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March 2023 Tutor/Mentor eNews

March 2023 - Issue 220

Finish the School Year Strong

As we near the end of this school year youth serving programs need to find innovative ways to keep students and volunteers engaged so they have a strong finish and momentum heading into the 2023-24 school year.

This monthly newsletter shares links to youth programs in Chicago and around the country with the goal that each program spends time learning from all others. That's a recipe for constant improvement.

Building awareness of these resources and motivating people to use them is an on-going challenge.

Encourage your volunteers, board members and supporters to help you find ideas you can use to support program operations and improvement. Do a search on Google, Bing or Duck Duck Go for "tutor mentor, plus one more word, like learning, planning, or collaboration. My websites show up among the first five to 10 listings.

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!

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Where are you finding ideas to help you build stronger programs for youth in your city? What does the carrot represent in this graphic?

This newsletter and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC websites and blog article point to information that youth program leaders, donors, policy makers, businesses, etc. can use to fill high poverty neighborhoods with comprehensive, on-going, youth development and learning programs.

What do the carrot and rabbit represent? Ideas. Front runners. Innovators. People you can learn from.

I show this idea in this blog article.

I wrote about the Edison effect in this article.

Who is helping youth tutor/mentor programs grow in your city?

This map shows youth serving tutor and/or mentor programs in the Chicago region. View it in this article. Each organization has a unique history and story that shows who they are, what they do and who they serve. Ideally program websites would show this information and it would be shared regularly on social media in an effort to attract volunteers and donors needed to support on-going operations.

Some programs do this well. Others need help. Volunteers from communications industries and students from high schools and colleges could be telling stories of programs in different areas. City leaders could be encouraging this. Maybe the next Mayor of Chicago will take this role. Maybe Mayors in other cities already do this.

Do the Planning

What information should volunteers, parents, donors and media find on youth program websites?

How well do youth programs in your city communicate their history, strategy, successes and challenges on their websites? Do they use blogs to share info regularly? Is their enough information for volunteers, donors and/or parents to make an informed choice of helping them?

Take a look at the PDF essays in this blog article.

Ideas for innovation, collaboration, process improvement.

One section of the Tutor/Mentor library contains links to articles and websites that focus on collaboration, community building, knowledge management, innovation, mapping and process improvement.

These are resources that anyone in for-profit or non-profit organizations can use to support constant improvement. Open this link to view one section of this library.

Encourage your students to learn from these articles.

Steps to start and sustain a youth serving program.

I led a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program in Chicago from 1975 to 2011 and in this section of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website I share PDF essays that anyone can use to start a new tutor/mentor program or help an existing one grow.

These same ideas can be applied to building and sustaining an intermediary network intended to help well-organized tutor/mentor programs reach k-12 youth in all high poverty areas of any city.

I'd love to see blog articles showing strategies other programs are using to start programs and keep them going!

It takes 20-25 years for each child to grow from birth to work.

Few cities have comprehensive support systems that help kids in every high poverty area make this journey safely and successfully.

I've been focusing on long-term support systems since starting the Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago in 1993 and via blog articles written since 2005.

Open this link and browse through some of the articles that focus on building and sustaining youth tutor/mentor programs. Apply the ideas in your own city.

New resources on "misinformation and disinformation" added to library.

MisInfoDay is an event hosted by the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. It's one of many important resources you'll find on their website.

I added the link to this section of the Tutor/Mentor library where you'll find a few similar resources and where I'll add more as I find them.

What do you know about ChatGPT and AI in education?

I'm part of a group of educators who are gathering information and will be exploring uses of AI and ChatGPT during coming months. Here's one Google doc where ideas are being shared.

Here's a blog article where I shared my first experiment with ChatGPT. Follow the #ETMOOC group on Twitter to see updates.

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

View latest links added to tutor/mentor library - click here

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Creating more luck for kids in high poverty areas - click here

Borrow from Lessons of Tutor/Mentor Connection - click here

What Youth Programs Exist in Your Area? - click here

Super Bowl, Tutoring and Mentoring - click here

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements

* Google Analytics is changing. Are you prepared? Here's one article to read. click here

* Connect Illinois Digital Equity Coalition - click here

* Illinois Broadband Lab - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Brooklyn Public Library National Teen E-card. Makes books available to teens throughout USA - click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

* Blogs on learning, education, fund raising - 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. Please help fund this work.

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Apri-May 2023 eNews

April - May 2023 - Issue 221

Are You Learning About Artificial Intelligence

Tools like ChatGPT?

Is anyone in your family, or organization, discussing ways to use Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT?

Do you know what this is?

I've just been learning about it and see many potential uses and opportunities. In this month's newsletter I'll point to some of these.

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

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Celebrate volunteers during April Volunteer Recognition events

National Volunteer Week, April 16 to 22, is an annual celebration of the countless individuals who selflessly donate their time and effort to make a difference in their communities. This week serves as an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers for their contributions, while also encouraging others to get involved and make a positive impact.

As we journey through National Volunteer Week this year, there is no better time to shine a light on the importance of youth tutor mentor programs in Chicago and other cities across the country, and to encourage more volunteers to get involved in these initiatives.

Youth tutor mentor programs play a vital role in the development and success of young people, particularly those who come from underprivileged or disadvantaged backgrounds. These programs provide students with the resources and support they need to succeed academically and build important life skills. By volunteering with a youth tutor mentor program, you can help to provide young people with the tools and guidance they need to reach their full potential.

In Chicago and other cities, there are many different youth tutor mentor programs that are in need of dedicated and passionate volunteers. I maintain lists of Chicago youth serving programs, and point to directories that can help you find similar programs in other cities.

Whether you have experience working with children or not, there is a place for you to make a difference. By volunteering just a few hours a week, you can help to create a brighter future for young people in your community.

So as we celebrate National Volunteer Week this year, let's remember the importance of supporting youth tutor mentor programs, and let's encourage more volunteers to get involved. By working together, we can help to ensure that every young person has the resources and support they need to succeed, both in school and in life.

Disclaimer:

Almost everything in the above paragraphs was written in less than a minute by ChatGPT. I just added a few links, a photo, and information about Chicago youth tutor/mentor programs that I point to from this list. Visit the Tutor/Mentor blog and see the entire article and how I included the ChatGPT text.

What youth tutor/mentor programs are in your city?

