Belarusian schoolchildren became winners at the European festival-competition of creativity "Odyssey of the Mind"
Belarusian schoolchildren became winners at the XXI European Festival-Competition of Creativity "Odyssey of the Mind" in Germany, BELTA was told by the press center of the Ministry of Education.
Belarus was represented at the event by a delegation of 11 teams (115 people) from Minsk, Brest, Baranovichi, Vitebsk, Glubokoe, and Orsha. This year, Belarusian schoolchildren competed with teams from Germany, India, Kazakhstan, China, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, the USA, Togo, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, and Estonia. In a highly competitive environment, the team from Gymnasium No. 2 of Brest took 2nd place in their age category, and the team from Gymnasium No. 21 of Minsk took 3rd place. The team from Secondary School No. 21 of Orsha was awarded a special prize for creativity in solving a technical problem.
"Odyssey of the Mind" is an international educational program that develops creativity in children and youth (from kindergarten to university) through solving unconventional problems. It was created in 1978 by Dr. Samuel Micklus, a distinguished professor at Rowan University in New Jersey. Today, more than 20 countries worldwide participate in this program. Participation in the project begins with local competitions held at the school, district, and city levels, and continues with international contests. Winning teams are invited to the world finals, where they compete with teams from all over the world.
During the competition program, which lasts almost a year (after submitting an application for participation), the team chooses one of the proposed problems. The problems relate to various fields; some are technical in nature, while others are art-oriented. Under the guidance of an adult coach, the teams work on solving the problem throughout the academic year and present their developed solution in the spring at competitions. Friendly competition creates an atmosphere where children strive to show everything they are capable of. In the process of working on problems, project participants develop creative thinking. Judges who have undergone international-level training are invited to the competition jury.
In Belarus, the history of "Odyssey of the Mind" began with the participation of Gymnasium No. 2 of Brest in a training camp in Potsdam in 2001. In Minsk, this competition was first held in 2006.