TMI Video Library

The videos on this page were created between 2005 and 2018 to help people understand the strategies and resources shared by the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), which is led by Daniel F. Bassill.

Click here for more T/MC and T/MI videos. Click here to view videos created by interns.  View these videos on this YouTube video list. Find more on this list, and this one

Note. Most of these videos were created prior to 2018 and still show a PO Box mailing address.  Use the contact us page to find current information. 

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Mentoring Kids to Careers - Strategies and Leadership Commitment needed -  click here

 

Read more in this blog article.

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4-Part Strategy to Help Kids Through School and Into Careers - piloted since 1993 -  click here

 Read more in this blog article.

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Growth of volunteers in a long-term tutor/mentor program. Showing work by interns from the University of Michigan and Northwestern - click here

View this "volunteer growth" blog article - click here.

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Volunteer involvement in on-going tutor/mentor  program is a form of service-learning.  This video shows work of interns from South Korea and Northwestern University - click here

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Understanding "push-pull" as part of a tutor/mentor program strategy for helping youth through school -    click here
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Collective actions to support urban youth via organized, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs -  click here
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Visualize how resource providers and policy-makers might be more proactive in supporting on-going tutor/mentor programs.  Role of Influence -   click here

Read the blog article - click here

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"Enough is Enough" If we want to reduce urban violence on-going investments must be made - click here

 

Read this article on the Tutor/Mentor Institute,LLC blog - click here

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"Here to There". Visualize steps needed for building and sustaining programs that help youth through school and into careers.   click here
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Homework help resources for students, parents, volunteers, educators, library on this website.   click here

This video was created in 2018 when the TutorMentorConnection website was hosting the library. Now the links in the concept map shown in the video point to this website.  View the concept map - click here

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This video shows universities throughout Chicago where Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conferences were hosted - click here

Thank you to Terry Elliott, an educator from Western Kentucky, for creating this video.

This was part of a strategy aimed at recruiting universities as long-term partners. This blog article shows a 30 year history of reaching out to universities. Click here

 

View this video to see how Terry Elliott shared my review of 2018 actions. 

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Helping tutor/mentor programs grow - see  how interns have helped and how this is shared in the Tutor/Mentor blog - click here

View the blog article - click here

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Take a tour of this "It takes a village" video. What's it mean for youth in high poverty areas of cities like Chicago? - click here

This video shows work done in late 2000s by graduate students from the University of Michigan.

View the graphic in this blog article - click here

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Tour of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website (www.tutormentorexchange.net) created by Wona Chang, a 2015 intern from South Korea.  click here

 

2025 note.  The website platform has been updated, resulting in a new look for the site. However, the basic navigation remains the same as is shown in this video.  

View more videos created by interns - visit this page

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Introduction to T/MC OHATS (Organizational history and tracking system). Active on this site from 2002 to 2014 - click here

 

Visit this page and learn more about the T/MC OHATS.  While this is now only available as an archive it remains a model of how groups working toward a common goal might document actions to better understand accomplishments and who is contributing.

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The Tutor/Mentor Connection was created in 1993 by volunteers who had crated the site-based Cabrini Connections tutor/mentor program in late 1992.
It was the "local" Cabrini-Green focused part of a "local-global" strategy that continued until 2011. 

View videos showing activities at Cabrini  Connections. click here

 

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Helping volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow in  high poverty areas of Chicago - Dan Bassill, 2012 panel discussion - click here

 

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Mentor role in a larger strategy of community and youth development - click here

Read more in this blog article - click here

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What is poverty?  Dan Bassill in 2009 panel discussion - click here

 

The work done by interns that is shown on this and other pages demonstrates a role that students at any college or high school could take.  Imagine going to your school's website and find a collection of visualizations similar to what I show on these pages. 

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Thank you to Terry Elliott and others who read my blog articles, view my videos, and then create and share your own interpretation and understanding through your on media.
click here

 

Browse this set of articles on the Tutor/Mentor blog to see how Dan Bassill has networked and shared ideas with a network of Connected Learning (CLMOOC) educators since 2013.  

Dan has ofter showed the CLMOOC interactions as a model for how people in the youth development ecosystem should be interacting. 

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Helping nonprofit organizations grow to be good, then great, over many years. View this 2017 reflection - click here

 

Visit this blog to read more about helping youth tutor, mentor organizations grow to be good, then great, and stay great, over many years. 

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The challenges facing leaders of nonprofit organization. Executive Director panel from 2011 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference.
click here for part 1. 

View part 2 - click here.  View part 3 - click here

TMI Video - sharing ideas

The videos on this page feature history of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) along with interviews of founder Daniel F. Bassill. They also include videos from  past Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conferences that we hosted from 1994 to 2015.

