| 480/585-3535 | Keys to Excellence, Inc. | Spring, 2003 |
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Looking IN for Number One! Recently, I read this title as the name of a workshop offered at the Unity School in Missouri. I am not sure what the content of this workshop is; however, it has been rumbling around in my head for a few weeks. Obviously, it is a take off on the saying - looking out for number one. At times, looking OUT for number one speaks to our "small self." The operating belief is, "If I don't look out for myself, no one else will." This orientation often results in being selfish, calculating to ensure one gets what is perceived as deserved, and standing up to anyone or anything that gets in the way of that. Some people envy those who don't take any "stuff" from anyone. From a healthier "bigger self" perspective looking OUT for number one may rest on the belief," If I don't take care of myself what good am I to anyone?" So I learn to take time for myself in a busy day, take a yoga class, ask for the raise I deserve, exercise, and make healthy food choices. I set my priorities to ensure my outer life supports my inner balance. So, what does this looking IN for number one look like? From a Keys to Innervisions perspective, it is "our conscious self" and rests on the belief that we live inside-out, that how we think and feel creates our behavior. We start with evaluating our inner dialogue. What is the quality of the conversations you are having with yourself? Make a daily five point KIV tune-up. "Catch" Yourself in a positive way - notice the hundreds of things you do right every day. T-Chart Are you making full of thought decisions or locked into a mental maze? R.O.N. Are you stuck on a mistake? Forgive yourself and plan a positive Next Time. STOP! Are you giving your power to worry, stress, fear, others, events? AffirmationsandImagery Create mental pictures and affirm what you want to create in your outer life. There is another possibility. Perhaps, the number one we are looking IN for is that part of ourselves that is "the highest self." This belief holds that within each of us is a Higher Power, a Creative Source, a still small voice that is our greatest self. Looking IN for that "knowing" means taking the time from our outside world, quieting our inner dialogue, and just listening. Call it intuition, call it inner guidance, call it the divine spark. It is this part of ourselves that shines a light on all the amazing inner and outer choices that are available to us. Wishing you a joyful and peace-filled Spring! Phyllis R. Antonelli What Else Is Possible? NEW JERSEY The Southwest Council Teaches Keys to Success -- 33 Students Become KIV KeyMasters Last Fall, the Southwest Council of New Jersey began implementing Keys to Innervisions in several schools and with a youth group in a housing authority in Gloucester County. Recently, Facilitator Danielle Sewell updated us on the success of their implementation. Currently, she teaches the curriculum in 5 schools and recently added additional classes at the Glassboro Housing Authority and the Gateway High School. In March, 33 students received completion certificates for their participation in the program. It is wonderful to hear the excitement and creativity that Danielle brings to her KIV classes. Keys, Inc. extends our appreciation to Executive Director, Joe Williams for his direction and support in offering Keys to Innervisions to the schools and agencies in the Gloucester community. Warren County Council - Middle School A Prime Time for Prevention The Middle School years are such a critical time of change for youth. What a wonderful opportunity to teach them about their power to direct life and make positive choices. Over the school year, Warren County Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has offered KIV classes in two schools. Facilitator Chris Goeke has waved his KIV magic wand with the 6th and 7th grades at the Oxford Street School in Belvedere. Chris notes the positive response of the students and the satisfaction of seeing them apply the concepts. Facilitator Jackie Maloney teaches KIV to groups of 7th and 8th graders at the North Warren Regional High School. These dynamic Facilitators also teach the curriculum at the Warren County Detention. Community agencies can be vehicles for change when they have directors like Terry Eyler who hire passionate staff and provide them with empowering programs to teach. Getting Around the Rocks! Spring Training MINESOTA Master Facilitators in the North are taking advantage of the Spring weather to plant some KIV Facilitator seeds.
New Jersey REBEL Teen Institute Mentor Training In mid-February, Phyllis had the opportunity to create a specialized Mentor Training and Manual for Scholastic Inc. and the New Jersey Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program. Under the direction of Janis Mayer-Obermeier, the adolescent division REBEL - Reaching Everyone By Exposing Lies, is active in all NJ counties and several college campus locations. Two hundred teens gathered for three days to learn creative ways to take anti-tobacco messages into their communities and schools. Topics included activism through policy, media, research, and education. One of the projects focused on taking the danger of second-hand smoke messages into primary grades using two curriculums developed by Scholastic Inc., Get Rid of that Smoke and Spare the Air. Phyllis wrote and developed the Mentor Training Guide and Training, which prepared the teens to return to their schools and communities to initiate these curricula in elementary schools. A special thanks is extended to Janis, the REBEL staff, and Mia Patch of Scholastic Inc. for creating this possibility. The students were amazing in their eagerness to learn and their commitment to the cause--health. Their slogan, Not for Sale!, speaks directly to the manipulation of the Tobacco Industry-targeting teens to create new tobacco addicts. KIV--Unit 6; The Advertising Game is a great way to open your student's minds to the marketing ploys of the alcohol and tobacco industries.