Volunteer-based tutor mentor programs are making a significant impact in the education of students in Chicago. These programs are run by various non-profit organizations and community groups, and they all share a common goal of helping students succeed in school.

One such program is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, which pairs adult volunteers with children who need a positive role model and mentor. This program has been operating in Chicago for over 50 years and has helped thousands of young people through its one-to-one mentoring relationships.

Another program is the Chicago Scholars Foundation, which provides mentoring and support to first-generation college-bound students from under-resourced communities. This program has helped over 7,000 students since its inception in 1996.

In addition, the Becoming A Man program (BAM) provides group counseling and mentoring to young men in Chicago Public Schools. This program focuses on social-emotional development and has been shown to decrease arrests and increase graduation rates.

There are numerous other programs operating in Chicago, and they all play a critical role in helping students succeed. While it is difficult to estimate the exact number of volunteer-based tutor mentor programs in the city, it is clear that they are an important part of the educational landscape in Chicago. These programs rely on the dedication of volunteers and the support of community members to continue making a positive impact on the lives of students in the city.

This was also written by ChatGPT.

The prompt I used was: "You're a newspaper reporter. Your story describes some of the volunteer-based tutor mentor programs in Chicago."

Imagine the ways you, or your students, could be creating these stories

I am participating in the ETMOOC2 on-line learning community where people from many countries are sharing ideas and resources and talking about ways to use ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence tools.

I wrote about this group in this blog article.

The ETMOOC2 website is at this link.

Steps to Start a Volunteer-Based Tutor/Mentor Program

I asked ChatGPT to provide steps to start a volunteer-based youth tutor/mentor program. Below is the response.

Starting a volunteer-based youth tutor/mentor program can be a rewarding experience, but it requires careful planning and execution. Here are some steps to get started:

Define the program's goals and objectives: Determine what the program aims to achieve and identify the target audience. You may want to consider what subjects the program will cover, what age group of youth it will serve, and what type of volunteers you want to recruit.

Identify potential partners and volunteers: Consider partnering with local schools, community centers, or other organizations that work with youth. Identify potential volunteers, such as college students, retired teachers, or community members with relevant skills and experience.

Develop a program structure: Create a program schedule and curriculum that outlines the goals, objectives, and activities for the program. Consider how many volunteers will be needed, the frequency and duration of tutoring sessions, and how progress will be tracked.

Establish volunteer requirements: Determine what qualifications and expectations you have for volunteers, such as background checks, training, and availability. Provide training and support for volunteers to help them be successful.

Secure a location: Determine where tutoring sessions will be held, such as a community center, school, or library. Make sure the location is safe, accessible, and equipped with necessary resources.

Advertise the program: Promote the program to potential participants, such as schools, community centers, and parents. Use social media, flyers, and other outreach methods to reach your target audience.

Recruit and train volunteers: Develop a recruitment plan to attract volunteers, such as posting flyers at local community centers, schools, and libraries, or promoting the program on social media. Train volunteers on program objectives, teaching strategies, and safety protocols.

Start operations. Collect participation and attendance data.

Evaluate and improve the program: Regularly assess the program's effectiveness by monitoring progress and collecting feedback from volunteers and participants. Use this information to make improvements and refine the program structure.

Starting a youth tutor/mentor program can be a challenging and rewarding experience. By following these steps, you can create a successful program that makes a positive impact on the lives of youth in your community.

Compare this to the blog article I wrote in 2016 with "steps to start a tutor/mentor program.

What's a Prompt Engineer? Can they really earn this type of income?

"The expected salary range for a Prompt Engineer and Librarian is $175k to $335k."

This caught my eye because so many of us have kids who don't yet know what to do with their lives and so many of us work with youth living in areas with too few opportunities. Some of us may be looking for new, or second, career options, too.

Here's the presentation where the Prompt Engineer information was shared during the first #ETMOOC2 session.

Here's a link provided to help you learn what a Prompt Engineer is and how you can build your skills.

Don't know how to code? Ask ChatGPT to generate code for you.

Another feature that attracted my attention was the ability for ChatGPT to generate html code that you can use to build a website or a webpage.

People are talking about this in the Discord channel for #ETMOOC2 and in the Twitter #ETMOOC2 network.

I've been looking at experiments by Kevin Hodgson, a middle-school teacher from Massachusetts. Here's one article on his blog.

Here's a "how to" page I found that illustrates what's possible. Find more like this by using prompt "using ChatGPT to build a website" in your browser search.

Blogs are a big part of the #ETMOOC2

I first connected with this group of educators in 2013 when the first ETMOOC was held. Blogging was encouraged as a way to share ideas and build deeper interaction among participants. I point to many of those blogs in this section of the Tutor/Mentor library.

The ETMOOC2 has created a list of blogs (including mine) which you can find on this page

Start your own learning journey

Visit the ETMOOC2 site and begin to learn more about ways to use AI and tools like ChatGPT.

There is a vast library of articles, videos and examples along with a group of people helping each other learn. It's FREE. Participate as much, or as little as you want. Share the resources with others and start your own study group.

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

View latest links added to tutor/mentor library - click here

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Create a WebQuest to learn AI tools and share Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC strategies - click here

Sharing on Twitter - posts following election of new Mayor for Chicago - click here

Chicago has a new Mayor. Same Problems. - click here

Crime and Violence in Chicago Not New - click here

What is a Tutor/Mentor Learning Network? - click here

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here Learn about Landscape Surveys - click here

* Connect Illinois Digital Equity Coalition - click here

* Illinois Broadband Lab - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Brooklyn Public Library National Teen E-card. Makes books available to teens throughout USA - click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

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

About this newsletter.

View past newsletters from 2022 and in past years..

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. Please help fund this work.

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June 2023 T/M eNews

June 2023 - Issue 222

What is the level of poverty in your city?

This month's newsletter is going to focus on poverty research and ways volunteers in organized tutor/mentor programs can use this information to change conditions and do more to help K-12 youth move safely through school and into adult lives.

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

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Join the conversation. "How can we end poverty in America?"

In early May I watched a presentation hosted by the Urban Institute, featuring Matt Desmond, author of a new book titled "Poverty in America". I provided links to the webinar, and to Matt Desmond's website, along with other articles on this topic, in this blog article.

One of the solutions was that "more people need to get involved" reading and sharing the research, so a growing movement of people, in Chicago and other cities and states, will do more to reduce the systems that have led to inequality and poverty in America.

