Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World: Facilitating Trust, Communication and Spiritual Connection Paperback – May 24, 2017

In Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World, Dada Maheshvarananda has taken his passion for economic democracy (see also After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action) and transformed it into “games” that give a tangible experience of the difference between competition and cooperation. In this review, I will give some examples of games from each of the sections of this book so you can have a sense of its scope and character. First, let me provide the description of Dada given in the forward by social justice organizer, activist and professor Bill Ayers (author of Demand the Impossible! A Radical Manifesto, among many other books), “At our first encounter years ago, I felt myself in the presence of someone who was both fierce and gentle, ecstatic and burdened, transcendent and unremarkably material.” Given that perspective, it is obvious that these will not be ordinary games.Dada begins with a brief introduction, a list of the concepts and themes, and instructions for facilitating administration, establishing safe boundaries, and debriefing the various games. As a clinical psychologist, I appreciate the importance of these components for “games” that can invade personal space and potentially challenge emotional vulnerabilities. After these practical topics, he gets into the fun.Dada uses the term “games” intending to convey a playful spirit to the process, although many of the games are quite deep. The games are divided into ten sections. He begins with Getting to Know One Another Games meant to facilitate establishing group rapport at the onset of a group process. Of these, I find Comfort Zone the most attractive as a fast and active way to gently begin exposing degrees of individual fear. It is a nice warm-up for promoting greater personal intimacy. There are many other more basic warm-ups.General Cooperative Games come next and are probably the most game-like. Many in this section are a lot of fun. Clumps is a rapid way to organize people into small random groups of a particular size. Galloping Hands and Group Juggle both foster coordinated complex group function. Yurt Rope is an exercise in teamwork and is the source of the cover photo. Dancing Sticks allows a pair to explore cooperative leadership as they move (“dance”) supporting either end of a dowel. Letting Go assists in getting participants beyond wanting “winners.” There are many more that explore other facets of cooperation and trust.From there, Dada begins to go deeper with Reflection Games. Of these, I find Good Grief to be the most profound. It has each person identify a set of identities that are meaningful to them, physical possessions to which they have some attachment, and living people to whom they feel close. They are then asked to remove a number of them. Following that, more items are removed randomly by the facilitator. The result forces an examination of loss and is especially meaningful for individuals who are dealing with aging issues, think Baby Boomers.Next are Initiative Tests which strive to generate “out of the box” thinking. Cooperative Musical Chairs is a wonderful spin on the classic kid's game in which no one gets out, but chairs still get eliminated. Everyone has to figure out how to manage with “decreasing resources.” I also like Welded Ankles which imposes a constraint that complicates the group's ability to move in a coordinated manner.Trust Activities include games like Confidence Walk, Trust Wave and the more daring Trust Fall. All allow participants to develop their trust in the group, but always permit individuals to opt out if the task goes beyond their comfort level.Games of Yoga and Spiritual Connection contains a range of different “games.” Yoga in Pairs provides some simple exercises to do with a partner. Several games work with sound. The Kiirtan Heart Circle can be very powerful with a few members in the middle of a circle of the rest of the participants who chant a mantra meaning “love is all there is.” This produces what is described as a “bath of directed love.”But he is not done. Games of Values and Economic Democracy take the process into a realm of social examination and solution seeking. The Values Game prompts participants to explore social scenarios from different personal perspectives. The Sarkar Game provides role playing according to components of a Social Cycle theory. The Barter Game assists participants in realizing the skills, talents and resources available to them that might be of value to others, while also identifying what assistance could be useful to them. It provides the potential roots for an alternative economy. Coming Back from the Future is an exercise developing hope.Intuition Games are fun and potentially provocative to a materialistic world view. A good example of these is The Sense of Being Stared At which makes an effort to statistically test if people can sense when someone is looking at them.Mind Over Matter Games include a number of Aikido exercises. One, Deeply Rooted, uses patterns of thinking to cause different perceptions of heaviness for participants attempting to lift the “thinker.” Others similarly use specific patterns of thinking to induce strength despite relaxation, greater endurance, and faster reaction times.Dada ends the book with Closings meant to be used after any extended, multifaceted group activity. Sundowner encourages participants to integrate learning from the group activity by creating mnemonics to represent the lessons learned. All Good Things builds a list of positive traits describing each participant individually as observed by everyone else during the group activity. The list is screened by the facilitator to insure only fully positive comments are present which are then distributed to each individual. This is a wonderful gift to overly self-critical, insecure individuals brutalized by our winner worshiping society (everyone).Let me emphasize that what I have described is only a sample of the many games that Dada elaborates. Each game's description includes the concepts and themes present in the game, the number of participants appropriate for the game, equipment if necessary, instructions for conducting the game, facilitation tips, and the source of the game. These games will be useful in many settings wherever a group is gathering. They can be used to add a lively break to an otherwise sedentary event, or can be the center of a program using any of the themes to promote specific psychological, social, or spiritual goals. In this book, Dada is looking to shift our patterns of social interaction, fostering an orientation that has less competition and more compassion, cooperation and love. This is a commendable work which may be vital to our collective future. I should disclose that I consider Dada a friend and have happily participated in workshops he has done using these games. This may give me greater insight into Dada's work than a “blind” reviewer. Based on my experience directly with Dada and in reading through all these games, I encourage you to follow Bill Ayers' advice as he closed his forward to the book, “Start playing cooperative games!”Richard Maxwell, Ph.D.Clinical PsychologistIthaca, NY

