Normally at this time of year, we are announcing all of the Challenges. As you can imagine, coronavirus upset our typical schedule.
Here are some changes you can expect for the upcoming season.
DI Changes for 2020/2021
The 2020-21 season will launch later than normal. Challenges are being redeveloped so they can be solved and scored fairly in a digital format.
The following materials will be available on November 1, 2020
- Technical, Scientific, Fine Arts, Service Learning and Early Learning Challenges
- Roadmap
- Rules of the Road
Engineering and Improv Challenges will be released on December 1, 2020.
As always, our top priority is the safety of our participants and volunteers, and our Challenge season will reflect that. We understand that situations will vary in different parts of the world.
Our Global Finals 2020 virtual event was a success and gave a creative outlet to over 600 teams from around the world to solve project-based Challenges remotely. Teams were able to showcase their creations from the past year as well as engage in new Virtual Challenges designed to accommodate social distancing practices. The transition to a virtual event was a significant one. We learned that our participants are adaptable, resilient and can be just as creative in a digital format.
Some 2020-21 tournaments will be 100% digital while others may incorporate an in-person celebration. The in-person celebrations will have a new and different format. These decisions will be made by Affiliate leadership, with guidance from the Destination Imagination headquarters (DIHQ) team and based on local public health recommendations.
Ways DI Stays the Same
Our Challenges will provide project-based learning in a competitive environment
The Challenges will help kids with:
Problem-solving
STEAM-based challenges that students solve in teams.
Creativity
Kids blossom developing ideas that build on what they learn in school–and in life.
Collaboration
Team members make all the decisions and even manage the budget.
Communication
Each student has a voice and space to develop unique abilities and talents.
Teams will compete and advance through Affiliate and Global competition levels
Just like in the past, teams will compete and have the opportunity to advance through Affiliate and Global competition levels. Planning for Global Finals 2021 will continue to evolve, as we continually assess conditions, with confidence that teams will have the opportunity to present their Team Challenge solutions and compete globally.
Your kids will grow and transform
Whether you are a parent or an educator, you know that DI offers an experience through which—as one parent told us—kids find their superpowers. Quiet children come alive performing. Kids who like things their way realize how much better their ideas are with input from their teammates. And if your child has not found his or her niche yet? No problem. DI introduces kids to a wide range of ideas, skills, and techniques while solving Challenges their way.
The DI Challenge Experience has always been about preparing our children to engage with new ideas, overcome obstacles, and adapt within an ever-changing world. Our current circumstances are the real-world test of these skills. This year, a successful Challenge season will include teams navigating the unexpected with resilience, innovation, and good spirits.
This valuable philosophy of DI definitely will not change.
