About Texas DI

History

Texas Destination Imagination (TXCPSO, Inc.) is a non-profit, volunteer-led, cause-driven organization. Our purpose is to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders.

Our organization was incorporated in 1984, when our parent organization took over the charter for OM Association, Inc. In 1999, our name was changed to Texas Destination Imagination (TXCPSO, Inc.) Since then, our non-profit has impacted more than three hundred thousand participants. Approximately 20,000 youth make friends and learn the creative process through our programs every year, and 12,000 volunteers support us!

Texas DI is the largest affiliate in the world with over 2,234 teams in 2022-2023. Texas DI has reached a total of roughly 300,000, many of who have gone on to be CEOs, musicians, doctors, lawyers, judges, and all credit DI with having a positive and lasting impact on their lives.

Mission

The mission of Texas Destination Imagination is to inspire the community of learners in Texas to utilize diverse approaches in applying 21st-century skills and creativity.

The Destination Imagination program is a fun, hands-on system of learning that fosters students’ creativity, courage and curiosity through open-ended academic Challenges in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), fine 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.

Teaching the Creative Process: from Imagination to Innovation

Our goal at Destination Imagination is to give students the chance to learn and experience the creative process. The creative process is about thinking and doing in no prescribed order. Some people “do” first and then think about what they have done, while others “think” first, then initiate action. Below are the components of the creative process that our participants experience while solving our Challenges.

RECOGNIZE

• Becoming aware of a challenge or opportunity within a domain of interest.
• Possibility thinking; problem finding
• Maintaining a healthy state of mind (alertness, attitude, brain health)

IMAGINE

• Applying thinking skills to develop ideas for solutions
• Learning to think flexibly between divergent and convergent processes
• Learning fluency and future thinking

INITIATE & COLLABORATE

• Using process and design thinking
• Taking risks and learning to control behavior
• Working in a collaborative manner
• Learning and practicing interpersonal and leadership skills

ASSESS

• Monitoring progress; sometimes requires starting over or admitting failure

EVALUATE & CELEBRATE

• Reflecting on the experience, resources, teamwork, and celebrating the solution

Inspiring Students to Get Involved with STEM

Destination Imagination (DI) and Texas DI believe in the importance of play, learning by doing, and inspiring more students to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Our Challenge Program allows students to learn STEM concepts through self-directed, maker-style experiences and provides them with an enriching space for them to discover, explore, take risks, and ignite their passions in areas they may not otherwise be exposed to.

Teaching Vital Skills Often Left Out of The Classroom

For more than 30 years, Destination Imagination (DI) and Texas Destination Imagination have strived to prepare youth for college, career, and life through 21st-century learning and STEM principles. Students who participate in the Destination Imagination Challenge Program learn vital skills often left out of the classroom, including creative and critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, teamwork, project management, perseverance, and self-confidence. They learn risk-taking to overcome their fear of failure, as well as the importance of failure to improve upon ideas. These 21st-century skills learned through DI are not only needed to drive the movement of an ever-changing workplace but are the very skills employers are looking for in prospective candidates.

By participating in Destination Imagination, your child will have every opportunity to grow, learn and prosper in a fun, hands-on learning environment.