Click here for more T/MC and T/MI videos. Click here to view videos created by interns. See videos created by Interns on this page.   View these videos on this YouTube video list. Find more on this list, and this one

Note. Most of these videos were created prior to 2018 and still show a PO Box mailing address.  Use the contact us page to find current information. 

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Introduction of Tutor/Mentor Connection at 1997 Presidents' Summit for America's Future -  click here
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Learn about the Tutor/Mentor Connection's  year-round program support strategy, piloted since 1993.  click here

 

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Value of Tutor/Mentor Program - Alumni Update - click here
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A Knowledge Network - created in 1993
click here

This anArticle 5 Image

Mentoring Interview with Anthony Brogdon, Detroit, MI. 3-2022   click here
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Interview with Valerie Leonard of NonProfit Utopia, re T/MI use of visualizations.  click here

Read the blog article - click here

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An Interview with Tutor/Mentor Institute's Daniel Bassill, 2014 by Terry Elliott. click here

Read the blog article - click here

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Sharing Tutor/Mentor strategies with Aliyu B. Solomon, from Nigeria. 4-2022 - click here
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How to Build a Culture of Empathy - 2012 talk with Edwin Rutsch  click here

View second 2012 discussion about empathy and mentoring, including Edwin Rutsch and Bert-Ola Bergstrand, from Sweden. click here

Read the blog article - click here

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If volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring is of value, how do we reach more  youth in areas of persistent poverty?
click here
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This videos describes Dan Bassill's history of involvement in volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs - click here
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Animation showing role athletes & celebrities can take to support youth-serving programs throughout the cities where they perform - click here

  

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Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference: What People Say.  2007 - click here
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Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference Video - 2010
click here

 

More videos!  Visit this page, showing work of interns. This page focuses on videos from the Cabrini Connections tutor/mentor program that was formed in late 1992 and launched the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993.  More conference videos and panel discussions with Dan Bassill are shown on this page. 

Visual Essays - pg 3

Since the 1970s Dan Bassill, founder of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (led by Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC since 2011) has used visualizations to share strategies and resources. The visual essays on this page focus on building attention and mobilizing resources for multiple programs.

The original collection of PDFs are listed on this page

Create your own versions and focus the strategies on your own city.  Show your support with a contribution. click here

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Tutor/Mentor Connection Logic Model.  If you agree, adopt the strategy - click here
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Ask elected leaders to appy this strategy to help reduce violence in Chicago - click here
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Planning needed/use of maps to combat violence in Chicago  - click here
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Want to help tutor/mentor programs grow? Help build attention for youth serving programs - click here
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Use this "Rest of the Story" media strategy to draw attention to youth serving programs in high need areas - click here
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Example of "Rest of the Story" strategy- North Lawndale - click here 

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Form a Tutor/Mentor Connection research/action program at your college/university - click here
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30-year (1993 to 2024) history of reaching out to universities. A long road. Learn from our examples - click here
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Use this strategic plan, created by DePaul University students, to build your own university leadership effort - click here
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This shows a role college fraternities and sororities can take to help build a tutor/mentor program pipeline to careers - click here
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How faith communities can help tutor/mentor programs grow in more places - click here
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A strategic plan hospitals can take to adopt the Tutor/Mentor Connection strategy. Use for planning - click here
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Establish a Tutor/Mentor Connection strategy in the legal community. Use this for planning - click here
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Strategy for elected leaders, using one Illinois Congressional district as an example -  click here

View more of our visual essays:  Page 1   Page 2   Page 4  Page 5

March 2021 Tutor/Mentor eNews

March 2021 - Issue 198
Building Network of Support for Youth
 
Is the pandemic almost over? Maybe by next fall? How has this affected the availability of non-school, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs in high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago and other cities? What will program design look like in the future?

These are things I write about in the Tutor/Mentor blog and that I share in this monthly newsletter.

If you are writing about these strategies on blogs or in program websites, please share the link with me on one of the social media platforms I point to.
Use this newsletter as a study guide.

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.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
What will youth programs look like after Covid19?

Prior to Covid19 many site-based tutor/mentor programs had computers where youth and volunteers could sit side-by-side doing research for school papers, homework and/or current events. For the past year these two people have been in different places, yet still connected via the computer to each other, and resources on-line.

Here's an article written following the 2021 Mentoring Summit with 5 tips for building an e-Mentoring strategy into a site-based program.

And, here are links to eMentor/Tutor programs to learn from. Use these in planning for post Covid activities.


How has Pandemic Affected Youth Serving Organizations?

Last August I shared an invitation for youth program leaders to talk to the team at Great Lakes Growth Works, a consulting firm in Michigan, about how the pandemic was affecting them.

They published this blog article on March 15, with their summary of those conversations. Among those interviewed were leaders from Highsight Chicago and A Better Chicago.

