Project Uth 360 Helping Empower Kids

Project Uth 360 (Stokes Co., NC) is on a continuing mission to empower kids in their community. The group is led by ACT I instructor Malcolm Dixon, a resident native of Stokes County. Read the story and click on the link to see what they are doing. Here is the link: http://www.gofundme.com/a7cj50

Help Project Uth 360 Help Stokes Co Kids by Malcolm Dixon - GoFundMe Project Uth 360°, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose goal is to empower the youth of Stokes County to achieve distinction through education, recreation, and service. Project Uth 360°offers youth events and programs throughout the year, and no child is turned away for inability to...

Be-Print for Living! Open House

Life is a process of creation.  We can always create ourselves anew.  Find out what you can create today.                           Shelley Roy  &  Glenn Smith              Be-Print for Living, Inc.   Invite you to an Open House  February 26, 2014 - 6:00 to 7:30pm  NODA - Corner of N.Davison &36th Streets                        Charlotte, NC  28205 FREE PIZZA and CONNECTIONS Call 704-564-5884 for Information

Project Uth 360 Degrees Media Coverage

The Project Uth 360 Degrees program in Stokes County, NC (Walnut Cove) has been highlighted in the Winston-Salem Journal and Fox8 News today (12/17/2013). The program envisioned and run by ACT I instructor Malcolm Dixon focuses on supporting Stokes County children with emphasis on education, recreation, life values and service.

Currently a three day basketball and dance activity sponsored by Uth 360 has drawn dozens of children ages 5-15. Motivational speakers, adult role models and fun activities provide participants a needed outlet during the winter holiday break. More information on the program can be found on the group's Facebook page and at www.uth.360.com .

Meetings Announced

The IAACT Faculty Leadership Council (FLC) will meet by tele-conference Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 7:00 PM.

The annual 2011 Board of Directors meeting will be held Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Tega Cay Conference Center, Tega Cay, SC. The Board meeting begins at 10:00 AM. The site of the meeting will be announced this week.

Anyone interested in sharing information or asking question to the FLC or Board can contact Mark Southern at actnme@gmail.com.

CSG Announces Annual Meeting

The Control Systems Group (CSG) has announced the date & location for its 2011 conference. July 27-31 in Boulder, CO. are the date and location for CSG 2011. To receive more information about the upcoming CSG conference, please e-mail Allie at CSGconference2011@gmail.com.

CSG is "a membership organization dedicated to the application of Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) in understanding the purposeful behavior of living organisms". The group's mission is to encourage the application of Perceptual Control Theory within existing disciplines and to foster communication and collaboration among disciplines. Check out the CSG web site listed above.

Fred Good, IAACT instructor and owner of New View Publication, is the current President of The CSG and Glenn Smith, IAACT senior faculty member, from Be-Print & Life Connections is the group's President-elect.

Executive Director Named

President Glenn Smith announced this week the selection of IAACT's first Executive Director (ED). Mark Southern of Clemmons, NC was named to the position by a committee consisting of Board members and senior faculty. As ED, Southern will work as liaison between the Board of Directors and the Faculty Leadership Committe (FLC) in organizational matters, promote IAACT's mission, encourage active member participation on FLC committees, manage the day-to-day affairs and facilitate a strategic planning process that meets IAACT's growth goals.

Southern has been involved with IAACT for ten years first as a workshop participant, attained certification, participated in the Faculty-in-Training Boot Camps, and now provides training in a course titled "Rational Thinking in an Irrational World". Mark has been active in numerous IAACT activites and trainings in his time as an organization member. He brings to the position experience as an educator and long-time school administrator, successful sports coach and support group leader, advisor and facilitator for several organizations. Being actively involved as a deacon and teacher at his church, part-time technology facilitator for an elementary school in Winston-Salem and president of his son's lacrosse booster club (ASU) keeps Mark busy. However, his interest in the application of PCT in his own life and sharing that knowledge with others inspired him to offer his services to IAACT as Executive Director. Southern's motivational theme for IAACT is TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More. He will encourage active member participation as an essential element for the healthy growth of IAACT.

Questions, suggestions and volunteering to serve on IAACT committees are encouraged. Contact Mark at actnme@gmail.com, msouthern6@triad.rr.com or 336-813-8484.

IAACT Reorganizes Structure

Prior to the annual Hilton Head Intensive seminar hosted by New View, the IAACT faculty held a two day retreat and business meeting. As a result of the meeting, a new organizational structure has been implemented.

In association with three members of its Board of Directors, the faculty has redefined how IAACT will operate. An Executive Director (ED) will be hired to act as the operational manager of IAACT and serve as liaison between the Board and the Faculty Council. Selection of the Executive Director was given to an adhoc committee of Board members and current faculty. Announcement of the ED will be made in February. Eight standing Committees have been established with the goal of involving as many faculty and general members as possible in active decision-making and group activities. Each committee will be chaired by a faculty member who will then serve on the Faculty Leadership Council (FLC).

The FLC and the ED will work together to manage the day-to-day and instructional services of IAACT and the Board of Directors will provide oversight and directional guidance for the organization. The new structure is designed to increase member participation, improve global awareness for IAACT & develop efficient internal management.

Current members and Intensive Seminar participants will soon receive a letter from current President Glenn Smith outlining the changes and encouraging active involvement.

