Greetings from the Challenge Development side of the Educational Experiences Team at Destination Imagination, Inc.! Destination Imagination (DI) is a global educational nonprofit dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators, leaders, and creative problem solvers. Each year, Destination Imagination publishes a set of “Team Challenges” to be solved by student teams throughout the world. Each open-ended Challenge focuses on a broad subject designed to appeal to a wide audience.
Challenge ideas do not emerge in a vacuum. In Destination Imagination, creativity is a group effort and we rely on group brainstorming and idea generation as a pillar of our Challenge Development process. In order to ensure that our future Team Challenges are educational, as well as relevant, we are reaching out to our broader DI community—in other words, you! Please take some time to fill out one of the following Idea Generation Surveys and pass it on to anyone else who might be interested!
There are two surveys to choose from:
- Educator Survey: This survey is designed to be filled out by teachers and other educators. Please take a few moments to reflect on what interests your students currently have and how these might connect to educational goals.
- Youth Survey: This survey is designed to be filled out by kids (13 and older). Kids should have parental consent before filling out the survey. Please take a moment to reflect on your current interests!
Here are some tips for generating ideas:
- Draw inspiration from anywhere, but remember to keep your ideas open-ended, relevant, and kid-friendly. Aim for ideas that will be both fun and educational for kids of all ages, cultures, and abilities to explore.
- Keep your ideas concise. They should be the sparks for creativity, not a complete solution.
- Variety is key! Try not to use the same idea for all 7 Challenges to avoid overlap and too many similarities between our Challenges.
- Service Learning Note: When brainstorming for the Service Learning Challenge, remember that teams decide on the Project itself. Focus your ideas on the Presentation or project management skills rather than on what teams should do for a Project.
We are very grateful for your help and excited to see what ideas you might have for our Challenge Development process! You never know—your idea might inspire a new, amazing Team Challenge!
Sincerely,
The Educational Experiences Team
Destination Imagination