Teams & Team Managers Archives - Destination Imagination https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/category/teams-team-managers/ A creative, team-focused, STEAM competition for K-12 and university students. Mon, 08 Dec 2025 18:26:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.destinationimagination.org/wp-content/uploads/faivon-150x150.png Teams & Team Managers Archives - Destination Imagination https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/category/teams-team-managers/ 32 32 DI Alumni Spotlight: An Interview with James Dyson Award Winner Filip Budny https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/di-alumni-spotlight-an-interview-with-james-dyson-award-winner-filip-budny/ Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:25:26 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=34658 When a toxic algal bloom devastated the Oder River in Poland in 2022, it wasn’t just an environmental disaster, it was a wake-up call. For Destination Imagination (DI) alum Filip Budny, it became the moment that set everything in motion. Seeing hundreds of tons of fish washed ashore and realizing no system had caught the […]

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When a toxic algal bloom devastated the Oder River in Poland in 2022, it wasn’t just an environmental disaster, it was a wake-up call. For Destination Imagination (DI) alum Filip Budny, it became the moment that set everything in motion. Seeing hundreds of tons of fish washed ashore and realizing no system had caught the warning signs in time made him ask a question that would shape his future: How could something this big happen without any early warning?

That question eventually became WaterSense, an autonomous, AI-powered water-monitoring system now being deployed across Poland and garnering global attention. In November 2025, WaterSense earned Filip the James Dyson Award for Global Sustainability, selected from more than 2,100 inventions across 28 countries.

Today, we’re excited to share Filip’s story and how his journey in Destination Imagination helped shape the way he approaches creativity, engineering, and innovation.

Q&A with DI Alum Filip Budny

1. Congratulations on winning the International James Dyson Award! What does this recognition mean to you personally, and what has the response been like since the announcement?

Winning the International James Dyson Award has been an extraordinary moment for me — not only as a scientist and engineer, but also as someone whose journey began in Destination Imagination. DI taught me that imagination, teamwork, and the courage to take on real problems can change the world. This recognition feels like a continuation of that path.

The Award is also meaningful because WaterSense was born out of the 2022 ecological disaster on the Oder River. It started with a simple question: “How could this happen without anyone noticing?” Receiving global recognition now shows that protecting inland waters is a challenge the world is ready to take seriously.

Since the announcement, the response has been overwhelming. Environmental agencies, researchers, investors, and universities have reached out. We’re now discussing new pilots across Europe, including the Rhine, Vistula, and Oder rivers. Schools and innovation hubs have also contacted us. Most of all, this Award inspires young innovators to believe that engineering can drive real impact — that’s the greatest reward.

2. In 2022, the ecological disaster on the Oder River exposed serious gaps in how inland waters are monitored. Can you describe the moment you realized, “This is a problem I need to solve”?

The turning point was the disaster itself — seeing hundreds of tons of fish washed ashore and realizing no early warnings existed. Growing up in Masuria, surrounded by lakes, water has always been close to me. Watching a river ecosystem collapse overnight felt deeply personal.

What struck me most was the complete lack of real-time data. Inland waters were being monitored manually, as if nothing had changed since the 20th century. With my background in mechatronics, printed electronics, and electrochemistry, I realized I had the skills to create something better. What began as frustration quickly became a mission.

3. For readers who may be new to water monitoring, what makes WaterSense different from traditional tools, and why does that difference matter?

Traditional monitoring is slow and reactive — you take a sample, send it to a lab, and get results days later. WaterSense flips that model entirely.

It’s continuous, autonomous, and predictive. Each station can measure over 25 parameters every 10 minutes, renew its own sensors daily, and use AI to forecast problems up to 72 hours in advance. Instead of snapshots, it provides a living, real-time picture of water quality.

Traditional tools tell you what has already happened. WaterSense tells you what’s happening now—and what’s coming next. That shift from reaction to prevention is transformative.

4. WaterSense includes features like printed disposable sensors, self-calibration, and AI forecasting. Which part of the design challenged your creativity the most, and why?

The biggest creative challenge (and the most rewarding one) was designing the printed disposable sensors. We were inspired by glucose test strips, which are inexpensive, precise, and contamination-resistant.

We created a roll of printed electrochemical sensors that automatically advance every day, like camera film. It required combining materials science, electrochemistry, mechanics, and embedded systems.

Solving that problem unlocked autonomous, long-term, lab-grade monitoring — something traditional systems simply can’t do.

5. You’re a Destination Imagination alum! Which years and Team Challenges did you participate in, and what stands out most from those experiences?

Yes, I’m a proud DI alum! I competed with team Winders in 2013 and 2014 when I was about 16 years old. We took on the Technical Challenge that season, and our DI journey took us across the world. We won the Polish National DI Tournament, then represented Poland at the DI China Tournament in Beijing, where we won the special National Geographic Challenge, and then competed at Global Finals in Tennessee.

