Only team members may contribute ideas and create Challenge solutions. Help from non-team members, including Team Managers, is called Interference. The Interference Triangle: The Interference Triangle is a useful tool to help remember what Interference is and what Team Managers and other people are allowed to help the team with. The Base of the Triangle consists of two corners: Skills and Challenge & Rules. These two corner support blocks are what teams have in common when they participate in the Destination Imagination program and process. Skills are the special abilities that the participants already have and bring to the team along with the skills they learn while being a part of the team. Learning skills is an important and valuable part of the process of DI. Every team member’s participation …

There are lots of ways to volunteer and support NYDI in providing its programs to more students. You can: Be a Team Manager Be an Appraiser or Tournament Official Be an usher, door-guard, or check-in attendant at a tournament Be a Coordinator for a Destination Imagination program at your School Provide Skills Training, Project Management or other workshops for teams Help us with fundraising Help us with development efforts including our website and other outreach programs If you are interested in volunteering, please contact your Regional Director.

150,000 number of children worldwide that participate in Destination Imagination, Inc. programs annually 38,000 number of Destination Imagination, Inc. volunteers worldwide 1.5 million+ number of DI alumni worldwide 5 years average length of participation in DI 6,000 – 7,000 number of schools involved in DI 48 states number of U.S. states with DI teams 30+ number of countries that participate in DI 18,000 number of teams expected to participate in DI in 2015-16 17,000+ number of people who attend Global Finals 1,400+ number of teams at Global Finals [Data as of August 2015] 

Destination Imagination yields great results for participants, who report consistently that DI was one of the most memorable and important parts of their experience.   They describe it as fun and exciting – and love the opportunity to compete against teams from around the world.

The Solution is where the Team’s commitment and the Challenge provided by Destination Imagination come together. Once the team has formed and selected a Challenge, the work begins. The Program Materials set out the requirements of the Challenge in detail – everything from what materials may be used and the allowed budget, to rubrics for appraising the solution. Teams meet on a regular basis, plan a course of action, and execute that plan. When the solution is complete, they have the opportunity to show off their solutions at one of our Tournaments. Team Managers may facilitate the process, and provide or arrange for skills training, but they may not contribute to the solution in any way. No two solutions to a Challege are the same. …

Only team members may contribute ideas and create the Team Challenge and Team Choice Element solutions.  Help from non-team members, including Team Managers, is called Interference. So how can Parents and other family members help out with DI?

Being a Team Manager is a fun and rewarding way to spend time with great kids! The Team Manager is an adult facilitator, administrator, and supporter of the team. You may consider sharing the responsibility with another parent. Support & training will be provided, and first timers are welcome! Team Manager Information Nights and Trainings are available. More information is available at About Team Managers

Team meetings usually start at 2 hours per week for most teams. Meetings can be after school, in the evening, or during the weekend, with the times are determined by availability of team manager and/or team members. Most teams want to increase their meeting time in February in order to accomplish the Central Challenge according to their expectations. Thus, there is a possibility of multiple weekly meetings, and additional work sessions as the Tournament approaches. That decision is one the Team Manager & the team members make. The season runs from team formation in the fall to the Regional Tournament, usually in March. Tournament day is usually an all-day commitment for teams. First and second place teams at the Regional level will advance to the …

Kids often discover hidden talents they didn’t know they had! Any eligible student can be on a Destination Imagination team, provided that he or she understands the commitment of time and effort involved, and can fulfill the eligibility requirements for students who wish to participate in cocurricular activities. Competitive teams can have a maximum of seven students. There is no limit on the number of team members in Rising Stars (early learning – K-2) teams. At least one parent, teacher, or dedicated adult supporter must act as the Team Manager. The Team Manager helps the students stay on schedule, gathers materials for the team, and guides them through the problem-solving process, but does not contribute to the solution. Time commitment is about 2 to 4 hours each …

 While any child would be lucky to participate in most programs of this type, Destination Imagination is a non-profit, volunteer-run, child-centric organization. Every aspect of the program, by design, is extremely responsive to the membership, and most important, to the students in our programs. We maintain communities to share our best practices, as well as globally collaborating on areas of improvement. The result is a very child-friendly program that rewards teams, within the rules, for their creativity, teamwork and innovation. Our success is reflected in the Destination Imagination Alumni group, or DIA. The growing numbers of our alumni in DIA maintain year-round contact at collegiate and professional levels for years to come, and are instrumental volunteers in the program at all levels.