Read the blog to see the key takeaways, challenges and supports needed.
Racial Equity Data

Data maps can be used to support decision makers in government, business and philanthropy. However, many maps have been built without a racial equity lens. For many years, I've used the cMap shown below to point to data platforms in my library and to blog articles where I've included maps. I updated it recently to add a section of links to websites that focus on racial equity in data (see node in upper right). These include:

* Tableau Foundation Racial Equity Data Hub - click here
* Urban Institute's Racial Equity Analytics Lab - click here
* We All Count - a project to increase equity in data science - click here

View the concept map here. If you're using maps in blog articles to inform public opinion or build donor support for specific areas, please share you articles on Twitter, Facebook and/or Linkedin.

I keep adding new links to the Tutor/Mentor library and this concept map. One area where I'd like to find better data maps is in mapping of philanthropic and government funding. If you know of such platforms please send me the link.
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If we want to help more kids living in poverty areas move through school what do we need to know?

The data from Covid19 and before shows that poverty is a major contributor to the challenges many youth face in moving safely from birth to work. This is not a new revelation. It's been clear for many decades. And while billions of dollars have been spent on education efforts, and on non-school programs, the problem still persists for many kids in many places.

So what are we missing? I think we're missing a comprehensive and on-going strategy. As I've led the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) I've had a lot of time to think about this. I started using visualizations in the 1990s and concept maps in 2005 to share my thinking.

Below is one concept map that shows a sequence of thoughts, starting with "we need organized youth programs in more places" to "we need to find ways to build and sustain public will, and funding, that reaches youth programs in EVERY high poverty neighborhood.

This is just my thinking. I encourage others to create their own concept maps. You can see my entire library at this link.
What are all the things we need to be thinking of is we want youth tutor mentor programs in all high poverty areas of Chicago.
I'm passing on this request from a mentoring Research Project at Johns Hopkins University

"Are you interested in participating in a research study with Johns Hopkins University? We need mentors and mentees from across the U.S. to pilot test our new app for one month! The app is designed to support the mentors of young African American men who have a sexual interest in men. All participants will receive a gift card as well as a chance to win tickets to an event of their choice. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., the Study Coordinator, for more information."

Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.

 
Resources from Tutor/Mentor:

* List of Chicago area youth Tutor and/or Mentor programs, plus other resources for finding youth programs - click here

* Facebook pages of Chicago area youth programs - click here

* Instagram pages of Chicago area youth programs - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Mapping for Justice blog - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Library - This blog article shows short links to each section in Tutor/Mentor library and to concept maps and PDF strategy presentations - click here

* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network - click here

* Blogs I follow using Inoreader - click here
* Philanthropy and Covid-19: Measuring One Year of Giving. IssueLab report. pdf. click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - Covid-19 resources - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - City of Chicago - visit site and find activities for youth - click here

* Strengthening Chicago Youth web site, click here; blog - click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* To & Through Project web site - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* ChiHackNight - remote civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see weekly agenda

*Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles-click here
Please help update this cMap and the links in the Tutor/Mentor web library. Just email me with additions or changes.
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.

Encourage friends, family, co-workers to sign up to receive this newsletter. Click here.
(If you subscribe, don't forget to respond to the confirmation email)

Thank you for reading and sharing the ideas in this newsletter.
 

April 2021 Tutor/Mentor eNews

April 2021 - Issue 199
Building Network of Support for Youth
As we approach the end of this school year we face uncertainty because of the pandemic, because of unequal access to learning resources and opportunities, and because of many other challenges that face all of us.

In the first graphic below I ask "How can we do this better?" That refers to helping kids in poverty move through school, or to any other problem we're facing.

In the following sections I point to on-line libraries where information can be found and used to innovate local and global solutions.
Use this newsletter as a study guide.

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.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Where can you find ideas?
While I point to the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC web site as a rich resource, within my library I point to other sites which not only are also rich resources, but have more updated, interactive websites, making the information easier to find. Below are a few of those places.

If you know of interactive web libraries that you find useful, please share a link with me on Twitter, Facebook and/or Linkedin. Let's try to draw more users to all of them.
Digital Promise - learning issues

Over 500 public school and district staff members—including teachers, principals, superintendents, and others—from across the U.S. responded to a survey sharing their highest-priority challenges in education. Each circle in this interactive graphic represents a single challenge. Visit the website. Click here.

See blog article where I point to this site.
"Whatever community you are in, you are bound to find something parallel and worth digging into."

That's the premise behind the Education Reimagined organization and website.
Open this link and view the interactive map showing six categories of learning environments, representing ideas that people from anyplace can draw from to improve their own.

See blog article where I point to this site.
 
World Economic Forum's Strategic Intelligence Map.

This is one of the most extensive, interactive web libraries that I've found recently. It looks like you need to subscribe to use it (not the case a year ago).

However, it's a rich resource. On this page they show the Sustainable Development Goals. Click on any box and go deeper into the library.

