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A NEW LEASE ON LIFE

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Don Murphy- Team Cincinnati, Team 1, Quarter 3

Have you ever wanted to have a second chance at something?  For many ex-felons, they want just that, but they rarely get a second chance. This is where Don Murphy and his Game in the World, A New Lease on Life, stepped in.

 

Don began formulating A New Lease on Life in October 2008, when he got excited an idea that the re-entry process for ex-felons could be transformed.  As a public defender, he had firsthand experience of the criminal justice system and didn’t like what he saw –a constant stream of low-income felons entering and re-entering the prisons, people stuck in a cycle without a support structure to change anything. Don dreamed about creating a safety net for ex-felons, a program that would provide inspiration, completion, and an opportunity for service. A New Lease on Life would give them a second chance where they could discover ways to not only survive outside of prison but make a contribution to their communities.

 

Typically, when felons are released from prison, they are given a little money and sent out into the real world.   In many cases they have no job, no shelter, and no food—and little chance to succeed.  Companies don’t want to hire ex-felons and apartment owners don’t want to rent to them. Some ex-felons are even ineligible for any Federal assistance programs. To get by, some resort to old habits and commit crimes, while others violate parole simply due to lack of transportation to attend required meetings. With the cards stacked against them, a high percentage of ex-felons end up back in prison.

 

A New Lease on Life is out to break that cycle.  The program’s mission is to provide ex-felons with opportunities for employment and self-sufficiency; in fact they get a new lease on life. Participating in the program, they have an opportunity to, not only reverse the high recidivism rates for prisons, but to go out and make a difference for themselves and their communities.

 

To accomplish his mission, Don partnered with Jesus House, a halfway house, with a goal of providing food, shelter, and transportation to parolees. The ex-felons are able to stop worrying about basic necessities and start speculating on what they can accomplish in their lives. Jesus House already has a successful model, with an 87% success rate in keeping ex-felons from re-entering the prison system.  Now, Don and his team are in the process of improving upon that success rate by creating a series of classes teaching ex-felons life skills, things like how to write a resume and how to interview for a job.  A New Lease on Life is also creating a safe space for the ex-felons to discuss what stops them from being able to reach their goals. 

 

With new hope, the ex-felons are also participating in creating the career fair by recruiting potential employers.  Others in the community are getting involved, creating “suit drives” to provide these ex-felons with suits for their job interview.   A New Lease on Life also wants to raise $10,000 for Jesus House by the end of 2009. 

 

People in the community are starting to take notice. An Indiana University criminal justice professor has begun an independent evaluation of the program that will allow Don and Jesus House to apply for grants to fund programs and expand Jesus House to other cities. 

 

While it’s predictable for released felons to be trapped by the circumstances of criminal activity they find themselves in, Don and his team are committed altering their circumstances and giving each of them a chance to have their dreams fulfilled. 

 

If you would like to join Don in his mission or contribute to A New Lease on Life, you can email him at DSMurphy@iquest.net.

LOVE AND LIGHT

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lovelight

Marshall Muller- Team Detroit, Team 1 complete

Marshall Muller’s passion is renewable energy; he’d worked in it all his life and always wanted to make an impact in the world. He had invented a process for creating solar cells at half the cost. However, before he could finish, Marshall was laid off as a research scientist and ran out of money for his solar cell invention.  This is when he used the knowledge he gained from the Team Management and Leadership Program. 

 

Instead of quitting, Marshall persevered and created a Game in the World called Love and Light, where affordable, renewable energy would be available for all people, bringing the lowest cost solar panels to everyone. Using the Team Management and Leadership program, he created a complete management team and enrolled them in his mission to make this outcome a reality. 

 

Once the team was set, they began to create a business plan and develop a portfolio of patents. After two years of working to implement Love and Light, the team has an investor and is on the road to signing a two million dollar deal that will expand and enable the development of this transformational solar energy technology. The next steps for the team are to go from development to manufacturing, the next level of producing results.  

 

Marshall believes that sharing Love and Light with the world will bring about understanding where we see it is possible to come together as caretakers of our planet.

THE RICHMOND STREET SCHOOL ART PROJECT

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richmondLast 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

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walkinparkRob 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

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littlegeek1Little 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

 

littlegeek2field 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

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healthwellnessWith 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

SKIN TO SKIN

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skinChris 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

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rocirollIlene 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

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pagesWhat 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

Being a Beacon for Peace

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On Friday evening November 30th, the Peace Illuminations Light Project was launched. Tens of thousands of Los Angelenos were given the gift of a lighting art installation on a building on La Brea Boulevard. The installation was a stunning and dramatic piece on the concept of Peace – the word. Peace was presented in multiple languages including: English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi (Persian), Chinese, French, German, etc.

The building was lit for a total of 11 nights, broadcasting a message of peace to the cities of West Hollywood and Los Angeles. A billboard donated by ClearChannel was placed on the corner of Santa Monica and Crescent Heights Boulevards letting drivers and passersby know of the lighting project and of the website (www.peaceilluminations.org).

The project launch included a community kickoff event hosted at the West Hollywood Gateway shopping center. With community choirs singing to dancing from little Russian girls dressed in country-western garb to the West Hollywood Master Chorale performing, it was a festive event!

The project stimulates a conversation on the nature of peace in our large and diverse city, Los Angeles, drawing together and causing teams from various walks of life. The Mayor of West Hollywood and the City Manager attended the launch, as did many members of the community. Corporate and private monies and in-kind donations were contributed to sponsor this event including funds from Target, Combined Biz, Clear Channel Outdoors, West Hollywood Gateway and a variety of generous individuals.

Leaders and teams came together to take control of various aspects of this project, such that there is almost no “doing” on my part – I simply had enrollment and registration conversations, then ongoingly maintained enrollment in the various groups involved.

They have been the ones causing the project and miracles to occur. They experience themselves as contributing enthusiastically to making a difference in the community.

What exists in the world is excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment among many individuals.

People are proposing enlarging the scale of this project from lighting one building to lighting multiple buildings to lighting buildings in multiple cities worldwide. We are looking to see how to enroll others in agreeing to take on the project and raise funds for it.
This project can grow larger and brighter each year.
I am building opportunities for communication on the nature of peace through the media of language and art and doing so in a way which is generous and non-threatening to any and all human beings. The intention is to cause a shift in the way human beings interact with one another on a large-scale level. It’s an opportunity for groups of people to come together in a positive way creating a new realm of communication through a magnificent display of art and light.
— Natalie Bergman, Team Los Angeles

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