October 2023 T/M eNews

By now youth and volunteers are connecting weekly or monthly in organized, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs in many different places.

This month's newsletter continues to point to resources they can use. However, it also focuses on the challenges of keeping attention focused and raising dollars needed for each program to operate effectively.

The ideas and resources shared in this monthly newsletter point to a library of resources that can be used by anyone, in Chicago, or around the world, to help mentor-rich youth programs thrive in all of the neighborhoods where they are most needed.

Encourage others in your city to find and use these resources!

This graphic shows the role the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC takes each day (and the Tutor/Mentor Connection since 1993). The library that was started in the 1990s has lists of organizations that provide various forms of volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning activities, mostly during non-school hours. I plot some of those programs on maps that also show where programs are most needed.

Imagine the map at the right representing my library. Then, look at the list on the left. This shows a wide range of people and organizations who could be supporting individual programs, as volunteer tutors or mentors, as tech, legal and accounting support, as governance, and/or as donors.

When I worked for the Montgomery Ward Corporation from 1973-1990 we spent more than 200 million dollars a year on advertising that reached over 20 million people a week, telling them we had stores near them with products and services they were looking for. And with special discounts if they shop this week!

I've never had thousands of dollars for advertising, let alone millions, thus my "call to action" never has reached many people. But if others use their own media, blogs, sermons and news stories to also draw support to youth serving programs, many more would hear and respond.

That would draw more consistent resources to all of the youth serving programs in our library.

Can you take this role?

If a 4th grade student joins a tutor/mentor program in October 2023, and participates weekly through June 2024, she will hopefully be ready to move to 5th grade in the fall of 2024. And, will continue to be part of the same tutor/mentor program, perhaps matched with the same tutor or mentor.

If the program she joined is not fully funded, it may not retain staff, provide adequate training for volunteers and resources for students, and might not even stay open for a year. I don't think too many programs close each year. But will they still be available in the fall of 2024 when that student enters 5th grade, or in the fall of 2030, when that student enters 11th grade? Which is still a year short of high school graduation?

I encourage you to read this and other articles where I talk about philanthropy. Then visit this section of the Tutor/Mentor library and view all the articles available about philanthropy and fund raising. You also should bookmark this set of blogs, with information about fund raising and marketing.

While each program needs to develop its own capacity to raise funds, the rest of the community can help, by drawing volunteers and donors to the website of each program in Chicago, or in other communities.

See latest additions to the Tutor/Mentor Library at this link. Below are just a few examples.

• Free printable worksheets with answer keys - click here
• LogicComix - creative learning - click here
• IllinoisCivics.org - Civic Education - click here
• Climate Action Project - click here

About this newsletter.

While I try to send this only once a month, I write blog articles weekly. Throughout the newsletter I post links to a few of the articles published in the past month or earlier. I encourage you to spend a little time each week reading these articles and following the links.

Use the ideas and presentations in group discussions with other people who are concerned about the same issues.

View current and past newsletters at this link.

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