What stands out most is the scale: thousands of young people engineering, building, inventing, and creating. DI showed me that creativity is a skill you practice, and that when you combine imagination with teamwork, you can build things that genuinely matter. DI didn’t just teach me how to solve problems; it shaped the way I approach every challenge today, including WaterSense.

6. DI emphasizes breaking down complex problems, prototyping quickly, and testing ideas under real constraints. How did those skills show up while you were building WaterSense?

DI shaped the way I build things long before WaterSense ever existed. As a teenager in DI, my team and I took on a Technical Challenge where we designed a concept device to help humans survive on Europa — Jupiter’s moon — and presented it through a theater performance. It sounded like science fiction, but DI teaches you to think without limits, break problems into manageable parts, build quickly, and refine constantly. That mindset has stayed with me.

When I began developing WaterSense, I approached it the same way. We didn’t wait for a perfect blueprint — we prototyped fast, tested in real rivers, saw what broke, and iterated right away. Sometimes we built a component in the morning and tested it in the water that same afternoon. Real-world feedback became our primary design tool.

That rapid cycle of build → test → fail → improve is pure DI. It’s a big reason we were able to create the first working prototype in under six months. DI taught me that innovation isn’t about getting it right the first time; it’s about iteration, teamwork, resilience, and solving real problems with creativity.

7. DI’s Creative Process is non-linear and encourages teams to recognize a problem, imagine possibilities, collaborate and initiate action, assess results, and keep improving. Where did that approach show up in your development of WaterSense?

The DI Creative Process is present at nearly every stage of building any product — and each part of it matters. DI teaches you to recognize a problem, imagine bold solutions, test them quickly, and refine what you’ve learned. That mindset became central to how we developed WaterSense.

In the early prototypes, we didn’t chase perfection. Instead, we focused on fast, structured iteration. We put the first versions of the station into real conditions, watched what broke, and redesigned immediately. Every leak, mechanical issue, or sensor misreading simply pointed us to the next improvement. It wasn’t about following a formal sequence; it was about embracing the iterative way of thinking that DI naturally builds into you.

That philosophy — imagine, test, improve — became not just a creative tool from DI, but a practical product-development strategy. It’s what allowed WaterSense to progress from an idea to a functioning system in just a few months.

8. Now that more than 20 WaterSense prototypes are deployed, what has surprised or excited you most from the real-world data you’re seeing?

What has surprised me the most is just how fast inland waters change. Monitoring rivers and lakes every 15 minutes reveals dynamics we could never see before. A shift in rainfall, a change in flow, a nearby industrial discharge, even activity in a small tributary — all of it shows up almost instantly in the data.

It has also been eye-opening to see how strongly human activity shapes water quality. Sometimes a single event upstream can alter conditions for kilometers within just a few hours. The AI model captures these patterns clearly, revealing relationships between environment, weather, and human behavior that traditional methods could never show.

The most exciting part is that these insights are actionable. When we understand how quickly water responds — and how much influence we actually have — we can finally move from reacting to problems to preventing them. That, to me, is the real power of seeing water in real time.

9. WaterSense will expand across Poland, Europe, and eventually the U.S. What’s your long-term vision for how this technology could change the way communities and governments protect their water?

My long-term vision is to make water quality data accessible to everyone. I want to make checking the health of a river or lake as normal as checking the weather.

I want WaterSense to help create the world’s first real-time digital model of inland waters: a constantly updated “digital twin” that shows what’s happening in rivers and lakes across entire regions. With thousands of autonomous stations feeding data into AI, we could see changes as they happen, understand how different factors affect the water, and predict risks before they become disasters.

A system like this could fundamentally change how we protect inland waters. When communities, governments, and companies all have access to the same real-time information, they can make faster, smarter, and more sustainable decisions.

10. What advice would you give to young people who want to use their creativity to make a difference in the world?

My advice is simple: follow the same approach DI teaches — because it applies to anyone who wants to solve real problems.

Recognize a problem. Imagine solutions. Build something. Test it. Fail. Improve. Don’t wait for the perfect plan — just start.

And if you don’t see a problem right away, wander a bit. Stay curious. Every meaningful innovation begins with noticing something others overlook.

Creativity isn’t about having flashy ideas; it’s about helping people and the planet in a practical, meaningful way. If you stay curious, stay open, and keep building, you’ll be surprised how quickly your ideas turn into something real.

Graphic with the headline ‘Take Project-Based Learning to New Heights.’ Below is text inviting readers to join a free info session about Destination Imagination. Images show DI teams building props and presenting solutions, with the DI logo and website URL at the bottom.

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Turn Everyday Items Into Music with the Melody Maker STEAM Challenge https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/turn-everyday-items-into-music-with-the-melody-maker-steam-challenge/ Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:13:24 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=34526 When you mix a bit of science, some art, and a little imagination, everyday objects can suddenly become so many things, including music! In our Melody Maker STEAM Challenge, students will team up to design and build a musical instrument using just four materials. But the challenge doesn’t end there—each group will also create and […]

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When you mix a bit of science, some art, and a little imagination, everyday objects can suddenly become so many things, including music!