Here's a link to Matt Desmond's End Poverty USA website page with data showing how each state compares in the fight against poverty. click here

Use other resources to understand levels of poverty, health disparities, education attainment and opportunity.

Data maps provide information in a visual way, making it easier to look at indicators for a small part of a city or state, or the entire city or state. This concept map points to many of the websites that I point to in the Tutor/Mentor library. Use them to build your understanding of where people need more help, and then to create stories that mobilize that help.

I've often asked "Who is teaching youth and adults to make sense of this data, and to share it in stories that get other people involved?" In a recent forum I was introduced to the New American History website. This page titled "Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America," shows lesson plans that can be used in school and non-school programs throughout the country. Take a look.

Why Volunteer-Based Tutor/Mentor Programs are Important

In order to reduce poverty, we first need to understand it, and empathize, so we're willing to do more with our time, talent, dollars and votes to change public and private practices and beliefs that have contributed to the levels of poverty and inequality that exist in America today.

If you've led a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program for multiple years, or volunteered for multiple years, you know the many different benefits these programs offer, to young people and adults. If your program operates in a big city like Chicago, with huge areas of concentrated poverty, you also know how difficult it is for one volunteer, or a single program, to reduce the many barriers caused by systemic racism and long-term government policies.

Over many years I've seen how some volunteers who have been well-supported by the programs they are part of, begin to do more to help the kids they work with, and the programs they are part of. Some may even become politically involved.

Why can't that be happening more frequently?

What if the poverty research that I point to above were part of the library of every volunteer-based organization and that efforts to keep volunteers involved, led to more taking greater roles?

Explore this graphic in this blog article.

Then read this "Mentor Role in a Larger Strategy" article.

As you do your planning, think of this formula.

I led a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program in Chicago for 35 years. For the first 15 years I was a volunteer with a full-time advertising job in the headquarters of a big retail store corporation. The program I led had 100 pairs of elementary school kids and workplace volunteers in 1975 when I became its leader and grew to over 300 pairs by 1990, with volunteers coming from more than 100 companies in the Chicago region. That program still serves Chicago, under the name of Tutoring Chicago.

I had to learn to recruit volunteers who would help with leading the program and doing all the work involved. Over time this became the formula - R&D+F&L. This means Recruit and Delegate. Follow-up and Lead. View this blog article to learn more about this strategy.

In the article I pointed to above, I share pages from the annual yearbook that I created each year from 1975 to 1999. One set of pages shows the tutoring program volunteer committee in 1975, with 13 people. The second is from the 1991-92 program, with a committee of more than 60 volunteers! There's an important lesson from these photos.

Great programs don't start great, they grow great over a period of many years of constant innovation and improvement. This is a lesson we need to share with donors so that more will provide the constant flow of dollars needed to build and sustain constantly improving programs.

Imagine the potential impact of this volunteer growth strategy in hundreds of volunteer-based organizations serving youth and families throughout the country. Imagine connecting these people to each other in a movement intended to reduce barriers to learning and opportunity.

What's you strategy for growing your program and getting volunteers involved? Do you have a blog where you share the work you do to make your program great? Please share it with me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and/or Mastodon.

The graphic below shows just a few of the most recent additions to the tutor/mentor library - click here to view links.

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Learn about Artificial Intelligence tools you can use in your school or non-school program. Follow the links in these #ETMOOC blog articles and in these ChatGPT articles.

Memorial Day articles on Tutor/Mentor blog - click here

Chicago school closings. 2011 and now. click here

Building and Sustaining Mentor-Rich Supporty Systems for K-12 Youth - click here

Building Attention for Youth Tutor/Mentor Programs - click here

Planning. How do we know when we are "there"? - click here

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements

* 2023 Points of Light Conference will be held in Chicago from June 14-16. click here for info. Follow on Twitter using #PointsofLight23.

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here Learn about Landscape Surveys - click here

* Connect Illinois Digital Equity Coalition - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

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

About this newsletter.

If the newsletter does not format correctly in your email, or if you want to return to it for future reading or to share with others, view current and past newsletters at this link.

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. Please help fund this work.

Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Serving Chicago area since 1993

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July 2023 Tutor/Mentor eNews

July 2023 - Issue 223

Summer Planning Leads to Better Youth Programs

This month's newsletter focuses on planning that needs to be taking place during the summer months and leads to constant improvement in the quality and structure of existing youth tutor/mentor programs as well as to the launching of new programs more are needed.

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

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Does your youth program, and community leadership, do year-round planning? What are you doing during the summer months?

This graphic shows events developed between 1994 and 1996 by the Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago, and continued through 2015, which were intended to support the growth of volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs in all high poverty areas of the city and suburbs.

Since many youth programs work on a school year calendar the time between May and August needs to be spent on planning that leads to stronger programs as school starts the following year. I've written about this planning process often on the Tutor/Mentor blog. This link points to a recent article.

In the late 2000s interns created an animation to show the year-round strategy. You can view it in this YouTube video. While I no longer host these events they represent a template that leaders in any city might use to build their own year-round campaigns to build and sustain mentor-rich, non-school, youth serving programs in all high poverty areas.

Find more ideas for planning, starting a program and on-going improvement in this section.

What ways do you visualize the long-term support kids in high poverty areas need to move safely from birth-to-work?

I've used graphics like this for more than 25 years to visualize the long-term support kids need to move more successfully from birth to work, recognizing that kids in high poverty areas don't have as many of these resources as do kids in more affluent areas. Thus, leaders need to be intentional in making these available.

Very few non-school tutor/mentor programs have a 12-16 year strategy of helping youth through school. If you know of any, please share links so I can add them to the Tutor/Mentor Library. However, without a long-term strategy a neighborhood might need multiple programs reaching different age groups, with different types of age-appropriate programs. If kids can move from program to program over their school years, this offers the same benefit as a single long-term program.

How many zip codes have such a network of programs?

This concept map shows support kids need.

View this concept map at this link.

This is a different way to visualize the various support kids need at each grade level as they move through school and into adult lives.

A planning process at the neighborhood and community level needs to build an understanding of what types of support already exists. A communications plan would draw these support providers together to learn from each other while drawing volunteers and donors to each program so they have the resources to constantly improve.

An analysis of the information would determine where gaps in service are and would lead to building new programs to fill those voids.

I've used free cMapTools since 2005 to create my concept maps. Other tools are available.

Here are some articles to stimulate your planning.

