2009-02 TMLP Times Archives - Landmark's Team Management & Leadership Program

THE RICHMOND STREET SCHOOL ART PROJECT

February 21, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times, Community /by Lynn Romaine

Last year the Richmond Street School lost their art program, but artist and photographer Jon Barber was having none of that. With only $1,000 in funding for the arts remaining in the school’s budget, (less than $2 per student for a year of art supplies and classes) and with his 4th grade son no longer having regular classroom art lessons nor an art teacher, Jon saw a need.

Jon began writing letters sharing his feelings and opinions about the loss of the art program. Then, he had a realization; he could make a difference here with his Game in the World. And so The Richmond Street School Art Project was born.

Also known as Studio 109 after the room number where the art classes are held, The Richmond Street School Art Project is a volunteer-based art program for the students of Richmond Street School.

Jon is excited about what’s been happening with the kids at his son’s school. On a weekly basis with the assistance of parent volunteers, the students are experiencing and creating art in their classrooms. The school has in place a visiting artist program, where professional artists volunteer their time and talent to share art at the schools lunch break with students. The kindergarten class recently created an amazing pastel animal project. The 4th grade class recently created masks in accordance with learning about Day of the Dead.

There was an art fair on February 12th where all the students of Richmond Street School displayed their framed artwork in an exhibition. The kids got to be honored, loud and proud. The parents and his team got to contribute to their kids and to know they were making something unpredictable happen.

Jon also saw that by starting the project, other schools might discover they didn’t have to worry about not having enough money and manpower to provide art education to their kids. Jon recognized that the Richard Street School Art Program provided an opportunity for people not only on his local team, but in his community as well. Where before, something was missing in his town, by sharing The Richard Street School Art Project, Jon now sees it as a place where people come together and create something beautiful.
Jon Barber, Team Los Angeles

A WALK IN THE PARK

February 20, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times, Community, Environment, Politics /by Lynn Romaine

Rob Hubbard loves the park. Rob is inspired by contribution. Put those two together and you have Rob’s Game in the World—A Walk in the Park.

Rob is establishing a group of volunteers who will walk the various parks and trails around Cincinnati and report back to park administrators on a regular basis any problems or concerns. The outcome of A Walk in the Park will be an ongoing team of volunteers who recruit, train and coordinate efforts to keep the parks in great shape. The added benefit, or maybe incentive, is they actually get to take walks in the parks.

Rob designed this game because walking in the park means a lot to him. He sees how it would benefit people to be in the park with a specific purpose of contributing to their community.

But it wasn’t always a ‘walk in the park’ for Rob to get his game going. Some of the park administrators were excited about it, but at first, some were discouraging. Rob didn’t let that stop him. He says that his advice for people creating a game for the world is to not rush into making up something just to get it done, but instead to keep having conversations with others until you discover a game that inspires you. He is surprised and excited to discover he can make something happen in his community. In fact, he says “I don’t have to convince people, but instead I see it’s an opportunity.”

His long-term vision for A Walk in the Park is that it spreads out to other communities. He asserts walking in the park is something that feeds the human spirit, makes people aware of the beauty in nature, promotes well being, serenity and peacefulness and has the added benefit of contributing to the community.

He plans to expand A Walk in the Park in the future to include volunteer organizations who put on cross country sporting meets, along with businesses, social groups, churches and individuals who live within the vicinity of the parks.

Ultimately, for Rob, through A Walk in the Park he’s discovered he’s someone who can inspire and move people, someone who can be a contribution to individuals and to communities.
Rob Hubbard, Team 1, Quarter 2, Team Cincinnati

LITTLE GEEKS

February 20, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times /by Lynn Romaine

Little Geeks is based in the belief that literacy through technology is a basic human right. Andy Walker, the creator of Little Geeks, is determined to level the computer and internet playing

field so that every child has access to computer technology and the internet, giving them access to the world community.

