(Minneapolis) Construction Challenge February 6, 2009

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and Destination ImagiNation cordially invites students and youth to participate in the 2nd Annual AEM Construction Challenge (www.constructionchallenge.org ). This innovative (national) career education initiative is designed to engage middle school and high school youth, in real-world, hands-on experiences exploring the 21st century construction industry through competitions in Manufacturing Design, Service Tech Simulation and Critical Infrastructure. Regional Rally competitions will take place on February 7, 2009 throughout the U.S. and Canada, including: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Sacramento, Seattle, and Toronto.

Over 750 teams drawing more than 5,000 youth nationwide are anticipated to participate. -- The nominal registration fee of $120 (for each youth team of 5 -7 members) includes Challenge Prep materials (including shipping costs) and a full day of fun and exploration ending with an awards ceremony honoring participants. --- Champions from each Regional Rally will advance to the Championship Finals to be held May 19th – 23rd, 2009 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, to compete for national awards and scholarships valued at over $75,000.

Nonprofits, schools and other youth groups may register as many teams as they desire comprised of 5 to 7 youth, accompanied by a supervising adult Team Manager who is at least 21 years old. Team Managers can be teachers, administrators, program advisors, parents or community leaders. Due to the overwhelming response to last year’s competition, groups and organizations are strongly encouraged to register online as early as possible at www.ShopDI.org .

Sponsored by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) in partnership with Destination ImagiNation, the Construction Challenge is a multidisciplinary program that integrates both technical preparation and career exploration of the 21st century construction industry.

Registrations are currently underway! …. Reserve your team(s) today …… and join us in spreading the word about this fantastic opportunity!

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ABOUT DESTINATION IMAGINATION
Destination ImagiNation, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Glassboro, NJ, provides numerous creative, problem-solving and critical thinking skills programs for people of all ages, from its Rising Stars program for ages 4-6, through its programs for high school, middle school, and elementary school youth, to college-level challenges and corporate team-building programs featuring creative problem-solving for executives. Destination ImagiNation’s programs, resources and services reach over 300,000 people of in all 50 states and 40+ countries. For more information, please visit www.destinationimagination.org .

ABOUT ASSOCIATION OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is the international trade and business development resource for companies that manufacture equipment, products and services used worldwide in the construction, agricultural, mining, forestry and utility fields. It is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with branch offices in Washington, DC; Beijing, China; Ottawa, Canada; and Brussels, Belgium (European Union). For more information, please visit www.aem.org.

Official Website: http://www.constructionchallenge.org