How it Works

Who can participate?

Anyone can participate! The only limitation is that one person in the Odyssey Angel group is on an Odyssey of the Mind team. The group can be of any size and made up of any individuals with no age limitations. It can be a family, a class, a team, a group of friends – anyone who wants to help their community. In Odyssey Angels “Outside Assistance” is a good thing!

Who does Odyssey Angels benefit?

The focus of an Odyssey Angel group can be anything within the neighborhood they live in. Groups should look for anything that could use creative problem-solving. This is the chance for students to utilize their strengths and help others. Aside from communities around the world that will benefit, participants that form an Odyssey Angels team will also learn important lessons in teamwork, creative problem-solving, compassion, and more.

How is it a competition?

Each group will register with the program. Odyssey Angel teams will explain their charity project and results. Then CCI will choose one that it considers to be not only creative, but beneficial to the community. Up to five representatives of that group will be invited to World Finals as special guests and be able to present its experiences at the Creativity Festival.

How much does it cost?

There is no charge to become an Odyssey Angel. The only responsibility is to find creative ways to help solve a problem within your local community and attempt to do it.

What are the deadlines to participate?

While your project could start and end any time you wish, in order to be in the running to attend World Finals you must enroll in the program by January 31. You can work on your project whenever you wish, however, you must report on your results by April 1. If you have enrolled in the program before the deadline, you will receive a “Progress Report” form that must be returned by the April 1 in order to be considered to attend World Finals.

How will an Odyssey Angel team be selected to attend World Finals?

After the deadline for submitting the projects, a panel will read through each project summary. They will be looking for projects that:

• Found something to fix within their community that others may not have noticed.
• Devised a creative way to attempt to fix it.
• Used teamwork.
• Helped others!
•  

And much like judging in Odyssey of the Mind, those projects that utilize creative thinking will be given more weight than simply the best final outcome. We hope that teams will continue their projects after the deadline to help those in need.

Every community has different needs and situations, so YOU are the expert for what needs help within your community. There are many ways to help others, and as part of Odyssey of the Mind, you are uniquely equipped to think of an outside-of-the-box solution to those in need. While there is no limit to who or what an Odyssey Angel can do to help in neighborhoods, here are a few areas that you can take note of in order to start brainstorming. Perhaps you can combine items in categories to solve a problem. The options are limitless!

ELDERLY: Are there senior centers in your community? Is there a way you can assist seniors in your community? Can you think of a way to help with chores, make someone laugh or keep someone company?

ENVIRONMENTAL: Is there a park or playground that needs renovation? Does your area have a community garden or a place to plant vegetables? Does some part of your community need beautifying? Do you see some other area that is lacking? Can you think of a new way to recycle a previously thrown-out item, or a way to make something that appears useless into something useful?

SCHOOLMATES: Is there someone in need that could use your creative abilities? Remember the Odyssey of the Mind team that helped inspire Odyssey Angels: they used their engineering skills to build a prosthetic arm for a fellow classmate and modified another friend’s wheelchair so he could join marching band. Don’t just concentrate on mechanical skills, perhaps younger students are missing out on taking part in more theatrical activities such as dancing, singing, or acting. Remember use your particular Odyssey of the Mind creative problem-solving skills to help!

NEIGHBORS: Are there other groups or families that could use assistance in some way? Can you build something for them? Entertain? Help in other ways by solving a problem?

ANIMALS: Is there an animal shelter in need? How can you use your creativity to help stray animals or shelters better care for animals? Perhaps they need supplies like blankets, or dogwalkers?

OR –SOMETHING NO ONE HAS THOUGHT OF! 

Where the story started. . .
A group of middle school students on an Odyssey of the Mind team from the Burton School District in California has been receiving accolades for combining its creative problem solving skills with public service. Over the past years, they’ve helped numerous friends and classmates overcome physical disabilities through their creative inventions.The team used its ingenuity to build a mechanical arm so a fellow student could write without pain for the first time. Another project was helping a classmate achieve his dreams of being in the school’s marching band. This was no small task — their classmate was quadriplegic. They fitted his wheelchair with a special device that allowed him to play the cymbals with the tap of his fingers. Behind this generous and inspiring team is seasoned coach Todd “Hoss” McNutt who knows the importance of letting teams triumph over their mistakes in order to become great problem-solvers.

Both the team and its coach have received awards within Odyssey of the Mind and they continue to be an inspiration to all.

The team has continued its work and now represent Summit Charter Collegiate Academy.

Now is your chance to become someone’s hero and use your creativity at the same time!

In order to become an Odyssey Angel you must:

• • Have one person in your group be affiliated with a current Odyssey of the Mind team.
• • Think of some aspect of your community that can use the help of creative problem-solving.
• • Enroll in the program by the deadline.
• • Complete your project and report on the results by April 1. If you have enrolled in Odyssey Angels you will receive a “Progress Report” form soon after the enrollment deadline. You must return it by April 1 in order to be considered to attend World Finals.

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Feel free to contact us with any questions you have about participating, sponsoring a team, or anything else!

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Sewell, NJ
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