Does your planning process include these steps?

View this concept map at this link,

Step 1 involves collecting and organizing information, or creating the knowledge base. Step 2 and Step 3 involve motivating a growing number of people to visit the library regularly and helping them find what they are looking for and understand how to apply the information in Step 4, different places where youth and families would benefit from organized, on-going, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs. Here's one article where I explain the four steps.

While different people and organizations in a city may be collecting some of this information and drawing some people together this needs to be an integrated, on-going strategy. If you can't find someone in your city who visualizes and leads a strategy like this, share it with business, university and philanthropic leaders with the goal that one, or many, will adopt it.

Who leads this process in your city? Is someone visualizing the planning steps? Share links if you have them.

Is there an intentional strategy to expand the network of adults supporting K-12 youth in high poverty areas or your city?

Total Quality Mentoring chart from 1990s is a hub and spokes design

I used this graphic in the 1990s and 2000s to visualize how the tutor/mentor program I led connected youth from high poverty areas of Chicago with volunteers from different background, different careers and different universities. Each youth had a primary one-on-one tutor/mentor who often stayed with the youth for several years and a network of other volunteers who they connected with in weekly activities. They were all supported by a paid staff (although in the original program that I led from 1975 to 1992 the leaders were all volunteers up until it became a non profit in 1990.)

I did not realize in the early years that we were helping expand social capital for these kids....and our volunteers ... by expanding the network of "who they know". I was first introduced to the concept in the late 1990s and I've written about it often on blog articles like this and in these.

If you view websites of Chicago youth programs on these lists you'll find very few (if any) using graphics like mine to describe their programs, or using social capital in articles about their program design, yet you will see photos and stories of volunteers with kids. Thus, many are helping build social capital, even if they don't talk about it as part of their theory of change.

By sharing my program design graphic with program leaders, volunteers, parents, donors and policy makers my long-term goal has been to nudge the entire sector to grow programs that expand networks of support for kids living in high poverty areas.

Share links to websites that you think do this well.

Your planning should also aim to influence resource providers.

From 1990 to 2011 I led a non-profit youth tutor/mentor program in Chicago, after having led one of these as a volunteer for the previous 15 years. I was constantly networking with peers, reading research and looking for ways to improve how my program supported youth and volunteers. However, I was constantly frustrated by how difficult it was to find the money and talent needed. Thus, this final visualization focuses on INFLUENCE of resource providers (#9 on the graphic), not just program leaders and staff (#7 on the graphic).

I've posted several articles using this graphic. Here's one.

If leaders in Chicago and other cities champion this strategy, your volunteers and donors can be looking for your program, and looking for ways to help you help kids, in just as many ways as you are trying to find them.

Does your city have a strategy like this? Share links if you have them.

Use these additional resources in your planning and networking. See latest additions to the Tutor/Mentor Library at this link.

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Tutor/Mentor Programs need time and resources to become great - click here

Building and Sustaining Mentor-Rich support systems for K-12 youth - click here

Building Attention for Youth Tutor/Mentor Programs - click here

Birth-to-Work Goal and Use of Knowledge Base - click here

Building a Segmented Understanding of Youth Serving Programs - click here

Learn about Artificial Intelligence tools you can use in your school or non-school program. Follow the links in these #ETMOOC blog articles and in these ChatGPT articles.

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements. These sites regularly update the information they share so visit them often.

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here Learn about Landscape Surveys - click here

* University of Chicago Civic Engagement news - click here

* Connect Illinois Digital Equity Coalition - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

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

About this newsletter.

View current and past newsletters at this link.

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. Connect with me and share links to resources, on any of the social media platforms shown below.

Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Serving Chicago area since 1993

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

| http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Thank you for reading. And thank you to those who help fund the

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and this newsletter. Please send a 2023 contribution.

Connect with Dan (tutormentor) on one of these social media platforms.

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

August 2023 T/MI News

August 2023 - Issue 224

Recruiting volunteers for tutor/mentor programs is only the first part of a long-term journey

With school starting soon volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs are all recruiting volunteers. However, that's only the start of this journey. Programs need to provide training and on-going support.

This month's newsletter points to resources programs, volunteers and students can use throughout the coming year.

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

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Recruitment is just the start of a volunteer's tutor/mentor journey

Every August from 1975 to 2010 I led an effort to recruit volunteers for the volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs I led in Chicago. In 1993 we created the Tutor/Mentor Connection to help other programs in the Chicago region attract volunteers and donors. I still maintain a list of programs that people can use to find volunteer opportunities. View that list at this link.

What I learned in over 35 years was that recruiting a volunteer was just the first step. We had to provide orientation and training materials and on-going support in order to keep volunteers with our program and our students for one or more years.

I share these resources below. I hope you'll connect with me on social media and share your own strategies for recruiting, training, supporting and retaining volunteers.

What resources do you use for training volunteers?

This concept map show resources that you can find in the Tutor/Mentor library. You can use them to develop training materials. You can use them to motivate volunteers and students to do on-going learning, which is a much more efficient use of staff time in a small nonprofit organization.

At the bottom of each node on my concept maps are small boxes. Put your mouse on these and you'll see links, either to external websites, or to other concept maps.

Homework Help and Learning Resources

View this concept map at this link.

Anyone could earn a PhD by using the free resources on the Internet for constant learning over a period of years. The Tutor/Mentor Connection has aggregated links to a wide range of educational websites that can be used by students, volunteers, parents and teachers.

The challenge for leaders of tutor/mentor programs is to motivate volunteers to browse these resources so they know what's there and can lead their students to useful sites, WHEN the student is looking for extra help. Over time, the student should know where to find these resources when they need them, without much help from others.

I'd love to hear stories from readers about successes they are having of motivating students and volunteers to use on-line tutoring and learning resources.

The longer your volunteer stays involved,
the greater her impact will be

View this concept map at this link

I led two different tutor/mentor programs between 1975 and 2011. The first served 2nd to 6th grade kids. I joined as a volunteer tutor/mentor in 1973 and became its volunteer leader in 1975. I stayed in that role through 1990 when we converted it into a non-profit. I led the non-profit as Executive Director until October 1992. The program had started in 1965, so when I joined it already was recruiting close to 100 volunteers and students at the start of the school year. However, half of those dropped out before the end of the year. Under my leadership this changed. By 1990 we had 300 pairs of kids/volunteers and we were growing from the beginning to the end of the year. 10% of volunteers had served 5 to 15 consecutive years.