International CSG Conference 2010

The 2010 International Control Systems Group Conference will be held at the University of Manchester, UK (England) on Saturday, July 24. 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of Perceptual Control Theory's initail presentation. Warren Mansell of U Manchester is the conference host.

IAACT faculty members Denise Pappas and Fred Good will be in attendance at the conference. Fred Good will be presenting his paper "A Connected School: Improving Schools and Communities from the Inside Out" to the conference. A copy of Good's paper can be read on line at http://pctweb.org/ along with other information about the conference.

The PCTweb site has many interesting connections to various autheors and practitioners. Check it out...

Reclaiming Futures Forsyth County - Mina Cook

Mina Cook, IAACT faculty member and co-author of "Who To Be", has been named project director of Reclaiming Futures Forsyth County, NC. Mina was recently highlighted and interviewed on local Triad, NC television news (WXII, NBC 12). Reclaiming Futrues is a national organization dedicated to giving a second chane to individuals who have found themselves caught in the judicial system.
Click on the title above to view the Reclaiming Futures Forsyth Co, NC site.

Transition Team to Meet

The IAACT Faculty Transition Team, created at the March Faculty retreat, has set a date on May 18 to hold it's first meeting. The charge of the team is to create a process for IAACT to move forward and share Control Theory concepts and strategies. The "Team" will plan a course of action & present its findings to the Board of Directors, Executive Council and the faculty when their work is completed. Stay tuned for more info from the TT!

Board of Directors Hold First Meeting

On Sunday, April 18, the IAACT Board of Directors held their first meeting in Clemmons, NC. Fred Good and Glenn Smith facilitated the meeting. Board members were given the IAACT Faculy Handbook & history notebook. Glenn & Fred also updated the Board on recent changes that were initiated at the March Faculty retreat.

Among topics of discussion were the role and organizational structure of the Board, transition of authority from the Executive Council to the Board of Directors and methods of reporting progress on grants & programs already in place. Board members asked clarifying questions and immediately contributed ideas that will streamline IAACT activity & support for faculty work. Board members agreed to "take it slow & grow" with well thought out procedures & practices.

Board members are:
Nancy Dixon, Mt. Airy - Chair
Kathy LaFone, Hillsborough - Treasurer
Mark Southern, Clemmons - Secretary
Bertha Caldwell, Winston-Salem/Forsyth Co. Schools
Sherri Trotter, Randolph Co. Schools

Success Comes With Effort

IAACT held it's first annual 'faculty retreat' March 18-21 at the Caraway Conference Center (NC). Twenty-three faculty members participated in the retreat. Activities for the first day and a half were led & facilitated by Dr. Joseph Johnson of Fayetteville Satate University. Dr. Johnson challenged participants to take a look at themselves and rebuild group connections. As a result of his leadership, the group recrafted IAACT's Vision & Mission statements.

The last two days of the retreat were spent sharing what individual faculty and groups were doing with the PCT concepts we believe in. A 'Transition Team' was also created to work out details -for presentation to the full faculty- as a part of the reshaping of IAACT's operations. Watch for more information from the Transition Team.

Intensive Training Seminar - Jan. 18-21

Are you tired of the cold, snow & being inside all the time? Relief is here and now - join us at the Hilton Head, SC Intensive Seminar Jan. 18-21. The sessions for ACT I, II, III & IV are held at the Hilton Oceanfront Hotel on HH Island. Strolling on the beach, soaking up the warm coastal sun and relaxing. Doesn't that sound better to you? Not to speak of the insight and extent to which you will have a deeper understanding of Control Theory. What a great deal!

Information and registration information can be found at http://www.iaact.com/ , email info@newviewpublications.com or by calling New View at 800.441.3604.

The Jigsaw Puzzle & ACT Training

I have a fascination with jigsaw puzzles and am currently engrossed in reconstructing a 1000+ piece puzzle - a very neat but busy montage of the 1960s. It occurred to me as I search for matching pieces that there is a direct connection to this task and Control Theory training & seminars.

Working off a card table, I have limited space for the puzzle and it's component scattered pieces. I am using the bottom of the box and box top to hold the unconnected pieces. Initially, I chose to put the puzzle together by taking a mental picture of the finished product and working from there. Currently there are probably 20 small pictures from the "big picture" that are being assembled inside the frame of the puzzle. Progress is slow - has anyone seen the two border pieces I am missing?

Herein lies the connection - I'm using the boxtop to hold unconnected pieces. I have been working on the puzzle off-and-on for three weeks and my mental picture is now somewhat fuzzy. I can't see the finished product unless I hold the boxtop over my head & stare. My personal challenge initially was to do the puzzle from memory - a conscious choice. It is now time to regroup and "refresh my memory"; I need to have a clear vision of my goal.

So it is with Control Theory learning & training sessions. There are several opportunities this summer and fall to participate in 'Intensive Seminars'. What a wonderful chance to reconnect and get a look at the overall picture of PCT and its applications in our life. Only when we revisit and see how seperate components (Overall Direction, Levels of Perception, the Loop, the Circle of Strength and MOL) fit into the 'big picture', can we again be refocused inspired to continue 'piecing it all together. By participating in these training sessions both we and those we work with benefit. We can refresh our memory of how everything fits together and those we live and work with are able to see and learn from our improved understanding. Sessions are being held across North Carolina in the next few months (and possibly in other areas working with IAACT or Life Connections). Plan to be a part of one of these events if you are new to 'Control Theory' or already familiar with the ACT experience. Contact New View or Life Connections for more information.