CHERRY HILL, N.J., Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — In February 2021, Destination Imagination, with the support of Lumen Technologies launched a new STEM outreach program called the imagineXperience to help students living in underserved communities build the critical skill set they will need to thrive in the digital economy.
- The project-based challenge program introduced teams of youth to different STEM concepts and other essential skills like creative thinking.
- Participation in the pilot program spanned three continents, with 671 participants across 111 student teams located in the U.S., Canada, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Botswana and Zanzibar.
- The pilot program showed a positive impact on students’ confidence in a variety of critical areas, including increased confidence in expressing ideas, communicating and collaborating in groups, computer science skills, and knowledge of artificial intelligence and robotics.
- More than 100 Lumen employees served as volunteers to provide feedback and help evaluate student projects.
“The imagineXperience has been a unique and one-of-a-kind way to fuel interest and confidence in STEM and computer science for students living in underserved communities,” said Michele Tuck-Ponder, Executive Director of Destination Imagination. “Empowering these students through a learner-led experience does more than just teach them critical skills they’ll need for future success – over time, it has the power to uplift entire communities.”
Destination Imagination and Lumen Technologies team up for year two of the imagineXperience program. The program is designed to introduce youth to different STEM concepts and other essential skills like creative thinking and problem-solving.
“Lumen is committed to furthering human progress through technology. We love that the imagineXperience allows us to engage our employees to help students around the world learn about technology,” said Cynthia Stutsman, Social Responsibility Director, Lumen. “Programs like this that give students and leaders a way to connect and engage safely, regardless of their physical locations, are more important than ever. We’re excited to be able to offer this amazing opportunity in even more communities this year.”
In 2022, Destination Imagination, Inc., with Lumen’s continued support, is expanding the imagineXperience to additional communities, including Seattle, WA, Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL, Orlando, FL, the Twin Cities, MN, and Amsterdam, Netherlands.
To learn more about the imagineXperience program, visit: http://imaginexperience.org.
Press Release
