When faced with seemingly impossible obstacles -- whether it's a souring economy, a machine malfunction in space, or a missing ingredient in a recipe -- we turn to creative problem solving for solutions.

The opportunity to hone these creative problem-solving skills is an important one. Students should feel confident in this ability and know that there's always more than one solution to a problem. They are the next economists, scientists, and policymakers and should have an arena available to them that encourages creative thinking, imagination, and problem solving. This is why Odyssey of the Mind strives to keep the program affordable and available for all. According to Edith Lloyd, membership coordinator, "We always try to spend responsibly by utilizing technology and by working closely with our members to be sure they get a great experience."

While other companies raise their prices, OotM is keeping the cost of membership the same. In fact, the price of membership has been the same since 1993! Rest assured, there are no plans for an increase in the coming years.

The cost of a stamp in 1993 was 29¢ - it has increased almost 50% to 42¢. Around the same time, the Census Bureau lists the average price of eggs in the U.S. as .87¢ a dozen and .50¢ for bread. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics $135 in 1993 had the same buying power as $197 today.

What other service do you use that has not raised its price in 16 years? Odyssey has always placed more importance on creative problem solving than compensation. "As a program, we do not charge what we think we can get, we charge what we absolutely need to run the company," said Program Director Sam Micklus.

Odyssey of the Mind gives students an invaluable opportunity to explore their creative side as well as learn new things. Plus, they get to be around like-minded peers. In his book, The Spirit of Creativity, Founder Dr. Sam says, "In everyday life, we like to be with others who have similar interests, so it is common sense to have creative kids interact with other creative kids. Interaction helps creative children become more motivated, interested, and appreciated. It helps them to understand their talents and recognize that they are not alone in facing what can otherwise by a difficult, unsympathetic world to them."

Also, all problems have a cost that teams cannot exceed. This encourages students to budget, recycle, bargain shop, and manage their money responsibly. Also, schools from all areas and backgrounds are on the same "playing field" financially. A budget pushes participants to think creatively and find ways to make solutions happen without spending a lot of money, if any at all. In a time when many schools are cutting funds and tightening budgets, the arts, science fairs, spelling bees, and similiar activities are usually the first to go. They can continue to live in school activities by utilizing OotM -- an affordable program that allows students to incorporate any endeavor into their solutions. All Odyssey problems allow for and reward inclusion of the arts such as painting, singing, music, performance, and anything else a student can think of.

Americans for the Arts has gathered many studies showing that inclusion of the arts in education improves kids' overall academic performance, including higher test scores. It lists one study, Learning In and Through the Arts: The Question of Transfer that said, "... students who reported a high level of instruction and participation in the arts showed higher levels of confidence about their own academics than did low arts children."

Including the arts and creative problem solving into education paves the way for our future leaders' ability to solve world problems. OotM is a fun and easy way to do this. As many people around the world have already realized -- a small investment in Odyssey of the Mind is a priceless investment in our future.