The foundation supporting Little Geeks was begun two years ago as a project designed from a vision of love, inclusion and knowledge for every child in Ontario. It is committed to leveling the playing field for children without the economic means to have a computer. Hundreds of children in Ontario are now connected to the internet and to the world through their computers.

Any child between the ages of 7 and 17 who shows an economic need will get a free computer with a one-year internet subscription and free technology assistance to get started.

Little Geeks gets its referrals from agencies, from schools or just the ordinary person discovering the project on the internet. They are proud to declare they have not turned away a single child.

Andy Walker says he created Little Geeks because he himself found success in college when his parents gave him a computer. His computer success allowed him to become a television personality, an author of four books, and eventually to create a successful company. Technology literacy launched Andy into a world of abundance.

Two years ago, at the inception of Little Geeks, Andy began to wonder if a kid like himself, coming from an average background, could achieve great things through technology, what could be possible for somebody coming from an underprivileged background? He saw computer technology as a way for each of us to go far beyond our communities into a world where anything was possible. So Andy created Little Geeks, believing that technology literacy and a connection to the internet was a basic human right.

While Andy had already achieved success in his career before he began Little Geeks, something was missing for him in his life; a sense of fulfillment and joy was lacking. Since then, with the creation of Little Geeks two years ago, he has experienced fulfillment he never imagined. He’s met the woman of his dreams, he’s happily married, and he sold his company, making him financially free. With Little Geeks, he says he continues to expand the tangibles of what he always wanted in life–love, marriage and money–but even more important, the intangible quality of being fulfilled. He believes everyone who makes contribution the main focus of their lives will discover fulfillment beyond anything they’ve thought possible.

Little Geeks has been recognized in dozens of media outlets across Canada and on the internet but none of this was predictable. Since beginning Little Geeks two years ago, Andy and his team have been stopped numerous times; they ran out of money, they lost their premises, they were criticized in the media and they even considered shutting the project down. But Andy has discovered in his commitment to Little Geeks that big breakdowns cause big breakthroughs. For him, the barriers they ran into were merely signs he was on the right track and he used those problems to remind his team to get back to where they started – their commitment to love and inclusion through knowledge.

What’s next for Little Geeks? To expand the game nationally and internationally. He sees computer literacy being available in every city and every continent, every government, at every level. He has visions of sharing his game with the UN and the G8, and especially with the leaders of African nations. He envisions Little Geeks creating communication everywhere, creating instant communities around the globe that keep furthering education, a planet where we are all in communication.
Andy Walker – (completed Team 1 November 2008, Toronto)

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

February 19, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times /by Lynn Romaine

With his Game in the World Health and Wellness, Denny Schmidt has designed a training program that teaches people to relate to their physical bodies from an “energetic” point of view. Since energy fields bind and shape physical matter, Denny asserts that all human beings can interact with these energy fields to improve their overall health. “When you gain control over your energy such that they’re under your influence, all physical illness disappears, and you become who you decide to be in the moment. It’s completely unlimited,” says Denny.

As part of his Game, Denny Schmidt is also designing a health and wellness seminar focused on the “body, mind, spirit modality. Denny says, “You’re truly a spiritual being, already whole, perfect, and complete, and the body is just an object you’re living through.”

Denny also feels that “transformational technology” is needed in order to make this more available to participants, in that traditional linear learning is not as effective for mastery of the techniques he teaches. Denny’s training program works experientially and contextually, designed specifically to empower participants to attain sustainable physical health and wellness for themselves.

There is also a second component to the training where Denny teaches individuals to make dietary choices that support their well-being. The ever-increasing number of food products and complexity of nutrition information has created a situation where people are not well-equipped to choose healthy food. Denny stresses the importance of educating oneself about the ingredients in various foods. “The only way to know what’s in your food, is to grow your own food, which is pretty much impossible.” says Denny. He teaches people to use dietary supplements to ensure a consistent intake of critical nutrients.