See blog article where I point to this site.
Center for American Progress

The graphic above shows the ISSUES page on the Center for American Progress website. Click on any of the categories and the site takes you into articles related to that issue.

If you do search for "Center for American Progress" on the Tutor/Mentor blog you find three articles.

In 2012 I pointed to a blog article about collective impact on their website.
Digital Access and Digital Divide
IDEA 2030 is a research initiative at Tufts University that aims to focus the minds of decision-makers through data-driven insights on inclusive digital economies.

Visit the site and view the webinar held on March 31, 2021. View slides from the webinar (example above) at this link.

View the Digital Divide concept map where I point to this and other resources. click here
"Wondering Why Broadband Access is important to work and learning?"

That's a question educators from around the country are asking in a Shaping.Edu initiative hosted by Arizona State University.

The Shaping.edu group hosts ZOOM events, a Slack channel, and shares on Twitter. Anyone can join them.

See the blog article where I point to this.
Global Issues and Systems Thinking

Sustainable Development Goals

The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.

The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.

See blog article where I point to this.
Systems Thinking offers a way to reach a shared understanding about complex issues.
 
At this link I point to an article titled "Covid-19 means systems thinking is no longer optional." The article includes excellent descriptions of what systems thinking is and applies this thinking to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
See blog article where I applied this thinking to work needed to help kids in poverty areas move through school and into adult lives.
The on-going challenge of funding the work
Any efforts to solve complex problems are more difficult because of the difficult of finding on-going operating dollars. The traditional philanthropy and government grant process causes competition for funding, which is theoretically good, since the best ideas get funded.

However, as I wrote in this article, when multiple organizations doing similar work are needed in many places, such as non-school tutor/mentor programs in Chicago and other cities, a system that only funds a few, and does not encourage (and fund) constant improvement, reaches only a few of the people who need help.
Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
Resources from Tutor/Mentor:

* List of Chicago area youth Tutor and/or Mentor programs, plus other resources for finding youth programs - click here

* Facebook pages of Chicago area youth programs - click here

* Instagram pages of Chicago area youth programs - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Mapping for Justice blog -click here

* Tutor/Mentor Library - This blog article shows short links to each section in Tutor/Mentor library and to concept maps and PDF strategy presentations - click here

* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network - click here

* Blogs I follow using Inoreader - click here
While I point to the same sites each month, they update on their sites regularly.
 
* Philanthropy and Covid-19: Measuring One Year of Giving. Issue Lab report. pdf. click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - Covid-19 resources - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - City of Chicago - visit site and find activities for youth - click here

* Strengthening Chicago Youth web site, click here; blog -click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* To & Through Project web site - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center -click here

* ChiHackNight - remote civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see weekly agenda

*Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles-click here
Please help update this cMap and the links in the Tutor/Mentor web library. Just email me with additions or changes.
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.
 
Encourage friends, family, co-workers to sign up to receive this newsletter. Click here.
 
(If you subscribe, don't forget to respond to the confirmation email)
Thank you for reading and sharing the ideas in this newsletter.
 

May 2021 Tutor/Mentor eNews

May 2021 - Issue 200

Celebrate Tutor/Mentor Programs
For the past few weeks I've been seeing posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from various Chicago area youth tutor and/or mentor programs that invite people to participate in on-line year-end celebrations and that draw attention to program participants and graduates.

I point to a few of these in the graphics below and provide links to my lists of programs, so that you can visit their websites, join in the celebrations, and become a volunteer and/or donor to help them repeat this cycle again in the 2021-22 school year.
Use this newsletter as a study guide.

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.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website
Year-end celebrations
Below I show Twitter posts from Chicago Lights, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, Highsight and Bottom Line. These are just a few that I've seen from Chicago volunteer-based tutor and/or mentor programs who post regularly on Twitter.

I attended the Highsight event on Zoom. Others are still upcoming. Having led a tutor/mentor program with seniors graduating every year, I really appreciated the stories told by Highsight seniors and alumni.
See the Twitter list pointing to Chicago area programs Click here.

Visit @tutormentorteam on Twitter and scroll through my posts to see how I ReTweet announcements from many Chicago programs.

Chicago Tutor and/or Mentor Program Links Library updated

Currently there are 186 organizations listed in the web library I started building via the Tutor/Mentor Connection, back in 1994. Each year I open each link to make sure it is working, to try to see if the program is still operating, to update myself on the work being done and how the organization shares information on its websites. I just completed that process.

As I did this I created JPG images of the home pages of a few programs and shared these on Twitter, along with a link to the organization's website. This is part of the long-term strategy that I stated in 1993, aimed at increasing visibility for every tutor/mentor program in the region, with the goal of drawing a more consistent flow of dollars and volunteers to each program, based on the information they share on their websites.