I started the second program in Jan 1993, to help kids who aged out of the first program after 6th grade move through high school. We started with 7 volunteer and 5 teens and by 1998 we enrolled more than 80 teens and 100 volunteers. Due to space limitations we stayed at this number through 2010.

During these years I learned how important it was to support volunteers so they would stay and grow in their knowledge and experience. That made them more effective tutors and mentors and turned many into leaders and resource generators.

The concept map above, and the one I point to below, show the cycle of support we provided which led to keeping our volunteers longer.

Here's a second concept map that shows the "volunteer growth cycle".

In PDF essays on this page I share strategies I learned over 35 years for starting and sustaining a tutor/mentor program.

What's your volunteer support strategy look like? Do you share ideas like this on your website, or a blog?

Volunteers need to do more than just be a tutor or mentor

View this concept map at this link

While a tutor or mentor can have a huge impact on the choices a youth makes and his/her ability to move through school and into future jobs and careers, the kids we serve in organized tutor/mentor programs often live in high poverty, racially segregated neighborhoods where they and their families, and their schools face many different challenges. Some of those are shown on the map above.

Thus, as volunteers connect with kids we need to educate them about these challenges and send them back to their family, college, workplace and/or faith group as evangelists who educate others and draw reinforcements to tutor/mentor programs, and to efforts intended to reduce the barriers kids face.

Read - mentor role in larger strategy

Read - virtual corporate office

View - race poverty links in library

Your volunteers can be your most important fund raisers

This spring I received a report from MENTOR, titled "Opportunities to Invest in Long-Term Social Capital for our Youth: A Philanthropic Agenda". I point to that report in this blog article.

In that article I also used the graphic shown above. It's one I've used for many years to emphasize the need for long-term funding of general operations of volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs. In the opening paragraphs of the MENTOR report the authors wrote:

"A striking data point from the study's survey showed that most funders want to invest in long-term positive changes (71%), yet none expected outcomes to take five or ten years. Instead, the majority of funders said they expected to see outcomes in just one to two years."

This was probably my greatest frustration when leading a tutor/mentor program. Donors wanted short term, measurable impact. Yet relationships take time to develop and kids need 6 years just to go from 7th grade through high school graduation. They need another 4-6 years to finish college or vocational school and be starting a job. We had to believe this would happen, even though we had no evidence.

Yet, now on Facebook I am connected to many alumni of the programs I led and see them posting stories of college degrees for themselves and high school and college degrees for their kids. That was the hope.

Funders were not supporting us consistently, which made the work much more difficult. The MENTOR report shows this is still happening,.

Read more: "Want to make a Difference? Re-Think Philanthropy" - click here

Use these additional resources in your planning and networking. See latest additions to the Tutor/Mentor Library at this link.

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

The Role YOU can take - click here

Communicating Long-Term Strategies - click here

Helping Youth in High Poverty Areas - click here

Using Resource Links to Tell Stories and Create Change - click here

Where Are Non-School Youth Development Programs Most Needed? click here

Tutor/Mentor Programs need time and resources to become great - click here

Building a Segmented Understanding of Youth Serving Programs - click here

Learn about Artificial Intelligence tools you can use in your school or non-school program. Follow the links in these #ETMOOC blog articles and in these ChatGPT articles.

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements. These sites regularly update the information they share so visit them often.

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here Learn about Landscape Surveys - click here

* STEMM Opportunity Alliance - click here

* University of Chicago Civic Engagement news - click here

* Connect Illinois Digital Equity Coalition - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

* Proven Tutoring - click here

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

About this newsletter.

View current and past newsletters at this link.

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. Connect with me and share links to resources, on any of the social media platforms shown below.

Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Serving Chicago area since 1993

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

| http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Thank you for reading. And thank you to those who help fund the

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and this newsletter. Please send a 2023 contribution.

Connect with Dan (tutormentor) on one of these social media platforms.

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Sept 2023 TM eNews

Now that volunteers and students have been recruited the challenge is to keep them involved.

Every year from 1975 to 2010 I spent September doing volunteer and student orientations, then matching, so our first tutor/mentor sessions could start by the first week of October. From that point on the work focused on providing on-going support to help each match grow, and to keep participants involved throughout the school year.

This month's newsletter shares resources and tips from my own experiences and focuses on planning to help new programs grow where more are needed.

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

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Chicago area Tutor, Mentor Programs Still Seek Volunteers, students and donors. Use my list to find websites of many programs.

While much of this month's newsletter focuses on program planning and volunteer and student support, most programs are still seeking volunteers and will continue to do this throughout the year. Most area also constantly seeking financial support.

Help draw attention and resources to youth programs in Chicago and other cities. Look at this Tutor/Mentor blog article to see ways to share website addresses of local programs.

Use my lists at this link to find websites and contact information for more than 125 organizations.

I depend on your help to keep this list up-to-date. If I include programs that no longer operate, or have broken links to their websites, please let me know. If there are other programs that should be included, send me the website. You can email this to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What resources do you use to support students and volunteers?

In the August newsletter I provided links to on-line learning resources that your volunteers can draw from to support their weekly tutor/mentor activities. I also point to homework help resources. Rather than repeat those in this issue, I encourage you to visit the August newsletter and draw from those links.

Volunteer-based means "volunteers help you". Build a Team.

I started my journey in 1973 as a volunteer tutor/mentor at a program hosted at the Montgomery Ward Corporate headquarters in Chicago, where I had just started a retail advertising career. I was matched with a 4th grade boy who I met with each Tuesday after work. At the end of the first year his mother said "He talks about you all the time. You need to be his tutor again next year."

So I was. At the same time I was recruited to be part of a small group of employee volunteers who helped organize and operate the program. At the beginning of the next year I was chosen to be the program's leader, after the incumbent announced he was going to Europe and would not return for two years.

I led a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program for the next 35 years.

The secret was that I continued to recruit more and more volunteers to take roles in leading the program as it grew from 100 pairs of elementary school kids and volunteers in 1975 to 300 pairs by 1990. In this graphic I show the tutoring program committee from 1976-77. In this blog article you can see the committee in 1987 and in 1990.

