24 teams to take part in DI global finals in Tennessee

A total of 24 out of 315 Qatar-based teams from 100 local schools were declared winners of Destination Imagination (DI) Qatar 2016 tournament.
The 24 winning teams will participate in the DI global finals in Knoxville, Tennessee from May 25 to 29.
Hosted by AlFaisal Without Borders (ALF) Foundation, the four-day competition was held in partnership with the Ministry of Education at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC). The event was also supported by Social Media Solutions, Qatar Volunteers, Amlak and QNCC.
The ALF Foundation brought the DI programme to address a growing need for students to exhibit curiosity and self-direction in their learning. It also aspires to meet the needs of universities for students who are prepared to continue to grow with an attitude of innovation and problem solving.
A highlight of the competition among local independent schools was the participation of Al Yarmouk Independent Preparatory School, which entered the tournament with a team composed of visually impaired students. In spite of their handicap, the team insisted on being treated equally with the rest of the field and went on to bag second place in the structural challenge category.
HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, chairman of the Board of Trustees of ALF, honoured the team and the school’s headmaster Ibrahim Mubarak al-Edan with a special award.
“The ALF Foundation, through our DI programme, aims to develop the future leaders of Qatar,” said Sheikh Faisal. “We need new ideas from young, creative and innovative minds of students, handicapped or not, who will form part of a rich national pool of thinkers and movers that will push the country forward in all fields. I, therefore, wish to congratulate all the winners for their outstanding and impressive performance,” he added.
In the 24-hour Extreme Challenge which had participation of three teams from Saudi Arabia, two teams each from Morocco, Poland, Turkey and the US, and one team each from the UAE and Jordan the teams from Poland and Minnesota tied for the first place. Another team from Poland grabbed the second place and a team from Saudi Arabia got the third.
The DI Qatar also featured an exhibition that hosted cultural and educational activities. Featured at the expo was the passport concept launched by the ALF Foundation, which encouraged visitors to learn more by visiting all the booths.