At Agile Boston, we think Boston is great. And we have loads of reasons to think this. Boston is becoming a hub of innovation in Agile thinking and practices. Here is an excellent example:
TEEN EMPOWERMENT (www.teenempowerment.org)
This organization, led by a man named Stanley Pollack, is a gem. It is located in Boston. Roxbury actually !!
You can learn more here. (www.teenempowerment.org)
Not too long ago, we discovered TEEN EMPOWERMENT. This non-profit is in the business of mediating conflict and violence between gangs and other groups of people in the inner city. They are in the business of building shared understanding between rival groups. They are in the business of helping young people in the inner city reclaim their identity, and their lives. TEEN EMPOWERMENT is in the business of serving others.
But wait…there’s more. Stanley discovered that by using what he call ‘interactive activities’, people can learn to build bridges, get learning, and develop shared understandings, even as they process differences. Does this sound familiar?
I hope it does.
Stanley and TEEN EMPOWERMENT has leveraged interactive activities (aka “games”) to prevent people from killing each other over differences. If these techniques can work in a harsh inner-city environment, they most certainly work in your corporate IT environment!!
Interactive activities like Name Race and WordStorm almost immediately help people come together, shift perspectives, and build shared understandings.
Stanley Pollack is the co-author of the book BEYOND ICEBREAKERS. This astonishing book is THE ULTIMATE BOOK ON AGILE GAMES. We are incorporating the content of this book is our Agile coaching in Boston.
We recommend that you do the same ! Here is the AMAZON link:
Purchase MOVING BEYOND ICEBREAKERS: Over 300 interactive games !
We learned about TEEN EMPOWERMENT and Stanley Pollack. We visited him. As a result of that visit, we arranged a small class to with Heang Ly of TEEN EMPOWERMENT.
She came and did a GREAT job teaching us the techniques in this book.
If you are living in the Boston area, you DO NOT WANT TO MISS our July 2012 meeting in Waltham. Heang Ly is coming to give the MAIN SESSION and explain the awesome power of these interactive group activities, and discuss the philosophy behind the design of these activities.
If you are implementing Agile, you need this book.
If you are an Agile coach, you definitely need this book.
TEEN EMPOWERMENT is an amazing organization in Boston.
MOVING BEYOND ICEBREAKERS is their amazing book.
We at Agile Boston are doing EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER to make sure the word gets out: MOVING BEYOND ICEBREAKERS may be one of the greatest Agile books of all time. The book contains:
Over 300 activities
Extensive guidance on how to handle resistance, how to customize the activities, and more
An extensive cross index you can use to rapidly find what you are looking for, by category, by degree of difficulty, and more.
Enjoy.
This is YET ANOTHER example of how Boston is emerging as the MOST AGILE REGION OF THE WORLD !!
The book is an AMAZING RESOURCE every Agile coach needs !!
Links to Learn More:
TEEN EMPOWERMENT YouTube channel
MOVING BEYOND ICEBREAKERS Book
July 25 2012 Agile Boston Meeting with Heang Ly of TEEN EMPOWERMENT !!