My recruitment of volunteer leaders was aided by the database of volunteers that I kept from year-to-year. I used this to track weekly attendance using an Excel spreadsheet, so I could follow-up on volunteers or students who were absent more than 2 weeks in a row. However, on the spreadsheet I also showed how many years the volunteer had been involved, what company they worked for and what role they had in their company. Thus when I was looking for someone to help with a specific role, such as volunteer recruitment, I could look for motivated, experienced, volunteers in different companies (who could recruit from their employee base) and who held jobs in advertising, public relations or marketing (which are skills needed to do volunteer recruitment).

By sorting the list using these criteria I narrowed down who I would ask to volunteer to a small group of probable "yes" people, from the entire list that by the mid 1980s was over 200 volunteers.

Without a good database I could not do this.

Read "What you don't see when you look at a tutor/mentor program" - click here

How do you manage and support volunteers? Are you sharing this information in your own blog?

Looking back over 45 years

Every May or June from 1976 to 2010 I stood at a podium addressing students, volunteers, parents alumni and supporter who had gathered for a year-end celebration of another year of tutor/mentor activities at the programs I led in Chicago.

While offering praise and encouragement I always asked people to look to the future, and think of ways they could help the kids and the program in the coming school year. That was part of a year-round process that I describe in this PDF essay.

One secret of my success was that I worked from a written plan, that I was encouraged to start in 1977 by volunteers from the National Right-to-Read Program. Each year after that I just updated the plan (since I had it on my computer). I never had to start from scratch.

I've used several blog posts to describe the tutor/mentor programs I led, and to show some of the work that needed to be done each week of each year to support kids and volunteers (and after 1990 when we converted to a non-profit organization, to raise awareness and dollars).

I wrote this in May 2020 - click here

This article talks about my annual written tutor/mentor program plan - click here

Does your youth program have a written plan? Do you share it with others?

How many tutor/mentor programs are needed in Chicago?

This week I read an article about how the demographics of Chicago were changing, with fewer low income people and more White and affluent. This motivated me to search for Chicago Public School data showing how many "economically disadvantaged kids" were in the system. It looks like there are still over 200,000 kids who could benefit from a well-organized, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning program, if one were close enough where they could attend and located where volunteers would come regularly.

I shared the CPS data and the article about changing demographics in this Tutor/Mentor blog article.

Chicago's one of many cities in the US with areas of concentrated poverty. See map and article in this link.

Want to start a new program? I wrote about starting tutor/mentor programs in this article

Read this National League of Cities article showing what would motivate teens to participate in afterschool and summer learning programs. click here

Does your program design intentionally expand networks for youth and volunteers enrolled?

The programs I led from 1975 to 2011 recruited volunteers from many departments in the Montgomery Ward Corporate Headquarters in Chicago during the late 70s, then from many different companies in Chicago from 1980 through 2011. In late 1990s I heard Dr. Robert Putnam talk about "social capital" and how the connections people have to other people can help open opportunities. The "who you know" feature is one that is often taken for granted, but kids in high poverty areas are surrounded by far fewer people who can model opportunities and open doors as kids grow up.

I realized after hearing Dr. Putnam speak that the tutor/mentor programs I had been leading were expanding social capital for both the kids AND the volunteers.

The graphic above is one I found last week, showing an intentional effort to expand the mentoring network for adults. I shared this and another network map in this blog article, along with links to many articles about social capital and De. Putnam's work that I've written over the past 10 years.

Does your program design focus on social capital? How do you show it? Read this article about program design.

Read this article about "building and sustaining" a tutor/mentor program and view the "shoppers guide" essay.

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

Embed systems thinking into education - click here
How do states measure up on Child's Rights - click here
Nonprofit law blog shares resources every week - click here
Mapping wicked problems - click here

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

This is what I was doing in 2001 - click here

What am I doing? Why do I keep trying - click here

Think globally. Act locally. click here

Support long-term mentoring - click here

Building a Segmented Understanding of Youth Serving Programs - click here

Invitation to universities - click here

Hospitals as a hub for urban development and reducing inequality - click here

Learn about Artificial Intelligence tools you can use in your school or non-school program. Follow the links in these #ETMOOC blog articles and in these ChatGPT articles.

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements. These sites regularly update the information they share so visit them often.

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

* Proven Tutoring - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here Learn about Landscape Surveys - click here

* STEMM Opportunity Alliance - click here

* University of Chicago Civic Engagement news - click here

* Connect Illinois Digital Equity Coalition - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

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

About this newsletter.

View current and past newsletters at this link.

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. Connect with me and share links to resources, on any of the social media platforms shown below.

Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Serving Chicago area since 1993

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

| http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Thank you for reading. And thank you to those who help fund the

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and this newsletter. Please send a 2023 contribution.

Connect with Dan (tutormentor) on one of these social media platforms.

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

October 2023 T/M eNews

October 2023 - Issue 226

Thank you to all who volunteer and donate to youth tutor, mentor and learning programs.

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.

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

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Every week from October through May, from 1975 to 2011, I published a newsletter with information showing our volunteers what activities they might do with the youth they were working with, and pointing to a library or resources they could use to learn how to be a more effective tutor or mentor.

Before email and blogs and the internet I used a copy machine to create our newsletters which we handed out at weekly sessions. After the late 1990s we used an email newsletter. After 2005 we combined that with a blog.

In the above graphic I show a concept map with links to different parts of our on-line library, which has hundreds of resources volunteers and youth can use. Here's the link:

How does your youth program support its volunteers and students?

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?

Volunteer-based means "volunteers help you". Build a Team.

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.

Halloween, Thanksgivin g & Year-End Holidays

Holidays offer writing, reading and bonding opportunities

During the first three months of each school year volunteers and students are just getting acquainted. Programs can help by organizing events and activities around each of the holidays.

National #WriteOut example

At the right is a post from Twitter by a retired educator from Washington State. She is one of dozens of people from around the world who are creating daily poems, blog articles and social media posts, as part of the October National #Writeout event.

I encourage you to view some of the social media posts and see how this event is organized. You can join if you'd like. But you also could use this as a template for Halloween, Thanksgiving and year-end writing activities between your youth and volunteers.

#writeout Twitter

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

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Just Don't Forget. click here

Join the October Write-Out - click here

Skills Youth Need - click here

Borrow Ideas from my Visualizations - click here

Support long-term mentoring - click here

Building a Segmented Understanding of Youth Serving Programs - click here

Invitation to universities - click here

Hospitals as a hub for urban development and reducing inequality - click here

Learn about Artificial Intelligence tools you can use in your school or non-school program. Follow the links in these #ETMOOC blog articles and in these ChatGPT articles.

