About VA Odyssey

Virginia Odyssey is an all volunteer run organization that administers the Odyssey of the Mind program in Virginia for students by promoting and organizing the program, supporting participants, and conducting workshops and tournaments, all to provide students an opportunity to practice and develop teamwork, creative problem solving, and life skills.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

Odyssey of the Mind teaches students how to think divergently by providing open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests. Students learn how to identify challenges and to think creatively to solve those problems. They are free to express their ideas and suggestions without fear of criticism. The creative problem-solving process rewards thinking “outside of the box.” While conventional thinking has an important place in a well-rounded education, students need to learn how to think creatively and productively