Destination ImagiNation

The Destination ImagiNation logo

Destination ImagiNation (DI) is a creativity and problem solving program for children from elementary age to college age. Teams of up to seven members compete in various challenges that require complex thinking, problem solving, teamwork and creativity. The goal of the program is to teach creative and critical thinking, presentation skills, problem solving, and teamwork skills.

History

Destination ImagiNation was founded in 1999 by a group of volunteers from the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) program.^[1] A rift over the non-profit Odyssey of the Mind Association's relationship with the for-profit company Creative Competitions, Inc. (CCI) eventually led to the creation of the non-profit Destination ImagiNation. Most of the State Directors and some of the OM Association board members left to found DI, including Robert Purifico, the current president of Destination ImagiNation. The program's first competition year was the 1999-2000 school year, culminating in the May D2K Global Finals. The first Global Finals were held from 24 May to 28 May 2000 at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. More recent Global Finals events were held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. It is advertised that over 250,000 students in over 56 countries currently participate in Destination ImagiNation programs.

Teams

A DI team comprises anywhere from two to seven members and one or two Team Managers, who must be 18 or older. The Team Manager of each team serves only as a supervisor; he or she is prohibited from assisting the team in its solution.

Though the team is often associated with a school or church, any group can register for competition. All that is required is that the team registers with its local DI affiliate. Teams also have the chance to chose their own name by which they are identified for the duration of the year.

There are affiliates in all fifty U.S. states^[2], and more than 56 countries.

Each team is registered to participate at a certain competition level, which is decided by the age of the oldest team member^[3]:

• Rising Stars: grades K-2, or 5-9 years old
• Elementary: grades K-5, or no student above 12
• Middle: grades 6-8, or no student above 15
• Secondary: high school, or no student above 19
• University: college, graduate school and armed forces, no younger students
• DI Later: A new division created for adults

Teams can include up to seven members^[4] (unless the team is of Rising Stars category, in which case, no maximum restriction exists). After forming, each team chooses a Team Challenge, which it will work to solve until the first competition. The team works together to create a solution, to present it on tournament day, and to solve the Instant Challenge.

Team Challenges

Each year, five new Team Challenges are written by a board of writers for the program, known as challenge DIvelopers . Generally, there is a challenge that relates to each of the following areas:

• engineering/technical,
• technical/theatrical,
• theatrical,
• structural,
• improvisation. ^[5], and
• rising stars (a non-competitive challenge for DI's youngest participants)

Each challenge includes aspects of each of these. The Team Challenge requires that the team write a skit of up to eight minutes in length (or six minutes for improvisational or nonverbal challenges) that creatively presents the solution to a problem presented in the challenge explanation. The goal of the challenge is that the team develops a solution that is integrally tied into the creative skit. Points are awarded not only for completing the challenge's requirements, but also for creativity, teamwork, and performance. Only registered team members can help with the challenge.

For most team challenges, up to 240 points (over half of the total score) are based on the Team Challenge, and another 60 points are given for two team-chosen stylistic elements (called side trips) of the presentation (e.g. costumes, props, music, etc).

Improv Challenges vary from the norm somewhat, requiring team members to select skit elements (some pre-researched, some not) and create a skit in 30 minutes of "StuDIo" time. They then present their skit, which is limited to 8 minutes in length. This type of challenge diverges from the traditional script writing and acting to focus on quick thinking and team work. This segment is worth 300 points and does not feature side trips.

List of Team Challenges

Instant Challenge

An important part of every DI competition is the Instant Challenge (IC). An Instant Challenge is a new, previously unseen challenge, requiring a quick, improvised solution. To maintain fairness, every team at a tournament competing in the same team challenge and age level is given the same Instant Challenge. To maintain this surprise, ICs are conducted in a private room, with only Team Manager for an audience, and the teams promise not to divulge the nature of the challenge until the competition is over. Once again, only team members may work on this challenge.

Upon entering the IC, a team is given a one-page description of its Instant Challenge and a set of items that the team's members may use. The challenge is read aloud, and then the time begins. Teams are given between two and ten minutes to create a solution; the typical duration is four to six minutes. A given challenge usually demands a dramatic presentation, a technical device or system, or both. The goal of the Instant Challenge is to teach on-your-feet thinking, problem solving, and teamwork.^[7]

At a competition, an IC score is up to 100 points, typically one quarter of the total competition score.

Competition

Opening Ceremonies of the 2005 Global Finals

In the spring, after months of preparation, each region of each affiliate holds a "Regional" competition to select the best teams for each level of each challenge. The winning teams are then eligible to compete at the affiliate-level "State" competition, which is held a few weeks after the regional competition, differing between affiliates and regions.^[8] In May of each year, the Global Finals are held in Knoxville, Tennessee (although it is not a permanent location). This is the final competition level and is attended by those teams that advance beyond the affiliate (State) level. The 4-day event has an atmosphere akin to the Olympics with pin trading, high quality competition, and teams.

At each competition, a team is required to perform two tasks. First, the team performs its eight minute solution to the long-term challenge. Second, the team is required to complete an Instant Challenge, an improvised performance ranging from completely dramatic to highly technical. The scores for the Instant Challenge are factored significantly into the final scoring of teams for their placing at the awards ceremonies, in which high-scoring teams receive ribbons, medals, or trophies, and learn whether they will be advancing to the next level of competition (excluding Global Finals).

References

1. ^ "Destination ImagiNation Story." Destination ImagiNation, Inc. Accessed 19 Apr. 2007.
2. ^ "United States Destination ImagiNation Affiliates." Destination Imagination. Accessed 19 Apr. 2007.
3. ^ For example, a team of six eighth graders and one ninth grader will advance the team to Secondary Level.
4. ^ "What is DI?" Destination Imagination. Accessed 19 Apr. 2007.
5. ^ ^{a b} "Team Challenges." Destination Imagination. Accessed 19 Apr. 2007.
6. ^ "Sneak Peaks 2007-08." Destination Imagination. Accessed 22 Apr. 2007.
7. ^ "Instant Challenges." Destination Imagination. Accessed 19 Apr. 2007.
8. ^ Tournaments Destination Imagination Accessed 5 June 2007.

External links

• Destination ImagiNation program
• Destination ImagiNation organization
• Destination Imagination Global Finals Website
• A short documentary about Destination Imagination Global Finals

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