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements. These sites regularly update the information they share so visit them often.

* Indiana Afterschool Network newsletter - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

* Proven Tutoring - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here Learn about Landscape Surveys - click here

* STEMM Opportunity Alliance - click here

* University of Chicago Civic Engagement news - click here

* Connect Illinois Digital Equity Coalition - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Thrive Chicago collaboration - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

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

About this newsletter.

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.

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. Connect with me and share links to resources, on any of the social media platforms shown below.

Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Serving Chicago area since 1993

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Thank you to those who help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

and this newsletter. Please send a 2023 contribution.

Connect with Dan (tutormentor) on one of these social media platforms.

Twitter-X

Facebook

Bluesky

Instagram

November 2023 T/MI newsletter

November 2023 - Issue 227

Youth and Volunteers are Now Meeting Regularly. Idea-Sharing and Year-End Fund Raising Is Next.

Volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs that follow the school-year calendar have a cycle that repeats each year. After recruitment, orientation and matching that takes place from August thru September, providing weekly support to maintain participation and build relationships is on-going.

As youth programs do this work they also are trying to build public awareness and raise money to support their efforts.

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

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Giving Tuesday is November 28, 2023. Support a Chicago youth program

Are you familiar with #GivingTuesday? Visit this website to see campaigns from around the world.

I've been searching for someone with a list of Chicago youth-serving organizations who are raising money on #GivingTuesday this year and found this article from a publication named ChicagoBetter. This is actually from 2021. So far I've not seen a list for 2023. Open this link and see GivingTuesday articles on their site, dating back to 2017.

This site does not focus on youth programs, but includes many types of non-profits. In order to help draw donors to youth programs a targeted list is needed. Do you know of such a list? If yes, share it with me on social media and I'll try to draw attention to it.

In the meantime. My lists of Chicago area youth programs remains the most comprehensive resource you can use to find websites, and fund raising pages, of more than 150 different youth-serving programs in the Chicago region. While I have lists that focus specifically on volunteer-based tutor and/or mentor programs, I also hosts list of other types of youth serving organizations, and point to lists hosted by others, such as MyChiMyFuture.

Access my lists at https://tutormentorexchange.net/chicago-area-program-links

Help me keep these updated. If you find broken links, or know of organizations that should be added, or deleted, send me that information.

Who you Know is As Important as What you Know

I led volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in Chicago from 1975 to 2011 that connected youth from economically disadvantaged areas of the city with volunteers who worked at the Montgomery Ward Corporate Headquarters and more than 100 other companies in the region. Many of these connections have lasted for decades. I'm still connected to the boy I met in 1973 when he was in 4th grade.

Over the years I've come to understand this as a strategy for building social capital and I've written about that in many articles on the Tutor/Mentor blog. I urge you to spend time learning about this and educating donors so they provide the on-going funding needed to sustain programs that support multi-year matches.

With that in mind, I want to introduce you to Edward DeJesus, CEO of Social Capital Builders. In this article on LinkedIn you can find details to register for a November 27, 2023, 11AM CST ZOOM event, that Edward is hosting. Learn to turn "who your students know into an asset for a bright future".

Volunteer-based means "volunteers help you". Build a Team.

I included this graphic in many grant proposals that I wrote between 1993 and 2011 to show donors how our organized, non-school, tutor/mentor program was connecting teens from Chicago economically disadvantaged areas with volunteers from different companies in the region.

The circle in the middle represents a single student, or an organized program where many students and volunteers meet on a regular basis. The timeline in the middle starts with pre school on the left and extends to adult life, jobs and careers on the right. In the program I led we started teens at 7th and 8th grade and tried to keep them with us through high school, build helping build relationships that might last a lifetime. We recruited from a program that served these kids from 2nd to 6th grade and often helped them get into scholarship programs that helped them from junior/senior year through college.

The volunteers who joined us not only were in one-on-one matches. Some helped organize extra learning, based on their work experience. Thus we had computers, arts, writing and a college-planning group.

I called this Total Quality Mentoring, based on the business term, Total Quality Management, which is a process of constant learning and improvement. Through the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) I've tried to help other youth serving organizations attract volunteers with different background and tried to motivate leaders from different industries to encourage employees to get involved in programs near where they work or live, or along the transit routes between home and work.

This article includes more about Total Quality Mentoring

Commitment needed from leaders in every sector

Open this concept map at http://tinyurl.com/tmc-strategy-map. Then, read it by following the lines from the blue box in the middle, first to the left, then the right, and then the middle. This shows a commitment to helping kids born or living in high poverty areas move through school and into adult lives, with jobs and careers and networks that enable them to raise their own kids free of poverty.

Follow the line to the far left yellow box and look at maps that show a need to enlist others. Under each node are small boxes. The one on the left opens to external websites and the one to the right opens to additional concept maps.

I read a book titled "The Starfish and the Spider" in the mid 2000s, which talked about the strength of decentralized networks. See the link on this page. No single person, or organization, has the manpower, wealth or influence to do everything that's needed to dramatically change the hope and opportunity available for youth and families in areas of concentrated poverty. That's why it is so important that others make a commitment similar to what's shown on this concept map.

I invite you to create your own versions with your photo, name and/or organization logo in the blue box. Share these on your website, blogs and social media. Get others involved.

Enjoy Your Thanksgiving and Year-End Holidays

Holidays offer writing, reading and bonding opportunities

One of the clubs at the Cabrini Connections tutor/mentor program that I led from 1993 to 2011 focused on uses of technology. This Thanksgiving graphic was created in 2009 by a student names Israel. See it in this article.

Do you have volunteers helping students create holiday graphics for your organization? Share them on social media!

See latest additions to the Tutor/Mentor Library at this link.

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

Information-Based Problem-Solving - click here

Network-Building: A Process - click here

Enough is Enough. Adopt this Strategy to Support Youth - click here

Tutor Program? Mentor Program? Tutor/Mentor Program? What's the Difference? - click here

Building Attention for Youth Tutor/Mentor Programs: Strategy - click here

Invitation to universities - click here

Connecting the Network - Tutor/Mentor Conferences - click here

Homework Help Resources - click here

Learn about Artificial Intelligence tools you can use in your school or non-school program. Follow the links in these #ETMOOC blog articles and in these ChatGPT articles.

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links.

