, churches, libraries, nonprofits, youth agencies, and community organizations. Participants can enter the program because drones are fun, because they want to race, or because they are interested in career pathways connected to aviation, robotics, technology, leadership, and workforce readiness.
No matter where participants begin, the goal is the same: help them discover what they can do, regulate under pressure, overcome mistakes, navigate challenges, and become empowered contributors.
A Drone Learning Experience With a Restorative Purpose
CARES Drones uses drone technology as the point of engagement and the D.R.O.N.E. Framework as the deeper learning model. Students and participants are drawn in by the excitement of drones, but the program is designed to build more than flight skills. It helps participants develop focus, emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, confidence, teamwork, and leadership.
The program is especially designed to expand access for communities of color, underserved neighborhoods, and young people who deserve earlier exposure to emerging technology, STEM learning, and career-connected opportunities. This is not simply a camp or activity. It is an access point into confidence, skill, belonging, and possibility.
Three Ways to Enter the Drone Experience
Not every participant enters CARES Drones for the same reason. Some are curious. Some are competitive. Some are career-focused. The strength of the model is that each pathway can stand on its own while still being connected to the larger D.R.O.N.E. Framework.
Relational Drone Experience – Explore, Fly, Learn, and Build Confidence
The recreational track is for participants who think drones are interesting, exciting, and fun. These learners may not be thinking about racing or careers yet. They simply want to fly, explore, and experience something new.
This track introduces basic drone safety, beginner flight skills, line-of-sight control, simple obstacle navigation, teamwork, and confidence-building. It is ideal for community events, summer camps, church youth groups, libraries, school enrichment programs, and organizations looking for a high-engagement STEM activity.
Best for: beginners, middle school students, youth groups, outreach events, enrichment programs, and students who need a low-pressure first step into STEM.
Drone Racing
The drone racing track is for participants who want to build skill, speed, precision, and competitive confidence. These learners are interested in improving, practicing, navigating courses, and learning how drone racing works.
This track introduces drone navigation, obstacle courses, flight strategy, repair and recovery, pre-flight safety, course design, teamwork, and performance under pressure. Drone racing naturally teaches focus, discipline, patience, resilience, and fast decision-making.
Best for: students who enjoy competition, gaming, aviation, robotics, technology, precision-based activities, and team challenges.
Workforce Development
The workforce development track is for students and young adults who are interested in career pathways, leadership, STEM exposure, restorative practices, and personal development. This is the deepest track and should connect clearly to CTE-aligned learning, high school readiness, peer leadership, and future employment pathways.
Participants learn drone safety, navigation, repair, course design, event marketing, communication, accountability, emotional regulation, personal narrative development, and leadership. This track is especially important for high school students, emerging professionals, and underserved communities that need access to career-connected learning opportunities.
Best for: high school students, CTE partners, workforce development agencies, youth employment programs, mentoring programs, community organizations, and funders focused on equity and opportunity.
Formal CTE credit or credential recognition depends on district, school, or regional approval.
The Framework Behind the Flight
The D.R.O.N.E. Framework is what makes CARES Drones more than a drone activity. It connects restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and STEM skill-building into one practical model of growth.
Discover
Participants discover their strengths, interests, emotional patterns, learning style, and leadership potential. In a drone setting, this happens quickly because students receive immediate feedback from the activity.
Regulate
Participants practice managing frustration, excitement, pressure, and disappointment. Whether they are flying for fun, racing through a course, or preparing for a demonstration, they learn how to pause, reset, and respond.
Overcome
Participants learn that mistakes are part of mastery. Crashes, missed gates, nervousness, and failed attempts become opportunities to build resilience instead of reasons to quit.
Navigate
Participants navigate more than drones. They navigate instructions, peer relationships, competition, teamwork, obstacles, feedback, and changing environments.
Empower
Participants grow in confidence and begin to see themselves as capable. In the workforce development track, this may lead to certificates of completion, letters of recommendation, peer mentoring, demonstrations, or future pathway opportunities.