I maintain three lists to help draw attention to Chicago area programs. The main one is on the Tutor/Mentor Connection website. Click here to view.
I also plot locations of these organizations on a map of Chicago, which you can find at this link.

I also host a list of the Facebook pages of most of these organizations - click here

And I host a list of Instagram pages - click here

Links to programs shown below: Chicago Scholars, Cluster Tutoring, Blessed Sacrament Youth Center, Tutoring Chicago.
More posts by Chicago programs on Twitter
Programs shown: Actuarial Foundation, Breakthrough, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, MapsCorps These are just a few of the youth tutor, mentor & learning programs serving Chicago.
Help Me Maintain and Share this Information
Anyone who has a computer can spend time viewing the lists of Chicago area tutoring and/or mentoring programs that I hosts.

That means individuals, or groups, could adopt sections of the city and suburbs, and build a deeper understanding of what programs exist and what they do. They could check my list for accuracy, or to tell me to add and/or delete or to fix broken links.

They can also create and share images to help build visibility and draw volunteers to programs.

You don't need to ask for permission. Just start doing it. I'll know you are taking this role from your email messages to me, and your posts on social media.
How Well Is USA Achieving the Global Goals? Poorly.
I watch several ZOOM events monthly. One using the hashtag #InTheRed provided information showing performance of every state in the USA against each of the 17 Global Goals. See data and view webinar on this website.

View blog articles where I point to several on-line events from the past month.
May 6 article - click here
April 1 article - click here

Does your city have someone doing what I do?
If not, borrow from my history and create your own
Tutor/Mentor Connection type strategy.

Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Enough Is Enough. Adopt this Strategy - click here

How Would YOU Visualize these Ideas? - click here

How will Changing Demographics Affect Chicago Tutor and/or Mentor Programs? - click here

Follow Negative News with "The Rest of the Story' - click here

Other Resources from Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC websites:

* Planning resources, such as "How to Start a Tutor/Mentor Program - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here
* Concept Map library - click here

* Mapping for Justice blog - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Library - This blog article shows short links to each section in Tutor/Mentor library and to concept maps and PDF strategy presentations - click here

* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network -click here

* Blogs I follow using Inoreader - click here


* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here
Please help update this cMap and the links in the Tutor/Mentor web library. Just email me with additions or changes.
 
Chicagoland Resources & Announcements

* We Will Chicago - citywide planning initiative - click here

Future Leaders in Planning - CMAP Summer Programs Opportunity for Youth. Apply by June 11 - click here

* What is Wireless Industry Doing to Connect Kids? Learn from CITA website - click here

* Turning America's Digital Divide into Digital Dividends. Visit Digital Planet website. click here

* Philanthropy and Covid-19: Measuring One Year of Giving. IssueLab report. pdf. click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - City of Chicago - visit site and find activities for youth - click here

* Strengthening Chicago Youth website, click here; view blog - click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* To & Through Project web site - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* ChiHackNight - remote civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see weekly agenda
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.

Encourage friends, family, co-workers to sign up to receive this newsletter. Click here.
(If you subscribe, don't forget to respond to the confirmation email)

Thank you for reading and sharing the ideas in this newsletter.
 

June-July 2021 eNews

June-July 2021 - Issue 201
Get to Know Chicago Tutor/Mentor Programs
In the May newsletter I shared screen shots from Twitter and Facebook of 12 Chicago area tutor and/or mentor programs. I feature a few more in this issue.

I point to these and other programs as an example of what others can do to help well-organized, volunteer-based youth tutor and/or mentor programs attract attention and resources needed to provide on-going services. I provide links to my lists of programs, so that you can visit their websites, learn what they do, and become a volunteer and/or donor to help them continue in the 2021-22 school year.
Use this newsletter as a study guide.

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.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Programs Telling Stories of Student Success
Use lists of programs hosted by Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

I maintain three lists to help draw attention to Chicago area programs. The main one is on the Tutor/Mentor Connection website. Click here to view.

I also plot locations of these organizations on a map of Chicago, which you can find at this link.

The image below shows a list of the Facebook pages of most of these organizations - click here

You can also find a list of Instagram pages on the site - click here
Help EACH youth program attract and retain needed talent.

Below are two of many graphics you can find on Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC websites and blogs. These visualize a goal of helping programs attract people with many different skills and talents, representing every business and civic sector, who help build and sustain well-organized, long-term, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs reaching k-12 youth in high poverty neighborhoods.

Read series of blog article focused on "talent needed". click here
Engage youth and volunteers in understanding
and solving complex problems.
One of the best ways to build a relationship between a youth and an adult is to focus on an issue beyond their immediate life that they can learn about, and perhaps become involved with.
The Tutor/Mentor library has sub sections with links to many research articles, and to websites that are hubs of information for specific issues.

Dig through the T/M library often to find these sites.

One sub-section focuses on race, poverty and inequality. Help volunteers, donors and youth educate themselves, then educate others.

