Teams heading to Global Finals come from Auburn, Bedford, Bow, Canaan, Derry, Hooksett, Jaffrey and Meredith.
Student teams in New Hampshire have been working since the fall to build creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and other Future of Work skills. This weekend, eight of the over 100 N.H. Destination Imagination teams will head to Destination Imagination Global Finals and compete with teams from 15 countries and virtually every state and Canadian province. The event runs from Saturday, May 20 – Tuesday, May 23rd in Kansas City, MO.
Teams heading to Global Finals come from Auburn, Bedford, Bow, Canaan, Derry, Hooksett, Jaffrey and Meredith.
Teams will compete in their Challenge (Technical, Scientific, Engineering, Fine Arts, Improvisational, or Service Learning) and at their grade level. But the best part is meeting team members from around the world.
“Global Finals is an experience that, like the Destination Imagination challenge program, has to be experienced”, according to Wayne Kurtzman, NH-DI media director volunteer. “Student teams come from around the world, and this year, includes Ukraine. It’s a competition where teams compete with each other rather than against each other. Their bond is the work they did to create and innovate solutions.” Team members often create life-long friendships both on their own team as well as those they meet at “Globals”.
“As someone who has gone to Global Finals as a team member, I can confidently say that there are no words big enough to describe the experience”, according to Talee Messenger, NH-DI Alumna and volunteer PR coordinator. “Seeing teams from across the world compete in the challenges, in different languages and solving the challenges in ways you could have never imagined, is so special. It shows that hard work, creativity, and imagination has no language barrier. It’s truly something spectacular to experience.”
Teams have been fundraising since they advanced at NH-DI State Finals in March. “Their dedication and creativity earned them the opportunity to attend the Global Finals” according to Susan Bousquet, the volunteer Team Manager of the team from Inter-Lakes Elementary School. “With the support of their families, our school district, and the community, they are working tirelessly to make this dream a reality. I am honored to manage this amazing group and excited to watch the magic unfold in Kansas City!”
More information and the live stream of the event can be found on GlobalFinals.org.
Destination Imagination (DI) is an international non-profit problem-solving competition. Destination Imagination Challenges are the prompts or guidelines for what a team creates. Our Challenges are open-ended, allowing teams to express themselves creatively and take full ownership of their solutions. While solving these challenges, students build creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
New Hampshire Destination Imagination (NH-DI) is run by New Hampshire Innovation and Creativity Connection (NHICC), a New Hampshire-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to these goals. NHICC also runs Camp Gottalikachallenge, one of the country’s oldest creativity summer camps.