In our Melody Maker STEAM Challenge, students will team up to design and build a musical instrument using just four materials. But the challenge doesn’t end there—each group will also create and present a short, 2-minute performance that features their new instrument.

Building and performing with their instrument lets students experience how creativity, communication, and problem-solving come together. Just as important, it gives kids a chance to practice speaking and presenting in front of others—building confidence in their voices while having fun experimenting and surprising themselves with what they can create.


The Challenge

Using only 4 materials, work together as a team to design and build an instrument that can make at least three distinct sounds. Then, create a short performance that shows off your instrument, your creativity, and your teamwork skills. 


Materials 

Choose any 4 items from the suggested materials list below to create your instrument. Think about how each material might make sound—can it be struck, plucked, blown, or shaken?

• Plastic bottles
• Rubber bands
• Cardboard tubes
• Metal spoons
• Paper plates
• Aluminum foil
• Straws
• Popsicle sticks
• String or yarn
• Tape or glue

• Paper or cardstock
• Binder clips
• Clothespins
• Boxes
• Buckets
• Cans (clean and empty)
• Plastic jars
• Sticks or twigs
• Pebbles
• Shells
• Leaves

Team Note: Scissors may be used for designing and building, but may not be included in your solution.

Facilitator Note: For younger students, you may want to guide them toward exploring how different objects can work together to produce different types of sounds, such as something hollow, something stretchy, and something hard.


Time Limit

Teams will have 20 minutes total to complete the challenge:

  • 15 minutes to choose materials, design, build, and test the instrument
  • 5 minutes to plan and practice the performance


Scoring (Up to 100 points)

A. 5 points for each distinct sound your instrument makes (Up to 15 points)
B. Up to 20 points for the creative use of materials in your instrument design
C. Up to 20 points for the overall effectiveness of your presentation (how everything comes together, including the instrument, the sounds, and the story)
D. Up to 20 points for the creativity of your performance
E. Up to 25 points for how well your team works together


Reflection Questions

  • What type of instrument did you make? How did you work together to make it create different sounds?
  • What was the most challenging part of the activity, and how did your team handle it?
  • How did your team decide what to include in your instrument and your performance? How did it feel to share your ideas in front of others?
  • If you could do this challenge again, what instrument would you make or what would you do differently?


🎤 Ready to Play?

Grab your team, gather four materials, and see if you can turn them into music. Share your team’s design with us on social media using #DestinationImagination.

Sponsored by the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation

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When Parents Step Into the Challenge: How One DI Team Turned Creativity Into Connection https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/when-parents-step-into-the-challenge-how-one-di-team-turned-creativity-into-connection/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:30:22 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=34410 When a DI team in Mexico invited their parents to take on an Instant Challenge, what happened next surprised everyone. See how creativity, laughter, and teamwork turned a simple activity into a powerful lesson in connection.

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Imagine you arrive at work and learn that your co-worker, who is leading a big presentation for your team that morning, is out sick. The meeting is still on, and you’ve been asked to give the update. You have one hour to regroup, gather your teammates, and figure out how to deliver the presentation together.

Who’s going to take the lead? Who knows which parts best? How do you divvy up the talking points and make sure it’s cohesive when no one’s rehearsed it? As the clock ticks down, you start to see who naturally steps up, who stays calm under pressure, who finds creative ways to fill the gaps—and where the team’s strengths and gaps reveal themselves.

That’s an Instant Challenge in disguise.

For students in Destination Imagination (DI), moments like these are more than familiar—they practice them every week. Instant Challenge is a surprise, hands-on task that pushes students to think creatively and work together under pressure. It may look like fun, but it’s also serious skill-building.

Each challenge helps kids develop the same skills adults rely on every day—skills that many of us are still learning to strengthen: creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability. And because Instant Challenge makes up 25% of a team’s overall DI score, many teams make it a cornerstone of their season-long practice.


Turning the Tables

Recently, one team in Mexico—the Creative Monsters—decided to shake up their Instant Challenge practice with a creative twist: this time, it was the parents’ turn to take on the challenge.

The activity was called “Number Tower.” Teams were tasked with building a freestanding tower inspired by a number of their choice. Once the structure was complete, they had to give a short presentation explaining how that number influenced their design.

Like all Instant Challenges, it was a short, high-energy activity—this one lasting less than eight minutes from start to finish. Using only a small assortment of everyday materials—six straws, four pencils, four index cards, four chenille sticks, four craft sticks, four mailing labels, two sheets of paper, two clothespins, and one paper cup—teams had to plan quickly, think creatively, and communicate clearly to bring their ideas to life under pressure.

The Creative Monsters decided to approach it in two rounds. First, the students built their towers and completed the presentation without parents watching. Then, the team watched as the parents took on the same challenge.

At their DI team meeting, the Creative Monsters team have their parents take on an Instant Challenge to see what it is like. In the first photo on the left, the parents are reading the instructions in front of a table of materials. In the photo on the right, the parents are building their tower together.
In the photo on the left, the parents are reading the instructions in front of a table with materials on top. In the photo on the right, the parents are working together to build their tower.