Find links to sections of the library in this article.
Learn Ways to Expand Volunteer Recruitment Success
After a year of remote learning most site-based tutor and/or mentor programs are now ramping up plans for face-to-face sessions starting in the new school year. They are all looking for volunteers!

Now is the time for good planning and for enlisting business, media, faith groups and others to help "spread the word" and point potential volunteers to your websites.

Visit this section of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC site for tips on recruiting volunteers.
Learn how other cities might duplicate what Tutor/Mentor Connection/Institute, LLC does in Chicago. click here
Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Expanded Role of Volunteer in Tutor/Mentor Programs - click here

Juneteenth - Year-Round Learning - click here

Climate Crisis: Environmental Racism - click here

"Why not me?" IWU Commencement - click here

Planning Cycle for Youth Tutor and/or Mentor Programs - click here

Digital Divide resources - click here

Thoughts about maps - click here


 
Other Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Looking for a Chicago youth program? Use the links in this concept map - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Mapping for Justice blog - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network - click here

* Blogs I follow using Inoreader - click here

*Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles-click here
Please help update this cMap and the links in the Tutor/Mentor web library. Just email me with additions or changes.
Chicagoland Resources & Announcements

* We Will Chicago - citywide planning initiative - click here

* New Broadband Access map from Biden administration - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - City of Chicago - visit site and find map of activities for youth - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Educational Opportunities map - click here

* Mapping Covid Recovery Project - click here

* Strengthening Chicago Youth website,
click here; blog -click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* To & Through Project website -
click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center -click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* ChiHackNight - remote civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see weekly agenda
Connect with Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and each other on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Find links to my social media pages here.
Mission, History, Strategy and Introduction to founder, Dan Bassill

On the right side of the home page at http://www.tutormentorexchange.net are links to pages that will give you a deeper understanding of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and its founder, Daniel F. Bassill.
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.
 
Encourage friends, family, co-workers to sign up to receive this newsletter. Click here.
(If you subscribe, don't forget to respond to the confirmation email)

Thank you for reading and sharing the ideas in this newsletter.

August 2021 T/M eNews

August 2021 - Issue 202
Help Mobilize Volunteers and Donors for Local Tutor and/or Mentor Programs
Every August since 1975 I've launched a volunteer and student recruitment campaign to draw volunteers and youth to tutor/mentor programs I led in Chicago.

In 1993 when I formed the Tutor/Mentor Connection, this outreach expanded to support more than 120 non-school, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs.

While we published a printed directory from 1994 to 2002 our lists of programs has been available on the Internet since 1998. Anyone can use it to help draw volunteers, youth and donors to youth programs in every part of Chicago or in other cities.
Use this newsletter as a study guide.

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.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Programs Telling Stories on Social Media

At the right I show a Twitter list including more than 170 Chicago area youth programs. I host a similar list for programs that use Facebook, and that use Instagram.

In addition, I host a list of Chicago area programs on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website.

Visit the home page of the T/MI website. On the left side, under HOT LINKS, you'll find links to each of these lists.

Go to: www.tutormentorexchange.net
Enlist local businesses, media, faith groups and public leaders as partners to help mobilize volunteers and donors.
 
Below is a copy of a Volunteer Recruitment ad that appeared in a Chicago newspaper in 2006, pointing to the list of programs hosted by the Tutor/Mentor Connection. If multiple companies, businesses, faith groups, etc. created and published similar ads throughout August, more people would be reached and motivated to search out youth tutor and/or mentor programs to support.

If you're involved in advertising sales for local media, create a template and go to local companies to encourage them to post these ads, with their company logo shown in the middle, such as in this example.
In November a similar ad campaign could be repeated, but this time focused on year-end fund raising.

While individual youth programs could adopt this strategy to draw attention to their own programs, the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC seek to support EVERY volunteer-based youth tutor, mentor and learning program within a geographic area such as the Chicago region. Others can duplicate this strategy in cities across the world.
Tune up your website! Make sure visitors find information that motivates them to support you.

How well does your website or blog inform potential volunteers, donors or student participants?

I created this "shoppers guide" to offer suggestions for what you might want to show on your web site. These are also suggestions for information you'd want to connect to evaluate your program and constantly try to improve its impact.

If you're a communications professional, web designer, advertising writer, etc. you might offer your talent to help local programs build and maintain more powerful websites. Many don't have the money to hire people to do this work.
How Many Programs are Needed in Chicago?
In late July the Chicago SunTimes pointed to 15 Chicago community areas as having the highest number of shootings and homicides in 2021, calling them "High Priority" areas.

The Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC created a presentation showing how the SunTimes maps, and the Tutor/Mentor Chicago Programs Map could be used in an analysis intended to build and sustain programs in each of these community areas.

