It’s a tough time to be a young person. Wars, political division, climate change, economic pressures, rapid technological advancements…plus the customary pressures of friendships, school, family challenges, brain and body changes, and general life transitions. It’s no wonder youth mental health is in crisis.
Anxiety and depression skyrocketed during the pandemic, and youth continue to experience high levels of mental health concerns, with one in five middle and high schoolers reporting unmanageable stress and one in ten high schoolers reporting seriously considering suicide.
Those numbers are terrifying. Obviously, if a kid is struggling, they need extra support. But how can we keep kids healthy in the first place?
One way is with Destination Imagination.
For the past seven years, I’ve been the team manager for 14 DI teams, from kindergarteners to ninth graders. I’m also a psychotherapist specializing in stress and anxiety, and I’m a parent. I personally believe Destination Imagination is one of the best extracurricular activities for proactively supporting youth mental health and wellness.
DI Supports Real-World Connection and Communication
According to Common Sense Media, tweens spend more than five and a half hours a day on devices, while teens spend more than eight hours. That’s more than a full-time work week!
While devices can facilitate positive things, increased screen time often means kids spend less time interacting with others in real spaces and in real time.
If you’ve read The Anxious Generation, you know that humans evolved over millions of years to engage in embodied, small-group, real-time communities. The internet is often the opposite. Online, we may not be connecting in real time; we’re certainly not experiencing the full spectrum of communication.
Destination Imagination takes place in person. Kids experience words, tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions in a shared environment. They can clarify misunderstandings immediately rather than waiting for a response that may never come.
DI Requires Repair
Because DI teams spend an entire challenge season together, repair matters. On a screen, someone can turn off the device and walk away from conflict. In DI, there are only a few team members, and everyone is working toward a shared goal.
That means you can’t simply decide never to speak again to the person who’s annoying you. You have to figure out how to address the big stuff, and maybe learn to let some little stuff go. You also have to take responsibility for your own actions; most of us could benefit from that practice.
DI Builds Independence
Many kids spend much of their time being told what to do, how to do it, what they’re doing wrong, and how to do it differently. That gets old. And when adults constantly step in to fix problems, we can unintentionally teach kids that they aren’t capable of solving problems themselves.
In DI, the team members are in charge. Adults and other non-team members are literally not allowed to help; everyone promises at the beginning of the season that no one else will interfere. The kids do it all—from choosing how to solve the challenge and creating their storyline to building elements and figuring out what to do when something inevitably breaks.
Doing things independently builds confidence and resilience while allowing kids to access their natural creativity, while inherently teaching reflection skills to understand the issue for themselves.
DI Is Anti-Perfectionism
In a world of increasing pressure to get straight As, score the most points, have the fastest time, and achieve, achieve, achieve, DI offers a baseline of 50% as doing just fine. Yep, 50%. At a tournament, appraisers explain that earning half the points means the team met the expected level. Higher means they did better than expected; lower means there’s more room to grow. No team will ever receive every possible point on the unscaled scores.
That’s a wildly unusual situation. Kids can do a good job and still receive only half of the points—a tangible demonstration that perfection isn’t the goal.
And perfectionism shouldn’t be the only way. While some perfectionistic tendencies can be appropriate, problematic perfectionism is correlated with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, relationship difficulties, substance use, guilt, and shame.
Humans need to have uncomfortable experiences to learn to manage uncomfortable experiences. No one gets everything they want all the time. We need to learn to handle the disappointment of not winning while still recognizing what we did well. That builds the resilience needed for larger roadblocks and painful experiences.
DI teaches kids to strive to do well while countering unhealthy perfectionism.
DI Is Fun
Most importantly, DI is fun.
Kids work together on something they choose, learn new things, and celebrate their achievements. They get to be creative, dream big, and try wacky things. They enjoy the process.
Having fun boosts mood, reduces stress, and supports mental health. Fun is developmentally appropriate for all ages (including adults!) and laughing together builds connection. We all need more of it.
As you consider your child’s activities this year, think about whether they could use a little more connection, independence, resilience, creativity, and fun. If the answer is yes, reach out to DI Colorado or your regional leader to learn how you can help start a Destination Imagination team for your child.
About the author:
Allison Gleichman is the owner of Heart First Therapy, PLLC, in Denver. She specializes in working with stress, anxiety, and self confidence in gifted and 2e youth and adults.
Disclaimer:
This article is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for therapy and should not be interpreted as professional advice. In the event of a crisis or a safety concern, please contact 988 or 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.