How You Can Participate (Without Interfering!)
How the Challenge Experience Works
Destination Imagination is 100% student-driven, meaning it’s up to student teams to develop, create, and implement their own ideas without any outside Interference. Student teams are fully in charge of developing their own Challenge solutions, while adults are responsible for facilitating meetings, ensuring students’ safety, and making sure teams have access to the resources they need to solve their Challenge.
There are many ways you can support your kid’s DI team and help them succeed without Interfering in their creative process!
Here are 8 ways you can help a DI team succeed without Interfering:
1.
Manage a Team:
Learn More!Become a DI Team Manager, co-manage a team with another adult, or enlist a friend or family member to manage a team! If you don’t have time to manage a team, you can support the Team Manager by hosting meetings, leading team building activities and Instant Challenge practice sessions, shopping for team-requested materials, and supplying the team with brain food (healthy snacks, drinks, and treats)!
2.
Volunteer
Learn More!DI is powered by volunteers and we can always use an extra set of hands. You can volunteer as a tournament Appraiser or at local events, like Instant Challenge workshops and Team Manager training sessions.
3.
Share a Skill
Learn More!Do you have a skill—like storytelling, design, art or music, structural engineering, carpentry, painting, sewing, welding, or fundraising—that might be relevant to your kid’s DI Challenge? Drop by a team meeting to teach the team a skill they can put to use in their solution! Once you’ve passed on that knowledge and mentorship, it’s up to the team to implement the skill in their own way.
4.
Organize a Field Trip
Learn More!Expose the team to skills, careers, and ideas they haven’t seen before! Organize a team field to your workplace, a museum, historic site, construction site, theater, or even your local hardware store.
5.
Explain the Rules & Requirements
Learn More!Become a Rules of the Road, Roadmap, or Challenge expert and help the team make sure all rules and guidelines are met. This kind of support is not Interference and is strongly encouraged so the team is eligible to receive a high score at tournaments.
6.
Fundraise or Donate
Learn More!Organize a fundraiser to help your kid’s team, buy supplies, or travel to tournaments. You can also give the gift of creativity by making a donation to our nonprofit, Destination Imagination of New York.
7.
Spread the Word
Learn More!Call or write your school board members, administrators, parent council, and local media outlets to tell them about the amazing work your kid’s Destination Imagination team is up to. Spreading the word will help us bring DI to more New York students, schools, and communities!
8.
Be a Tournament Cheerleader
Learn More!You can help your team transport props to tournaments, run through “What if...” tournament scenarios with them so they’re prepared to adapt in the moment, and celebrate your team’s creative journey by cheering them on when they present!
Note: Ensuring Team Safety is NOT Interfering!
Please help monitor your kid’s DI team activities to ensure their safety. This includes teaching students how to use tools safely and practice safe workspace habits. Intervening for safety is never interfering. You can learn more using the resources below:
NYDI is a Nonprofit Powered by Volunteers
There’s a lot that goes into running a statewide Affiliate of DI, especially in a state as large and diverse as New York. Our Board of Trustees is made up of volunteers who dedicate many hours to running this program every year because we have experienced firsthand how DI changes lives.
There are big and small ways you can get involved with NYDI! You can lead a team, serve as an Appraiser (score team presentations), sign up to be a tournament volunteer, build a DI program at your school, donate to NYDI, or become a sponsor. Anything you contribute will help us grow a future generation of New Yorkers who:
- Are global citizens
- Think outside the box
- Can work together to solve our world’s most complex challenges
Ways to Get Involved
