Destination Imagination and Lumen Technologies Expand imagineXperience STEM Program

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."

"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.

About Destination Imagination
Destination Imagination, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led non-profit organization whose purpose is to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. The organization is a leader in project-based learning experiences, where students work together in teams to solve open-ended STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) and service learning Challenges and then present their solutions at tournaments. Since its foundation in 1999, Destination Imagination has impacted more than one million students. To learn more, please visit http://destinationimagination.org.

About Lumen
Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences.

Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks of Lumen Technologies, LLC in the United States. Lumen Technologies, LLC is a wholly-owned affiliate of CenturyLink, Inc.

SOURCE Destination Imagination