Most of the people on Denny’s team are “already playing the game on their own.” Team members are already committed to their own health and well-being, and they have taken on “expanding and bringing the technology to the public.”

Denny sees a lot of opportunities for expanding his technology into new and different areas. For example, the basic framework of the Health and Wellness seminar can be adapted to support people in discovering financial abundance. He is also exploring the idea of teaching other people to share the technology and he is excited about the possibility of writing for The Aquarius, a publication that covers energetic modalities.

Denny says if his Game expands beyond his seminars, he envisions the “hundredth monkey effect,” which might bring about a “shift for the entire planet” towards health and well-being.
Denny Schmidt, Team 1 Quarter 4, Team Atlanta

THE DIVA SERIES

February 19, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times /by Lynn Romaine

diva Gloria Webster’s Game is called “The DIVA Series.” Through her coaching work with women over the past thirty-five years, Gloria noticed that the word “DIVA” traditionally represents “girly girl” and other gender stereotypes. Gloria created a new meaning for the world “DIVA” through an acronym: DIVA stands for Discovery, Imagination, Victory (over the past) through forgiveness, and being Authentic. It is a self-discovery process consisting of conversations, music, and journaling that in Gloria’s words, “guides women back to what they want.”

Gloria says the process is ideal for women close to age forty. She feels that most women have childhood dreams they’re passionate about, but that “life gets in the way,” leading them to other choices in life that are not an authentic expression of themselves. Gloria has found that women around forty are often at a crossroads; they still have twenty or more years left in the prime of their lives and are often very willing to re-examine their life’s journey in the grand scheme of things. The DIVA Series gives women the opportunity to rediscover themselves and find that passionate dream.

Gloria created The DIVA Series through her participation in the Landmark Forum. She is currently in the process of designing training modules and teaching other women to become trainers for The DIVA Series process.

A friend of Gloria’s, who was a nurse, recently completed the Discover Workshop which is part of The DIVA Series and is now going to culinary art school and “living life to the fullest.” Out of the conversations around the DIVA processes other product lines have emerged including “DIVA Jewelry” and “DIVA Skin Care.” There’s also a “DIVA Dictionary,” where participants invent new DIVA language. One example is the word “DIVA-licious.”

For years, Gloria wanted to start a business, but didn’t have the courage to take the first step. Team Management Leadership Program has provided for Gloria with a new lease on who [she is]” and “making [her] dream a reality.”

As for the future, as part of The DIVA Series, Gloria will be leading a retreat in Puerto Rico in September of 2009. She now has a team of six people helping her create the training modules and she’s promising to have these complete by the Newport Beach weekend.
Gloria Webster, Team Washington, DC

SKIN TO SKIN

February 19, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times /by Lynn Romaine

skin Chris Lundberg is a nurse and she loves her job. She works in a big city hospital as a lactation consultant, assisting a large team of labor and delivery staff. She started Skin to Skin as a way to make people aware of the miracle of birth, life, and the importance of nurturing mothers and babies in honoring motherhood.

Skin to Skin is a program dedicated to mothers and babies bonding immediately after birth by laying the babies Skin to Skin with the mothers. By placing the baby on the mother’s chest after birth, face down with head under mom’s chin, in direct contact with the mother, the touch and even the smell happening in that connection creates an unprecedented bonding. It provides for a warm welcoming environment for the baby who can hear the familiar sounds of mom’s heart beat and breathing. Lying the baby face down prevents the startle reflex and positively affects the baby’s blood sugar and heart rate; everything stays stable. Babies are also much more likely to initiate the process of finding the breast on their own, flinging or moving down and latching on all by themselves. This greatly reduces the stress that mothers feel about “am I going to be able to breastfeed?” as they see their baby being an active partner who actually leads the dance.