 

What followed was both fun and eye-opening. The kids got to see entirely new ways of approaching the problem, while the parents experienced the same kind of creative pressure their kids face at every practice and tournament.


A New Perspective

The Creative Monsters’ longtime Team Manager, Laura Edith González, who has led the team for four years, says what stood out most was the shift in perspective.

Laura is an accountant and auditor who runs her own accounting firm, but outside of work, she has a deep love for the arts. She first joined DI when her nephew’s team needed help with acting and performance, drawing on her background in theatre. What started as a favor quickly became a passion. Today, she sees DI as the perfect blend of creativity, collaboration, and real-world learning.

She co-manages the team with Roel Torres, a teacher who works with CreadEduu, a STEAM-focused educational organization in Mexico. Roel first discovered DI when two of his students proudly showed him their project. Now, in his second year as a Team Manager, he continues to be inspired by the creativity and growth he sees in his students each season.

Laura says what moved her most about this activity was watching the kids’ expressions as their parents worked through the same creative process.

“Through this exercise, the kids realized that when a challenge is difficult, it’s not because they ‘failed,’ it’s because the task itself is designed to stretch their creativity,” said Laura. “And seeing their parents struggle a little too showed them that mistakes are part of the process, not the end of it.”

For the parents, the experience revealed something just as valuable. They saw firsthand the teamwork, adaptability, and quick thinking their children practice in DI—and how much skill it takes to collaborate effectively under pressure. Beyond the learning, the activity sparked laughter, bonding, and a deeper appreciation for the creative process itself.


The Power of Modeling Creativity

Children often learn more from what they observe than from what they are told. Watching their parents model resilience, collaboration, and creative thinking gave the kids permission to embrace those same qualities. For parents, stepping into their children’s world revealed just how much growth is happening through the DI experience—how creativity builds confidence, and how teamwork becomes second nature through practice.


More Than a Challenge

In the end, this experiment was about more than Instant Challenge practice. It was a glimpse into how creativity, communication, and adaptability show up in all parts of life—whether you’re a student facing a new task or an adult leading a last-minute presentation.

Real learning happens in those uncertain moments–when we’re willing to take a chance, figure things out together, and see what we can learn along the way. That’s what DI is all about: helping kids build the confidence to lead, collaborate, and problem solve in any situation. And when parents join that process, they see firsthand that creativity isn’t just a skill—it’s a shared experience that can bring people closer together.

💡 What about your team? Could parents, siblings, or even teachers join in on an Instant Challenge for fun? Sometimes the best way to understand DI is to experience the challenge yourself.

 

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Scarecrow’s Bridge: A Spooky-Fun Fall STEAM Challenge https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/scarecrows-bridge-a-spooky-fun-fall-steam-challenge/ Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:25:01 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=34030 Looking for a quick and easy fall STEM activity for kids? Scarecrow’s Bridge is a spooky-playful fall STEAM challenge that blends engineering, creativity, and teamwork—all in just 10 minutes.

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The corn maze is full of twists and turns, but at the very center waits a watchful scarecrow. He won’t let anyone step into his field, so your only chance is to build a bridge tall enough to cross over without being caught!

That’s the idea behind Scarecrow’s Bridge, a hands-on STEAM challenge where students must design and build a freestanding bridge using only a handful of everyday materials. The bridge must span across the scarecrow’s field—without touching it—and be built as tall as possible in just 10 minutes.

Along the way, students will learn to balance height and stability, make informed choices with limited materials, and work together under pressure. And when the time is up, they’ll test their creations to see if their bridge can hold weight while standing tall.

This activity is perfect for classrooms, afterschool programs, or even a fall family game night. It’s equal parts playful and educational, with a little seasonal twist to keep kids engaged.

Download the free printable Challenge Sheet + Scarecrow’s Field Mat here.

 

 

Sponsored by the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation

 

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The Human Spark: Why the Destination Imagination Creative Process is a Life Skill https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/the-human-spark-why-the-destination-imagination-creative-process-is-a-life-skill/ Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:20:40 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=34018 By Johnny Wells, Director of Education, Destination Imagination Reflect on the last time you created something from scratch. Maybe you renovated a room the way you imagined it, cooked a dish without a recipe, or designed and planted a garden that finally grew. Remember that spark of accomplishment—the feeling that came from taking nothing and […]

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By Johnny Wells, Director of Education, Destination Imagination

Reflect on the last time you created something from scratch. Maybe you renovated a room the way you imagined it, cooked a dish without a recipe, or designed and planted a garden that finally grew. Remember that spark of accomplishment—the feeling that came from taking nothing and turning it into something real?

That spark isn’t just satisfying. It’s deeply human. From the first sharpened sticks used as hunting spears to the latest technological breakthroughs, our species has always been driven by the desire to imagine, problem-solve, and build.