View some of the maps in this article - click here

View each maps in this T/MI pdf - click here
Putting Data to Work for Young People
Every Hour Counts, along with the Wallace Foundation, has released a new framework for measurement and continuous improvement of afterschool systems, programs and support for youth.

It's part of an extensive library on the Wallace Foundation website. View the report - click here

I found this in my @tutormentorteam Twitter feed. It's a continuous source of new resources that can be used to help youth throughout the country.
All Students Deserve Enriching, Authentic Relationships
New article from the Gates Foundation supports mentoring and points to a Christensen Institute playbook on how to build and strengthen students' networks.

Read the article and follow the links. Click here.

Reach out and give support to Chicago youth tutor and/or mentor programs. See how I pointed to a few in this May 2021 eNews.
Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Response to Chicago Violence: Do the Planning - click here

Give Olympic Gold Medals for Ending Poverty - click here

Multi-Site Youth Programs in Chicago - click here

Take a Tour of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website - click here

Racism and the Economy - Get Informed - click here

Network Building: Learning from the Past - click here

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words - click here

Mentoring As a Workforce Development Strategy -c lick here

 
Other Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Mapping for Justice blog - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network - click here

* Blogs I follow using Inoreader - click here
.
Chicagoland Resources & Announcements

* We Will Chicago - citywide planning initiative - click here

* New Broadband Access map from Biden administration - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - City of Chicago - visit site and find map of activities for youth - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Strengthening Chicago Youth website, click here; blog - click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* ChiHackNight - remote civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see weekly agenda


*Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles-click here
Please help update this cMap and the links in the Tutor/Mentor web library. Just email me with additions or changes
Learn how other cities might duplicate what Tutor/Mentor Connection/Institute, LLC does in Chicago. click here

Mission, History, Strategy and Introduction to founder, Dan Bassill

On the right side of the home page at http://www.tutormentorexchange.net are links to pages that will give you a deeper understanding of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and its founder, Daniel F. Bassill.
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.

Encourage friends, family, co-workers to sign up to receive this newsletter. Click here.
(If you subscribe, don't forget to respond to the confirmation email)

Thank you for reading and sharing the ideas in this newsletter.

Sept 2021 Tutor/Mentor eNews

September 2021 - Issue 203
Back-to-School Learning Resources
 
As you read this newsletter every volunteer-based youth tutor and/or mentor program is seeking new volunteers and enrolling students. During September there will be training and orientation sessions and, hopefully, by the start of October youth and volunteers will begin weekly sessions that will last through the school year, and beyond.

In this month's newsletter I'm pointing to homework help resources that anyone can use throughout the year, as well as training resources to help volunteers and parents.
Use this newsletter as a study guide.
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.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Resource to help youth and volunteers find tutor and/or mentor programs.

In addition, I host a list of Chicago area programs on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website.

Visit the home page of www.tutormentorexchange.net and on the left side, under HOT LINKS, you'll find links to each of these lists.
Training resources for volunteers and parents

While individual youth programs could adopt this strategy to draw attention to their own programs, the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC seek to support EVERY volunteer-based youth tutor, mentor and learning program within a geographic area such as the Chicago region. Others can duplicate this strategy in cities across the world.

Visit this section of the Tutor/Mentor library and browse three sub-sections of training resources available for tutor and mentor volunteers, as well as parents.
Homework help, learning resources.

View this concept map to find sections of learning resources in the Tutor/Mentor web library.

Categories include:
  • math science
  • written skills
  • literature and arts
  • social science
  • multiple subjects
  • extra curricular
Point Volunteers to On-going Learning
Volunteers who connect with youth in organized tutor/mentor programs can have a much greater impact beyond the regular time they spend with youth. Point them to libraries with information about poverty, segregation, structural racism, inequality, etc. and encourage them to read and discuss this information. The longer a volunteer stays involved, and the more informed she is, the more that volunteer will do to help the youth and the program.

Service learning loop video - click here

View Law, Justice, Poverty library map.
 
Tell your story on social media
In the Tutor/Mentor web library I point to more than 2000 websites. As I update the library I look for Twitter accounts, then add them to my own lists so I can constantly follow their work.

Here's a Tweet where I shared the Twitter handles for more than 50 organizations doing some form of service learning, thus giving attention to each one.