I've participated in a number of these games and they're not just fun, they change the mood of a group and help to generate synergy. I attend a lot of conferences and events and most of them are still stuck in the university lecture style 'expert graces the ignorant masses with insights' mode. This has been proven many times to be one of the least efficient ways to impart (isn't actual learning induced, not 'imparted'?) learning. I hope more meeting and event planners use this book. The lives of many will be rendered more engaging and less boring as a result! Play is the best way to learn. We knew this as children and forgot it as adults. It's high time we remembered.I've been waiting a while for Dada Maheshvarananda's book but I'm not complaining now because it is obvious that he used that extra time really well to create an invaluable resource for teachers or trainers or workshop and retreat leaders like myself. The book is super well organized so that you can easily find the game that best suits your need. The explanations of how to play each game, and the suggested variations, are unambiguous and easy to follow. It is fun to read, which it had better be since it is about having fun learning and engaging.And Dada's spirit of dedication to bettering the lot of his fellow human beings shines throughout.I'm already recommending it to others and it has not even come out in print yet!

As a lifelong anthropologist and change agent, I highly recommend this book for all those concerned with personal and social transformation!!!! This book is beautiful and exquisite for several reasons. Finally, we have a book with detailed descriptions that we can easily follow. Secondly, reflection upon what is learned is highly encouraged. Also, this book will help unlock the hidden creativity and innovative thinking of all who join in these exercises. It is also a path to weave together personal transformation with group/community and social transformation.Activists; teachers; facilitators; youth leaders and youth; drama and art therapists - i suggest that you buy this book and be ready to smile; laugh and dance with others as you find a framework to base true transformative social justice work upon. I guarantee that you will want to pass on this knowledge to your colleagues; fellow activists and closest friends.The author, Dada Maheshvarananda, is a lifelong dedicated activist who walks the talk. After a lifetime experimenting with the practice of social change and transformation across the world - this book represents the kernels of knowledge and practice gained from many cultures and movements.Matt Oppenheim, PhDFellow: Society for Applied AnthropologyAdjunct Professor: Lewis UniversityBoard of Directors: The Prout Research Institute of Venezuela

This book is a gem - a compelling read for anyone who facilitates small or large groups of children or adults in professional or casual settings (and that includes family meetings at home, parents!) The games are categorized by purpose, and game instructions are clear and concise. Most are accompanied by a photograph example of participants in action from one of the dozens of countries Dada has lived or worked in around the world. (These cooperative games are universal!) I also appreciate Dada's wise advice on how to effectively facilitate cooperative games in general, including how to reflect on games meaningfully to increase their impact.Having the opportunity to work with hundreds of public school teachers and administrators across the US, I'm excited to integrate these cooperative games into all kinds of professional development and team building situations. Thank you, Dada, for creating this catalog of useful tools to facilitate "trust, communication, and spiritual connection" - the world needs this book!

This dynamic book was fun to read and easy to follow, giving me confidence and inspiration to help ignite more cooperative spirit in the world. It's an amazing resource for people who work with communities or groups of any kind. Not only that, but just sitting down and reading through cover to cover feels like a tuning of my social awareness...little considerations and thoughts to make us more effective, kinder humans. Thank you!