This inherent drive is at the heart of the Destination Imagination (DI) Creative Process, a unique and powerful framework that goes far beyond a typical academic experience. By practicing it, kids learn that creativity isn’t just about making something new—it’s a life skill that builds confidence, resilience, and the ability to innovate. It’s a journey into applicable creativity, focusing not just on the final product, but on the transformative skills and behaviors that make innovation possible.

A Journey Into Creativity

The Destination Imagination Creative Process is a dynamic journey that involves recognizing the challenge, imagining solutions, collaborating and taking action, assessing progress, and then evaluating and celebrating the outcome.

Unlike a rigid checklist, the process is flexible. Students move fluidly between stages, circling back when new insights emerge or when things don’t go as planned. This adaptability reflects how we solve problems as adults, and it’s what makes the process so effective for kids who are learning how to navigate challenges on their own.

Here’s what the DI Creative Process looks like:

The Destination Imagination Creative Process diagram. It shows five stages in a circular flow: Recognize (lightbulb icon), Imagine (spark icon), Collaborate & Initiate (team icon), Assess (target icon), and Evaluate & Celebrate (thumbs-up icon). The process is flexible, with arrows showing how teams can move back and forth between stages.
The five stages of the Destination Imagination Creative Process.

Understanding the Stages

Recognizing the Challenge
This is the foundational stage where a group (or an individual) first encounters the problem. It’s not just about reading the rules; it’s about deeply understanding the core of the challenge. The problem-solving group must deconstruct the problem, identify constraints, and uncover the unspoken or implied requirements. They ask questions like: “What are the key components of this challenge?” “What are the boundaries we absolutely must stay within?” and “What is the true spirit of what this challenge is asking us to do?” This phase is about intellectual curiosity and analytical thinking, setting the stage for everything that follows.

Imagining Solutions
Once the challenge is understood, the floodgates of thought open. This is the brainstorming phase where a wide array of ideas is generated without any judgment. The goal here is quantity over quality. A variety of creative-thinking tools assist in pushing past obvious solutions and exploring unconventional approaches. They might draw, role-play, or use word association to spark new connections. This is the space for “what if?” thinking, where every crazy idea is a potential starting point for a truly innovative solution. The focus is on divergent thinking—expanding the possibilities before narrowing them down.

Collaborating and Initiating Action
This is the pivotal stage where the work team transitions from abstract ideas to concrete plans. The team chooses the most promising ideas from the “imagining” phase and begins to build, design, write, and create. This is where teamwork and communication become paramount. Everyone collaborates with all available resources: other team members, materials, information, budget, and time. Care is given to delegate tasks, manage their time effectively, and combine individual skills to bring a shared vision to life. This stage is about initiating action and putting in the hands-on work. It’s where the prototype is built, the storyline is written, and the props are constructed.

Assessing Progress
As individuals, pairs, or the whole team work, they are constantly in a state of self-assessment. This is a crucial feedback loop where they evaluate their work against the original requirements and their own goals. They ask: “Is this working as we planned?” “Are we staying within our budget?” “Does this solution actually solve the problem?” If something isn’t working, they don’t see it as a failure, but as an opportunity to return to an earlier stage, re-imagine a solution, or simply make a small adjustment. This continuous assessment builds resilience and teaches the importance of iteration and refinement.

Evaluating and Celebrating the Outcome
The final stage is not just about presenting the solution; it’s about reflecting on the entire journey. The team evaluates the final product, considers the challenges they overcame, and recognizes the skills they developed along the way. This phase reinforces the value of the process itself, not just the result. This evaluation opens into a moment of celebration—acknowledging the hard work, collaboration, and innovation that went into the solution. This reflection solidifies the learning and is another challenge and opportunity to be creative.

The Innate Connection: Why Learners Find the Process So Rewarding

Being creative and looking for solutions are innate human behaviors. The DI Creative Process taps directly into this instinctual drive, making it profoundly rewarding for learners of all ages.

The process is entirely team-driven, regardless of the size of the team working on a challenge.  In a learning environment, adults are there to guide, not to dictate. This means that every idea, every solution, and every failure belongs to the team. This sense of ownership is incredibly motivating. Learners aren’t just following instructions; they are the architects of their own solution. They feel the thrill of a breakthrough and the sting of a failure, and they learn that both are essential parts of the creative journey.

The DI Creative Process is a journey of discovery. The constant discovery keeps learners engaged and curious. The process itself becomes the reward, a series of small victories and new insights that fuel the team’s progress. It’s the joy of figuring it out, of turning the abstract of a complex problem into a tangible solution.

A Life Skill for the Future

When we think about preparing kids for the future, it’s easy to focus on grades or test scores. But ask employers, or even reflect on your own life, and you’ll find the skills that matter most sound familiar: creativity, collaboration, adaptability, and resilience. These are the abilities that help people work through challenges, build strong teams, and come up with new ideas.

Through the DI Creative Process, kids don’t just hear about these skills. They live them. They practice brainstorming, making decisions together, testing ideas, and bouncing back when things don’t work out. Each project gives them a chance to grow more confident in their creativity and more comfortable with the ups and downs of problem-solving.