My goal is to help build a community of people working to help kids to careers. They need to follow and learn from each other. Others can look at links in the library, or other libraries, and do the same type of network building.
Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
 
Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Enough Is Enough - Adopt this Strategy - click here

On-Going Cycle of Problem Solving - click here

Learn from 1990s Tutor/Mentor Connection newsletters - click here

Share News of Youth Tutor/Mentor Programs - click here

Take a Tour of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website - click here

A Look at Purpose Driven Boards - click here

Invitation to Universities - click here

How Many Youth Programs are Needed? - click here

Thoughts about maps - click here


Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Mapping for Justice blog - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network - click here

* Blogs I follow using Inoreader - click here
.
Chicagoland Resources & Announcements

* Austin Coming Together resource newsletter - click here

* Heartland Research and Policy - new county well-being index - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - City of Chicago - visit site and find map of activities for youth - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Strengthening Chicago Youth website, click here;  blog - click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* ChiHackNight - remote civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see weekly agenda

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here
Please help update this cmap and the links in the Tutor/Mentor web library. Just email me with additions or changes
Learn how other cities might duplicate what Tutor/Mentor Connection/Institute, LLC does in Chicago. click here
Mission, History, Strategy and Introduction to founder, Dan Bassill

On the right side of the home page at http://www.tutormentorexchange.net are links to pages that will give you a deeper understanding of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and its founder, Daniel F. Bassill.
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.

Encourage friends, family, co-workers to sign up to receive this newsletter. Click here.
(If you subscribe, don't forget to respond to the confirmation email)

Thank you for reading and sharing the ideas in this newsletter.

October 2021 T/M eNews

October 2021 - Issue 204
Are We Reaching Youth in Every
High Poverty Area?
 
By now, mid October, volunteer-based tutor and/or mentor programs that work on a school calendar year have finished most of their volunteer and student recruitments, orientations and training and kids and volunteers are meeting weekly.

In this month's newsletter I'm asking how many youth are being reached by these programs and how programs are communicating their strategies.

Take a look. Use this as a conversation-starter in your own community or NPO program.
Use this newsletter as a study guide.

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.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
New location of Chicago Tutor/Mentor Program List

The website where I've hosted my library is going off line. That means I need to find a new place to host the library....without any funds to do that.

I've already moved my list of 150+ Chicago area programs to a new location. Open this link to see the page shown in the graphic. Save the link for future use.
Map showing Chicago Area Tutor and/or Mentor Programs

I've used maps since 1993 to show where volunteer-based tutor mentor programs are located in the Chicago region. See the current map in this blog article.

Maps can also be used to determine where programs are most needed, based on indicators like community health, poverty levels, school performance, etc. I show a variety of platforms that can be used for such an analysis in this concept map.
Based on the number of youth in a high poverty area, how many non-school programs are needed?

Using data maps and my list of Chicago tutor mentor programs neighborhood planning teams should be doing an analysis to determine if there are enough programs to reach a minimum of 25% of the k-12 youth in the area.

This blog article offers thought starters. Apply these ideas in any city, not just Chicago.
How do tutor and/or mentor programs communicate strategy?
I've used these two graphics since 1990s to communicate the design of an on-going, mentor-rich program and roles volunteers and others can take daily to draw attention and resources directly to youth programs in their city.

Both of these use the "hub and spoke" design. The "hub" represents a youth and the 20-25 years it takes to move from birth-to-work. The spokes represent the range of adults available to model career opportunities and help youth move through school and into jobs.

 
Fix how programs are funded
In order for long-term tutor/mentor programs to be available in more places the way programs are funded needs to change. Short term competitive grant programs only reach a few kids in a few places for a few years, and with only part of the money needed.

If you've led a non profit you understand this problem. Take a look at this article and begin to think of ways to change this system.
Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
 
Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Building Segmented Understanding of Youth Serving Programs - click here

Building a Knowledge-Based Ecosystem - click here

Learn from 1990s Tutor/Mentor Connection newsletters - click here

Building the Network - click here

Take a Tour of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website - click here

20 years after 9/11. What have we learned? click here



Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor -
click here

* Concept Map library -
click here

* Mapping for Justice blog -
click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network -
click here

* Blogs I follow using
Inoreader - click here
 
 
 
* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here
Please help update this cmap and the links in the Tutor/Mentor web library. Just email me with additions or changes
.
Resources & Announcements

* America's Promise 2021 Grad Nation report - click here

* Racism and the Economy: Focus on Wealth Divide. Oct. 20 event hosted by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis - click here

*Heartland Research and Policy - new county well-being index - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - City of Chicago - visit site and find map of activities for youth - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Strengthening Chicago Youth website,
click here;  blog - click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative -
click here

* To & Through Project website -
click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

*  AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* ChiHackNight - remote civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see weekly agenda
Learn how other cities might duplicate what Tutor/Mentor Connection/Institute, LLC does in Chicago. click here
 
Mission, History, Strategy and Introduction to founder, Dan Bassill
On the right side of the home page at http://www.tutormentorexchange.net are links to pages that will give you a deeper understanding of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and its founder, Daniel F. Bassill.

Each year I invite supporters to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC by making a gift in recognition of my December 19th birthday. This year, I'll be 75. Please help, if you can.
Make a gift at this link.
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.

Encourage friends, family, co-workers to sign up to receive this newsletter. Click here.
(If you subscribe, don't forget to respond to the confirmation email)

Thank you for reading and sharing the ideas in this newsletter.