The longer term outcome of this bonding is a substantial increase in the duration of breastfeeding in mothers and the patient’s delight exceeding all expectations. The mothers leave the hospital happy and confident, feeling able to successfully parent their newborns and fully aware of the gift their babies are to their lives.

Chris believes that with the implementation of the Skin to Skin program. the mom and baby fall in love with each other and ultimately this brings about happier families who feel love and connection.

Chris says that her one intention with starting Skin to Skin was to institute an evidence-based practice that improves the method of care for mothers and newborns in her hospital based on evidence. The evidence showed a large increase in the number of mothers nursing their babies along with a large increase in the reported happiness of the patients.

Along with this unprecedented increase in patient happiness with hospital care, Skin to Skin made the staff’s jobs much easier, the nurses loved the patient response and every one felt great.

What Chris says she learned from the game she designed was to find the common ground between nursing staff and physician through communication so they could discover they all wanted the same thing for the patient—a happy hospital experience. According to Chris, the staff is now empowering women in a way that on leaving the hospital they feel they will be successful, caring mothers.

In the end Chris feels Skin to Skin is more than a way to have mothers and babies bond; it promotes a connection between the hospital staff, the babies and the mother where everyone can participate in the joy of birth and life.
Chris Lundberg, Team 1, Fourth Quarter, Team Cincinnati

ROCK & ROLL IS HERE TO STAY

February 19, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times /by Lynn Romaine

Ilene McCrae’s Game in the World has brought about a new family tradition; producing homemade canned goods, involving all family members in the process. With tomatoes, peaches, applesauce, jellies, chili sauce and lots more items, the family cans and even trades them at Christmas time.

Rock & Roll is Here to Stay has brought together four generations of Ilene’s family, including her 93-year old mother, her children, and her grandchildren. Even Ilene’s ex-husband, who’d been out of communication with Ilene for over twenty years, now participates in Rock & Roll is Here to Stay with his girlfriend.

A larger goal of Ilene’s is to see healthy eating take root in mainstream society and Ilene sees her Game in the World as a way to do that. She thinks it’s interesting that recent generations have grown up entirely on processed foods. Even her 17-year-old grandson told her recently he’d never had homemade applesauce. Her own mother still goes to the farmer’s market in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and nowadays the family gets up with her at 5:00 AM to make the trek.

Ilene would like to see Rock & Roll is Here to Stay spread with more and more people getting interested in canning and eating locally grown foods. She sees the possibility of sharing her Game with other families in different regions where other types of produce are grown. She believes that people don’t understand canning since most families don’t have to do it in today’s world.

Ilene believes that if more people played Rock & Roll is Here To Stay, the food production market would shift nationwide and we’d see an emergence of “locovores;” people who eat foods exclusively produced in their home areas. She also feels that the tradition could expand to encompass entire towns and cities, and perhaps entire food supply chains might shift to serve an expanding demand for local goods. Rock & Roll is Here to Stay is a game that promotes eating good food along with creating a food tradition that brings families together.
Ilene McCrea, T1Q4 Team Detroit

PAGES

February 16, 2009/0 Comments/in 2009-02 TMLP Times /by Lynn Romaine

pages What do you think about a book on toddlers by toddlers? That’s Pattey Boyde’s Game in the World. It’s called Pages. As a grandmother, she noticed how much children have to teach adults about playing and she decided to author a book that captures the ways of beings of toddlers; a book about toddlers by toddlers.

For Pattey, children represent freedom and full self-expression Children can teach us adults how to play; how to be honest and play honestly, reminding adults what it’s like to play as children again. In turn, Pattey says that the book, Pages, gives toddlers a chance to contribute through their own words and their own art work.

Since designing her Game in the World, Pattey has discovered that the journey is different than the target or the goal and the game is about playing. She finds that Pages, her dream of authoring a children’s book, has given her a sense of being fulfilled, with the ability to pursue her dreams in many areas of her life. She sees it’s possible to live a life of no regrets.

Pattey Boyde, Team Vancouver