The DI Creative Process is more than a way to complete a project. It is a blueprint for a lifetime of learning and growth. It shows kids that creativity is not limited to a few naturally gifted people but is a skill that anyone can practice, strengthen, and carry into every part of their lives. And isn’t that what we all want—the next generation growing up confidently creative and ready to take on the world?

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Team Manager Tips: Understanding Interference https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/what-is-interference/ Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:00:12 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=16696 Every Destination Imagination season, kids step into a Challenge that feels bigger than anything they’ve tackled before. They come up with bold ideas, try them out, argue a little, laugh a lot, and sometimes fall flat on their first attempt. But they always get back up and try again. What makes this process so transformative […]

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Every Destination Imagination season, kids step into a Challenge that feels bigger than anything they’ve tackled before. They come up with bold ideas, try them out, argue a little, laugh a lot, and sometimes fall flat on their first attempt. But they always get back up and try again.

What makes this process so transformative isn’t just the Challenge itself—it’s the rule that the work must be 100% theirs. That’s what we call DI’s Interference policy. It ensures that every solution, every mistake, and every success belongs to the kids, giving them the confidence and skills that only come from doing it themselves.

Why Stepping Back Matters

As a Team Manager, it can be hard to sit back and watch your team take a path you know might not work. But those “wrong turns” are often where the deepest learning happens. Struggling through an idea teaches kids how to think critically, adapt when things go sideways, and collaborate even when they don’t agree.

Your role isn’t to fix the problem—it’s to help them reflect, regroup, and try again. When kids realize that they can solve hard problems on their own, that confidence sticks with them far beyond the DI season.

Ways You Can Support Without Interfering

Interference doesn’t mean you’re hands-off. You have an important role to play as a guide and coach. Here are some ways you can help without crossing the line:

  • Teach skills: Show them how to safely use a tool, sew a seam, or code a program.
  • Guide the process: Help them brainstorm, make an ideas list, or set up a project timeline.
  • Encourage independence: Remind them to reread their Challenge, check Rules of the Road, or submit a Team Clarification if they’re unsure.
  • Ensure safety: Set clear boundaries for tools, materials, and safe practices.
  • Ask open-ended questions: “What else could you try?” or “How might you solve that in a different way?”

 

Think of yourself as the support system—not the solution maker.

What the Team Must Do Alone

Some things are always off-limits for adults. Only the team can:

  • Choose their Challenge
  • Generate and decide on ideas
  • Conduct research
  • Build and design their solution
  • Manage their time and budget
  • Solve conflicts and make final decisions

 

If it’s part of their solution, it has to come from them.

The Interference Triangle

The Interference Triangle is a quick way to remember where the boundaries are.

  • At the base are two supports: Skills and Challenge & Rules.
    • Skills: Kids bring existing abilities and learn new ones along the way. Team Managers can teach skills—it’s not Interference—as long as the kids are the ones applying them to their solution.
    • Challenge & Rules: Everyone shares the same resources—the Challenge, Rules of the Road, and Published Clarifications. Reading and understanding them together is encouraged.
  • At the top is the team’s solution. This belongs entirely to the kids. Only they can decide how to use their skills and interpret the rules to create their final solution.

 

You’ll also find this graphic in Rules of the Road, so you can always reference it as you guide your team.

Keep this visual in mind throughout the season as a quick check-in: Am I teaching, guiding, or keeping them safe? Or am I stepping into their solution?

Hear from a Team Manager

Veteran DI Team Manager and teacher Lisa Mackey explains interference in her own words and shares practical tips for supporting students without crossing the line.

📺 Watch Lisa’s video here

 

Keep Learning

Want more help navigating interference? Check out these resources:

 

Remember: your team’s solution is theirs and theirs only. Your greatest gift as a Team Manager is creating a space where they can discover what they’re capable of.

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Against All Odds: The 2025 Destination Imagination Team Film Challenge https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/against-all-odds-the-2025-destination-imagination-team-film-challenge/ Mon, 18 Aug 2025 14:47:21 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=33859 The most powerful stories often start with a simple question: what if? What if two rival groups were forced to work together when a greater danger appeared? What if color itself carried meaning that could change the course of a story? What if your students could learn how to tell those stories while also building […]

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The most powerful stories often start with a simple question: what if?

What if two rival groups were forced to work together when a greater danger appeared? What if color itself carried meaning that could change the course of a story? What if your students could learn how to tell those stories while also building skills that will serve them for life?

This fall, Destination Imagination’s Team Film Challenge returns with a brand-new adventure: Against All Odds. Launching September 12, 2025, this challenge invites students to create and present an original short film that blends creativity, collaboration, and cinematic storytelling.

Why the Team Film Challenge?

The Team Film Challenge is more than an introduction to filmmaking. Over the course of eight weeks, students discover how to work together, solve problems in real time, and share their voices through story.

With each project, students learn to:

  • Collaborate effectively as part of a team.
  • Think critically about how stories are told.
  • Experiment with film techniques and creative expression.
  • Gain confidence by seeing an idea grow from concept to finished product.