Built to Bring Emerging Technology to Underserved Communities
CARES Drones is intentionally designed to reach students and communities that are too often left out of advanced STEM opportunities. Communities of color, underserved neighborhoods, immigrant and refugee communities, low-income families, and first-generation college-going students deserve access to emerging technology before opportunity gaps become permanent barriers.
Programs for Schools, Communities, and Future Online Learners
One-Week Drone Camp
The one-week drone camp is a short, high-impact experience for middle school and high school students. It is ideal for summer programs, school breaks, outreach events, church youth programming, libraries, and community organizations.
Participants receive hands-on exposure to drone flight, safety, basic navigation, line-of-sight control, obstacle challenges, teamwork, and restorative reflection.
Typical Format: 3 hours per day for 5 days
Minimum Group Size: 10 participants
Best Fit: recreational and beginner drone experiences
Six-Week Drone Racing and Restorative Practices Certificate
The six-week model provides deeper training in drone racing, drone safety, repair and recovery, course design, restorative practices, personal narrative development, and leadership growth. Depending on availability, this model can also be adapted into an eight-week after-school program.
Typical Format: 6-week intensive or after-school model
Best Fit: drone racing and workforce development tracks
Recognition: certificate of completion, with possible recommendation opportunities for participants who demonstrate strong conduct and skill attainment
Online Drone Simulation Courses
Future CARES Drones online simulation courses will create an accessible entry point for students and families who want to begin learning drone concepts before participating in an in-person program. These courses can introduce flight thinking, safety, decision-making, emotional regulation, and drone racing concepts through simulation-based learning.
Status: Coming Soon
Best Fit: beginners, families, schools, homeschool groups, and students preparing for in-person drone experiences
Help Ten Students Take Flight
A $6,000 sponsorship supports a team of 10 participants and helps remove financial barriers for students and communities that need this opportunity. Sponsorship makes it possible to bring CARES Drones to underserved communities, youth organizations, schools, churches, and neighborhood partners.
Sponsors may support recreational drone exposure, drone racing teams, or workforce development cohorts. Sponsorship can also include recognition through participant shirts, website acknowledgment, community events, program materials, and showcase opportunities depending on the sponsorship level.
Sponsorship Options
Sponsor One Student: $600
Sponsor a Team of Ten: $6,000
Custom Sponsorship: Contact CARES
Bring CARES Drones to Your School, Church, Library, or Organization
ost partners do not need to own drones or create a curriculum. CARES provides the instructional framework, trained facilitation, drone learning structure, and restorative approach. Host partners help create the local conditions for success.
Your organization provides the space, participants, adult support, and community connection. Together, we create an experience that helps young people learn, fly, grow, and imagine new possibilities.
Host Requirements
A clean indoor space such as a gym, warehouse, fellowship hall, multipurpose room, or large open classroom.
A minimum group of 10 participants.
Two adult staff members or volunteers for support.
Help with registration, communication, local outreach, and participant coordination.
A safe and welcoming environment for learning.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Choose the recreational track if your group is new to drones and wants a fun, confidence-building STEM experience.
Choose the drone racing track if your group wants skill development, competition, obstacle courses, repair, course design, and racing practice.
Choose the workforce development track if your group is focused on high school students, CTE-aligned learning, restorative practices, leadership, career exposure, and long-term opportunity.
| Interest Group | Best Fit | Primary Outcome |
| Recreational | Beginners, camps, youth groups, outreach | Exposure, confidence fun |
| Drone Racing | Competitive students, STEM clubs, racing teams | Skill, precision, discipline |
| Workforce Development | High schoolers, CTE, agencies, sponsors | Career readiness, leadership, pathways |
Ready to Help Young People Take Flight?
CARES Drones gives young people a reason to engage, a structure for growth, and a pathway toward confidence, leadership, and future opportunity. Whether your community wants a recreational drone experience, a drone racing program, a workforce development cohort, or a sponsored team of ten, CARES can help you build the right next step.