Keys to Excellence, Inc. will create a customized Mentor Program for You!! A Mentor Program empowers teens by placing them in a teaching role and reinforces their belief and their ability to make a difference in their community. By combining the powerful cognitive skills in Keys to Innervisions with your agencies mentor project, we provide teens with life-long skills and the experience of being a role model. Call our office to explore this possibility. Arizona Correctional Educators, Inc. and LEARN 1st Annual Professional Development Symposium An exciting collaboration of two Arizona agencies has created a wonderful learning opportunity for Arizona professionals who work with at-risk youth and adults. "Phoenix Rising" will be held on May 7, 8, and 9, 2003 at the Chaparral Suites, 5001 North Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ. The featured speaker on Thursday is Tom Horne, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. Phyllis Antonelli has been invited to present at the conference. This year she will be offering workshops on the following two topics. Changing the internal BS--Belief Systems of students goes beyond their classroom behaviors. This workshop offers teachers and school administrators easy to use techniques to help students unlock their cycles of failure and internalize the belief that the past is not their potential. If you don't take care of your body, where will you live? We are creatures of Habits. Some Habits can seriously impact our health--smoking, overeating, and lack of exercise. Thinking always precedes behavior. This workshop offers tools and strategies for identifying and changing habits of thinking that keep us stuck, that keep us from accessing/maintaining the cessation, weight, and exercise programs that will move us toward wellness. Keys to Excellence, Inc. has a lengthy history of professional support and participation with the Arizona Office of the Courts and the Correctional Educators Association of Arizona. Through the work of Dottie Wodraska, Project LEARN Coordinator and Mark Wilkerson, ACE, this symposium is an opportunity for educators and other professionals to share their expertise and ask, "What Else is Possible" for our staff and clients. For registration information call 602-542-9573. Al Rosen, Mohave County Probation ARIZONA Master Facilitators, Betty and Bob Hare wrote the following article in their Mohave County KIV newsletter, The Affirmation. Honored is Al Rosen, one of the key administrators who created the impetus for their Keys to Innervisions implementation and eight years of KIV specialized programming. "In 1994, some key people in the Mohave County Probation Department came up with an idea. They believed that the at-risk juveniles who were coming through the system needed more than punishment. They needed help in learning how to make changes in their lives. Al Rosen, Asst. Chief Probation Officer, connected with Keys to Excellence, Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona, and began moving toward beginning a cognitive restructuring program for the juveniles called Keys to Innervisions. After some time of preparation, potential Facilitators for weekend workshops were recruited. Then on January 11, 1995, the first Facilitator Training session was completed, and the workshops began. Al Rosen has been the support and foundation of the Keys Workshops for the past eight plus years and has encouraged others to help the workshops evolve into what they are today." "On April 11, 2003, Al will be putting in his last day on the job in the Kingman Probation Office. He is joining his wife in retirement. Although we will miss him greatly, we wish them well and will endeavor to keep his "Brain child" going. Al has said, 'I believe in Keys. Our juveniles need some cognitive training to help them improve their future possibilities.'" Keys to Excellence, Inc. joins the KIV team in Mohave County in thanking Al for his vision and commitment to empowering youth and staff. The ripples of change and possibilities he brought to his profession have touched thousand of lives. 
Bob Hare and Al Rosen Deep breathing is one of the most effective ways to relax and to reduce stress. The following exercise empowers students when they do AffirmationsandImagery. It is also a calming way to provide closure to a KIV class. Facilitators may find this helpful when your "Gatekeeper" needs re-energized. Inhale, Exhale: Sit in a comfortable position with your feet flat on the floor. Press the top of your head up toward the ceiling as if a string were pulling your head up, stretching, and straightening your spine. Have the students inhale and exhale as you read the words below:
Taken from Mind-Body Magic by Martha Belknap |
