Monday, March 15, 2004
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Destination ImagiNation: cross training for the mind
By
Alison Momeyer
Get out the duct tape, glue, paper mache, paints, dye, cardboard, gears, and most of all --your mind -- and get ready for Destination ImagiNation or D.I.
On second thought, if you’re not one of the seven official members of a D.I. team, then put it all down! Any help you might offer is considered “interference” according to the official, 42-page “Rules of the Road” book outlining everything you ever wanted to know about this unique program.
Destination ImagiNation is one of the world's largest creativity and problem solving programs for youth, with thousands of participants in 47 U.S. states, 15 countries and Canadian provinces. In Ohio alone, there are over 800 teams. Formerly known as “Odyssey of the Mind,” D.I has been creating quality problem-solving programs for kids since the early 1980s. As Peggy Middendorf explains, “The goal of Destination ImagiNation is to help children learn that through a combination of creativity, teamwork and tenacity, they can develop creative solutions to complex problems completely on their own.” Peggy is the state director for the Kentucky affiliate, and she sits on the international board of trustees for D.I. She has also experienced first-hand the impact D.I. participation had on her daughter: “My oldest, Rebecca, changed from a wallflower when she started, to someone ready, willing and able to get up in front of a group of strangers to talk on virtually any subject.”
So what, you may be wondering, is D.I.? It’s groups of teams, organized through schools, neighborhoods or community groups, which are composed of seven members and are divided by age. Kids as young as 4-years old meet (in a non-competitive structure) and participation can continue through college and beyond (through campus-based organizations and “D.I. Later” groups for life after school). Adult team leaders act as hosts who are permitted to do things like schedule the meetings and provide the snacks, but the entire purpose behind D.I. is to make the program child-centered and child-driven which means that leaders may not contribute to any aspect of problem-solving, brainstorming or creating. Leaders are there to keeps kids safe and to provide a structure, but not to interfere. Again, in the words of parent and director Peggy Middendorf, “This is not parents doing a book report or science fair project. This is the only program that not only allows, but demands that the adults hand over all ownership to the student. The program is team-powered and kid-driven.”
Destination ImagiNation teams work on a central challenge (which they choose at the beginning of each year from a list of six possibilities) and “side trips” which spring out of the main problem or challenge and present unique dilemmas. The purpose of the challenge is to encourage creative problem solving techniques, build teamwork skills and foster the creative process over a period of time, such as a school year. All of the challenges involve a research component and an improvisational piece and can include an international or intercultural theme. By working as a team and learning to problem-solve on their own, kids gain important insight into real-world issues like how to budget, manage time, communicate effectively, and execute complicated plans without being pampered or led by an adult. Some of the activities that kids engage in can include script writing, music composition, set design and construction, costume making and choreography.
Locally, Region 18 is warming up for a competitive tournament where groups will learn just how their problem-solving abilities and creativity stack up against other teams from throughout our area including Northern Kentucky. On March 20, Glen Este High School will be the site for the regional competition where teams will be rated on a 300-point scale by appraisers otherwise known as “friendly faces” in D.I.-speak. Appraisers will evaluate how the team worked together, the solution or combination of solutions they generated to address the challenge, and the quality of the presentation. Winners at the regional tournament will move on to Youngstown in April for the state-wide competition.
The Destination ImagiNation Web site is chock-full of interesting information about the program along with links to local resources. Check them out at: http://www.destinationimagination.org/learn/glance.htm
If you have a child who is bursting with creativity and energy, or one whose potential may be hiding out untapped, Destination ImagiNation may be just the thing to channel their internal spark.
Alison Momeyer is a freelance writer working amidst the chaos produced by
her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old twin boys.
