What is Destination Imagination?

From the Destination ImagiNation website www.destinationimagintion.org.

"Destination Imagination (DI) is a non-profit, volunteer-led, cause-driven organization. Our purpose is to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. Annually, we offer seven new standards-based Challenges in STEM, Improv, Visual Arts, Service Learning, and Early Learning. Each Challenge is open-ended and enables student teams to learn and experience the creative process from imagination to innovation. Academic tournaments take place around the world where teams have the opportunity to present their solutions to trained appraisers. Students have fun and gain confidence in their ability to solve any challenge. In working to solve our Challenges, teams learn 21^st century skills (creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, citizenship and courage) to build on their unique strengths.

Approximately 200,000 youth make friends and learn the creative process through our programs every year, and 38,000 volunteers support us!

All of our programs are Challenge-based, and they teach the creative process from imagination to innovation. Our goal is to help student teams learn to be creative in every aspect of their lives.

At the start of the season, teams choose one of seven Challenges. After weeks spent creating, developing and practicing their solutions, they go to a local tournament. Top-scoring teams advance to state or country tournaments. The top level of the tournament is our Global Finals—the world’s largest celebration of creativity."

In other words:

*Destination ImagiNation® is one of the most exciting and fun creative problem solving programs for kids of all ages!

Call it Creativity 101, describe it as "thinking outside of the box," say it's the things they don't teach you in your regular classes at school. However you describe Destination ImagiNation®, the bottom line is this: It's the most important course in education.

Destination ImagiNation® gives kids a chance to expand on the skill and knowledge they have learned in school, learn new skills, and discover how much fun creative problem solving can be!

Destination ImagiNation® volunteers are a committed group of adults that includes parents, educators and former program participants who take the ideas of creativity, problem-solving and teamwork and package them in a fun and meaningful program.

Volunteers serve only as facilitators for the team. The dedicated Team Managers may help coordinate meeting times, shuttle the teams to different places where they obtain information and supplies, and generally support the administrative function of team life. Never do the team managers "coach" the members in their solution; their role is to enable them to access various resources in the community.

Parents, educators and other volunteers serve as team managers, program coordinators, tournament officials, as well as regional, state, and international board members.

Destination ImagiNation® teaches students the things they'll need as they traverse the sometimes rocky and often challenging terrain of the school of life-- like how to tap into their own creativity, how to solve problems, and how to work together in teams. You see in math class, there may be only one right answer to a given problem, but how often is that the case in the real world?

Based on the concept of divergent thinking --understanding that there is more than one way to solve a problem-- Destination ImagiNation® Challenges encourage students to build on their strengths and to discover skills they never knew they possessed.

Teams of up to seven members choose one challenge and spend several months perfecting their "solution" for tournament day. Teams also hone their on-the-spot problem solving skills as they practice coming up with solutions for Instant Challenges-- additional challenges that are revealed to the teams only minutes before their presentation time! Thinking on their feet, becoming comfortable with quick decision making and further developing the team spirit are among the skills that Instant Challenges promote.

Long-Term Advantages of Destination ImagiNation

One of the stories I often relate is from a professor of design at a private college near here. She said that the students who have never been involved in programs like this believe that the students who have been part of Creative Problem Solving Programs have an unfair advantage! The professor said she noticed that the DI students are able to use materials in new and unusual ways, they are capable of creating unique designs, sculpture, jewelry, etc. within a very short time (see - those competition tournaments are worth it, too!), and they are the ones who ask the most questions. . .and very good ones. She also noted that they are also more capable of sharing their ideas, cooperating with other classmates and helping other students to become more involved. Sounds like good leadership on the part of these students! Many other educators with students involved in CPS programs have said the same thing. The students themselves are saying that they are getting hired quickly because they have been involved. Their employers see them as capable of innovative thinking. -Pat Schoonover

*(from the NYDI website)*

So what are you waiting for??? Let’s get started!!!*