No prior experience is necessary—just imagination and a willingness to try. Teams can film on any device, whether it’s a phone, tablet, or camera.

This Year’s Challenge: Against All Odds

At the heart of this year’s challenge is a timeless question: Can differences be set aside in the face of something bigger?

To meet the challenge, teams will:

  • Create an epic fantasy story for film.
  • Include at least two opposing factions locked in conflict.
  • Introduce a “big bad” threat that forces the factions to unite.
  • Use color symbolism to bring deeper meaning to the story.
  • Incorporate at least one sweeping shot and one close-up shot.
  • Showcase one unique element of the team’s choosing—whether that’s music, special effects, performance, or another area of strength.

The result? A short film that doesn’t just tell a story but reveals how young people see the world—and how they can reimagine it.

Learning That Lasts Beyond the Film

The true value of the Team Film Challenge isn’t just the film students create—it’s the process they go through to get there. At the heart of every DI program is the Creative Process, a flexible framework that helps students turn ideas into action.

As they work through the Challenge, teams practice each step of this process:

  • Recognizing challenges and asking questions.
  • Imagining solutions through brainstorming and exploration.
  • Initiating and collaborating as they divide tasks and work toward a shared vision.
  • Assessing and reflecting on what’s working—and what’s not.
  • Evaluating and celebrating their progress as they bring the story to life.

Along the way, students discover that creativity isn’t just about making something new but learning how to persevere, adapt, and work together. These are the skills that help young people thrive in school and will carry them forward into the challenges of life beyond the classroom.

Get Started

Registration is now open for the 2025 Team Film Challenge. Whether you’re a teacher looking for an engaging classroom project or a parent searching for a meaningful activity, this is an opportunity to help students create something extraordinary.

👉 Learn more and register here.

This fall, give your students the chance to take on an epic adventure and discover what they can achieve Against All Odds.

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Choosing Your Team Challenge: Tips for a Great Start to the Season https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/choosing-your-team-challenge-tips-for-a-great-start-to-the-season/ Mon, 11 Aug 2025 16:24:33 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=33762 A new season of Destination Imagination (DI) is here, and your team is about to dive into an amazing adventure of problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity. Over the next few months, you’ll imagine, design, and build something completely unique together. But before the fun really begins, there’s one big decision to make: Which Team Challenge will […]

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A new season of Destination Imagination (DI) is here, and your team is about to dive into an amazing adventure of problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity. Over the next few months, you’ll imagine, design, and build something completely unique together. But before the fun really begins, there’s one big decision to make: Which Team Challenge will you choose?

With six different STEAM Challenges to pick from (and plenty of different opinions in the mix), making that choice can be exciting… and a little tricky. Here are a few tips on how to make the process smoother and more fun.

1. Start with the Challenge Previews

At your first team meeting, take a look at the Challenge Previews. These give you a quick snapshot of each Team Challenge, including its theme, major components, and what your team will be asked to do. You’ll quickly get a feel for which ones spark the most interest.

2. Go Deeper with the Full Team Challenges

Once you’ve narrowed things down, it’s time to explore the full Team Challenges, which are available in the DI Resource Area. (Note: Full Team Challenges are available to registered DI teams only.)

Reading through the complete Challenges gives your team a better understanding of exactly what’s involved, and might help everyone feel more connected to one or two favorites.

3. Use the Team Interest Inventory

If you’re still split, try the Team Interest Inventory in Roadmap (also in the Resource Area). This survey helps each team member think through their preferences and identify what excites them most about the season ahead.

4. Break the Tie with Paired Choice Analysis

Sometimes, you’ll still end up with a tie, and that’s okay! The Paired Choice Analysis Worksheet in Roadmap turns preferences into a simple point system. No hard feelings—whichever Challenge scores the most points wins.

5. Start Creating!

Once your team has made the big decision, it’s time to start brainstorming. Share ideas, dream big, and don’t be afraid to try things that might seem wild at first—you never know which spark will turn into your team’s winning idea.

Pro Tip: For more tips, activities, and inspiration throughout the season, check out the rest of our blog and follow us on your favorite social app. We’ll be here cheering you on every step of the way!

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Help Tell the Story of What Makes DI So Magical https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/help-tell-the-story-of-what-makes-di-so-magical/ Mon, 04 Aug 2025 16:27:07 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=33711 Destination Imagination Challenge Experience tournaments are full of jaw-dropping moments, but the real magic happens long before teams ever set foot on a stage. It’s in the messy, joyful, sometimes chaotic process of bringing big ideas to life: the brainstorm sessions, the late-night builds, the teamwork breakthroughs, the epic fails and even more epic comebacks. […]

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Destination Imagination Challenge Experience tournaments are full of jaw-dropping moments, but the real magic happens long before teams ever set foot on a stage. It’s in the messy, joyful, sometimes chaotic process of bringing big ideas to life: the brainstorm sessions, the late-night builds, the teamwork breakthroughs, the epic fails and even more epic comebacks.