Teams find their funding in a variety of ways: Schools or sponsoring organizations may give teams money to use; and/or they may donate space for the team to use. Teams may ask each team member to pay a certain amount of money up front to fund projects; team members may be asked for more money if they change their solution several times and more resources are necessary. Teams may fund-raise to get the money they need. Some schools may cooperate with fundraising. Items may be purchased at regular stores, at discount stores, at secondhand stores, Goodwill, or they may be found in dumpsters, the attic, closets or the basement. All used items (other than “free” items such as newspaper and cardboard) must be assessed a …

Registration costs per student is comparable to or less than many other youth activities (e.g. sports teams, lessons, scouting, etc). For a Competitive team of seven students registration fees usually are less than $65 per student; for a K-2 (Rising Stars) team it is less than $30 per student: Fee Paid To CompetitiveTeams Rising Stars (K-2) Team Registration / Team Number DI Inc. $110 $110 Affiliate Fee DI Inc. $325 $80 2021 Program Year Discount You! -$100   Team Manager Background Check DI Inc. $40 $40 Total Team Fees DI Inc. $375 $230 Instant Challenge Fiesta (optional) NYDI $15 $15   Want more detailed cost information? See your Region Page and visit Budgeting and Fundraising! If your team is being registered through a school or other sponsoring organization, the …

Your school, PTA, gifted program, YMCA, 4H club, house of worship, homeschool group, after-school program, community organization, your family – it all depends on whose name the membership is in.

If there is an established Destination Imagination program at a sponsoring organization in your area (e.g.school), you should contect them to find out how to get started. Otherwise, the first step is to purchase a Team Number (which will allow you to download the Program Materials) and pay the Regional Fee (which will allow you to register for a Regional Tournament). The procedure for Team Number purchase and Regional Fee payment differs by region. Visit your Region Page for instructions, or Contact NYDI for assistance from one of our staff members.

You have taken the first step by visiting this web page!  If you have further questions, please contact one of our staff members by clicking the button below: Contact NYDI

Schools: Often schools provide educational, facilities and financial support to teams – giving teachers time to help Destination Imagination teams or manage a team themselves, space for teams to meet at the school, or financial support by purchasing memberships, giving teams money or helping teams that advance to state/global finals. If you are looking for school support, approach the school administration or get a teacher excited about the program. Other Organizations and Individuals: Any community organization, or even an individual, can start a Destination Imagination team.  All it takes is a group of individuals who would like to form a team, and an adult who is willing to be a Team Manager. Individuals and non-school organizations should visit the appropriate Region Page for instructions, or Contact NYDI  for guidance …

Mission To develop opportunities that inspire the global community of learners to utilize diverse approaches in applying 21st century skills and creativity. The Destination Imagination program encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus, and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the arts, and service learning. Our participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process. Teams may showcase their solutions at a tournament. (Click here to download our Strategic Plan.) Described Another Way: The goal of Destination Imagination is to help children learn that through a combination of creativity, teamwork & tenacity, that they can develop creative solutions to complex problems completely on their own.

The Destination Imagination program asks teams to creatively solve two different kinds of Challenges, each with its own purpose and educational focus. The two Challenges, or components, are called the Team Challenge (Central Challenge and Team Choice Elements) and the Instant Challenge. Teams present their solutions to both Challenges at a Tournament where the solutions are evaluated by friendly people we call “Appraisers.”

Creative problem solving (CPS) involves combining brainstorming, creative thinking, critical thinking, and implementation of the ideas generated. If someone can’t think of an example of creative problem solving, suggest that the Apollo 13 astronauts are alive because of creative problem solving. At one point, they needed a round filter to fit in the slot for a square one. The engineers on earth had to creatively solve the challenge using only the items that the astronauts had available to them. This was truly the case of CPS saving lives!

The Destination Imagination Program:  Destination Imagination is a non-profit that helps students around the world learn and experience the creative process from imagination to innovation. We hold tournaments where student teams solve problems in astonishing ways. Our participants build a lifelong confidence in working together to solve any challenge.