WHAT IS DESTINATIONIMAGINATION™?
DestinationImagiNation™ is the
world’s largest non-profit, volunteer-driven organization devoted to helping kids
gain practical life skills through interesting, entertaining and mind-boggling
challenges. Our community and school-based program begins in August/September
when the year’s Challenges are issued. Teams of five to seven students
organize, choose their challenge and work for months honing their solution.
Volunteer team managers (parents, teachers or community volunteers) facilitate
the group, but cannot give technical or other assistance. Teams present their
solutions at local, regional and state tournaments, which narrow the field to
about 15 teams from each state or international affiliate. These teams compete
in the ultimate creativity showdown, Global Finals, each May.
The Destination
ImagiNation™ competition has two components:
Instant Challenges teach students to
respond quickly to the unplanned event by requiring them to solve a fun,
surprise challenge on the spot. Teams must work together to quickly assess the
situation and generate an appropriate and creative response within just a few
minutes.
Team Challenges require teams to
utilize each member’s skills in such diverse areas as art, writing, technology,
performance, engineering, and music to create a unique solution that can take
from several weeks to several months to develop. Students learn to work
together as they practice project management skills by meeting deadlines
imposed by tournament dates and completing their solution within a specified
budget. Teams present their solutions before a live audience and panel of
appraisers. Scoring is based on criteria specified in the challenge, which
usually includes analysis of the team’s innovation, risk-taking and teamwork.
Destination ImagiNation™
is inclusive and inexpensive. Membership categories are designed to allow for
the greatest number of participants possible. Program costs are minimal
and local memberships are encouraged to offer the program to all
interested students. In fact, student participation is often limited only by
the number of adults willing to serve as team managers. Considering the
countless benefits Destination ImagiNation™ offers, it is certainly one of the
best values in education today.
Visit the international Destination ImagiNation™ website
for more information about the program.