This season, we’re looking for DI Correspondents—Team Managers (and their teams!)—who want to help capture and share those behind-the-scenes moments that make the Challenge Experience so powerful.

Whether your team is just getting started or already knee-deep in cardboard and duct tape, we want to follow along!

What Does a DI Correspondent Do?

As a DI Correspondent, you’ll help us showcase the creative process in action by:

  • Sharing photos and videos of your team’s journey throughout the season
  • Providing short monthly updates (don’t worry—we’ll guide you with prompts!)
  • Having the opportunity to contribute a guest blog post
  • Being featured across DI’s official social media channels

It’s a fun and easy way to help inspire other teams, celebrate student creativity, and give the world a glimpse of what makes DI so special.

How to Apply

Team Managers interested in participating should complete our application form by October 11, 2025

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at socialmedia@dihq.org.

Ready to share your team’s story? Apply Now

Help us show what creativity really looks like in action!

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A New Season of Wonder, Growth, and Student-Led Discovery https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/a-new-season-of-wonder-growth-and-student-led-discovery/ Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:28:42 +0000 https://www.destinationimagination.org/?p=33638 What if learning looked like curiosity turned into action? What if students didn’t just follow directions, but designed the path themselves? Welcome to a brand-new season of the Destination Imagination Challenge Experience—a space where curiosity drives the journey and kids get to take the wheel. Whether you’ve been part of DI for years or you’re […]

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What if learning looked like curiosity turned into action? What if students didn’t just follow directions, but designed the path themselves?

Welcome to a brand-new season of the Destination Imagination Challenge Experience—a space where curiosity drives the journey and kids get to take the wheel.

Whether you’ve been part of DI for years or you’re just hearing about us, now is a perfect time to dive in. This isn’t just a STEAM program—it’s a space where imagination gets messy, teamwork gets real, and kids grow into problem-solvers, creators, and leaders in ways that will surprise even them. 

When Kids Lead, They Grow

The DI Challenge Experience isn’t your average classroom activity. It’s hands-on, student-driven, and joyfully unpredictable. Teams of students choose a Challenge—from engineering to improvisation—and spend weeks dreaming, designing, and building their own one-of-a-kind solutions.

There’s no how-to guide, no single way forward. Just endless ways to imagine, try, fail, adapt—and try again. And that’s the magic.

Throughout the process, students build more than a solution. They build trust in themselves. They build the resilience to stick with tough problems. And they build the creativity and collaboration skills that will shape their futures.

Grown-ups (we call them Team Managers) are there to cheer them on and keep things on track—but the ideas, decisions, and breakthroughs? They’re all student-made.

Destination Imagination team, Banana Squad, pose with a large, colorful, kinetic fish they designed as part of their solution.

Not a “STEAM Kid”? That’s Exactly Why It Works. 

DI isn’t about being the smartest or the fastest. It’s about helping each student find their spark—whether that’s through storytelling, structure-building, scientific thinking, or something in between.

The quiet kid discovers their voice.
The builder learns to tell a story.
The leader learns to listen.
And everyone gets a moment to shine.

With Challenges rooted in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), there’s space for every kind of learner to explore their strengths and stretch their thinking in new directions.

You don’t need to be an expert to support a team—just someone who believes in what kids can do when they’re trusted with something big.

Globally Recognized for Putting Kids First

This year, the Destination Imagination Challenge Experience was selected as one of just 14 programs worldwide championing child-centered learning and was featured in the HundrED Spotlight on Child-Centered Learning, developed in partnership with Montessori Global Education. Destination Imagination also received Montessori’s STAR Endorsement, which highlights programs that foster student agency, creativity, and lifelong learning.

These honors affirm what DI families and educators have seen for years: when students lead their own learning, incredible things happen.

Meet This Season’s Team Challenges

Images of the 25-26 DI Team Challenge Logos

🛠  Above & Beyond (Engineering): Design and build a structure that holds weight and stretches expectations.
🎲  Win It Big (Technical):  Invent a game show with special effects and unexpected twists.
🧠 Unforgettable (Scientific): Dive into the mysteries of memory and misdirection and then put your findings on stage.
🦸  Becoming Super (Fine Arts): Create the origin stories of both a superhero and their villainous counterpart.
🌗  Casting Shadows (Improvisational): Use light and shadow to bring a spontaneous story to life.
🌍  Give and Take (Service Learning): Identify a need in your community and lead the charge to solve it.
🧑‍🚒 Helping Hands (Early Learning / non-competitive): Tell a story about everyday heroes who help their communities.

Every Challenge is a new world to explore and a new way to grow.

👉 View our 25-26 Challenge Previews

Start When You’re Ready

The season is open now, and you can begin your team’s journey anytime before December. Most local tournaments kick off in February or later, making it easy to fit DI into your school, after-school program, homeschool group, or just your family’s rhythm.

✨  Team Numbers for the 2025–26 season are now available!
👉  Start your team

Not sure where to start? Join a free webinar and get all of your questions answered.

All it takes is a team, an idea, and the courage to begin.

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