Resources & Announcements. These sites regularly update the information they share so visit them often.

* Every Hour Count - How Afterschool Intermediaries Have Supported Youth and Communities During the Pandemic - read PDF

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* National Mentoring Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resources - click here

* Proven Tutoring - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here Learn about Landscape Surveys - click here

* University of Chicago Civic Engagement news - click here

* Brookings Metro newsletter - poverty research - click here

* Illinois College Access Network - click here

* To & Through Project website - click here: Follow on Twitter - @UChiToThrough

* Center for Effective Philanthropy - click here

* Chicago Public Schools locator map - click here

* Chicago Health Atlas - click here

* Indiana Afterschool Network newsletter - 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.

View current and past newsletters at this link.

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. Connect with me and share links to resources, on any of the social media platforms shown below.

Every year since 2011 I've invited friends to support Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC by lighting a candle on my December 19th birthday cake.

I'll be 77 this December and each candle is 7.70. I hope you'll make a gift and help me continue to support youth, volunteers and organized tutor, mentor and learning programs again in 2024.

click here

Throughout the year I've invited readers to support this newsletter, my website, library and blog, with small contributions. Many make a year-end gift, and if you've been one of those, I thank you.

Many people use a GoFundMe site to raise money. I have created this page to do the same. Please help if you can.

click here

Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Serving Chicago area since 1993

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Thank you to those who help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

and this newsletter. Please send a 2023 contribution.

Connect with Dan (tutormentor) on one of these social media platforms.

Twitter-X

Facebook

Bluesky

Instagram

December 2023 T/M News

December 2023 - Issue 228

Enjoy your Holidays. Spread cheer to others.

I thank you all for reading and sharing this monthly newsletter and wish you all a safe, happy, Holiday.

The Holiday Season is a time of gift giving and celebration with friends and family. It's also a time of reflection. The world faces many challenges. So does America. My newsletters focus on the challenges faced by youth and families in high poverty areas, particularly in big cities where there are high concentrations of poverty.

Please use the resources I share to find and support youth tutor, mentor and learning programs so you give the gifts of HOPE and OPPORTUNITY to more kids throughout the US and the world.

Use this newsletter as a study guide.

If you are a consistent reader, consider a contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Visit Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Website

Seek out youth programs in high poverty areas

Look for Chicago area youth tutor mentor programs on any of the lists on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website . Pick one or more to support with time, talent and dollars. The lists that I host also include youth serving programs beyond Chicago, as well as programs focusing on arts, STEM and other issues.

Learn to use data maps in 2024

Since 1993 I've been using maps of Chicago to show indicators such as poverty, violence, health disparities and poorly performing schools, which are areas where mentor-rich non-school tutor, mentor and learning programs are most needed. Over the past 20 years I've collected links to many websites showing uses of maps and visualization. In the concept map shown above I point to some of these.

I embed maps into many articles on my blog. These links point to a few sections where you can see how maps are used. Create similar stories on your own blog and website.

Tutor/Mentor Blog - maps

Tutor/Mentor Blog - violence

Mapping for Justice - maps

Mapping for Justice - redlining

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

View latest links added to tutor/mentor library - click here

* Mapping Inequality - click here

* Chicago South Side STEM Opportunity Landscape - click here

* A Better Chicago Youth Opportunities Dashboard - click here

* Children's Funding Project - click here

* Tiny News Collective/Harvey World News - click here

Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:

These "Calls to Action" Need New Energy - click here

Spreading the Good News - click here

Maps. Planning. Teach Youth to Do This Work - click here

Explore STEM visualizations - click here

Using GIS mapping tools for planning - click here

Looking for 'Scout Bees' and 'Worker Bees' - click here

Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources

* Resource Library - click here

* Strategy PDFs by Tutor/Mentor - click here

* Concept Map library - click here

* Work done by interns - click here

* Digital Divide resources - click here

* Political Action resources - click here

* Featured collections on Wakelet - click here

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Videos - click here

* About T/MI articles on blog - click here

* History of T/MC - T/MI articles - click here

* Creating a new Tutor/Mentor Connection - click here

* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in intermediary roles - click here to view a concept map showing many organizations working to help improve the lives of Chicago area youth. Follow the links. Please help me keep this updated.

Resources & Announcements

* National Mentoring Summit, Washington, DC. Registration is open. Dates are Jan 24-26, 2024- click here

* Mentoring Research Symposium, Jan 24, Washington, DC - click here

* The Volunteer Management Report news - featuring interview with Literacy Chicago - click here for PDF

* Funding Out-of-School Time Programs - Now and the Future (PDF) - click here

* Corporate Volunteering, Giving and Grants Technology Review - click here

* Illinois College Access Resources - click here

* MyChiMyFuture - Chicago youth programs map and directory. click here; visit the website - click here

* Forefront -Illinois' statewide association of nonprofits, foundations and advisors. click here

* Chicago Mentoring Collaborative - click here

* Chicago Learning Exchange - click here

* Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative - click here

* University of Chicago Civic Engagement news - click here

* Incarceration Reform Resource Center - click here

* AfterSchool Alliance - resource center - click here

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

About this newsletter.

Please connect with me, and each other, on one or more social media networks. This page has links to several, including my account on Mastodon. With Twitter's future in doubt it's important that we find other places to connect.

View current and past newsletters at this link.

Ask 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).

Every year since 2011 I've offered two ways for people to support Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC with contributions. One is with a birthday gift.

I'll be 77 on December 19. You can help put candles on my cake with a $7.70 donation for a single candle or a $77 contribution for 10.

Click here to learn more

Thank you for reading.

Please help fund T/MI.

Since 2011 I've not operated as a non-profit, but as Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC. I'm doing the same work, just with a different tax structure (and same small budget!).

If you want to help fund T/MI with a year-end contribution, visit this page.

Thank you to everyone who has already sent December contributions.

Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Serving Chicago area since 1993

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

| http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Thank you for reading. And thank you to those who help fund the

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and this newsletter. Please send a year-end contribution.

Connect with Dan (tutormentor) on one of these social media platforms.

Twitter (X))

Facebook

Bluesky

Instagram

New additions to library - 2024

Since mid 2022 I've posted new additions to the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC library on a page like this. Each listing includes a link to the sub-section of the library where the link was posted. Those links are in alphabetical order. New additions from 2023 are posted here. New additions from 2022 are posted here.

12-17-2024 - CHICAGO COMMUNITY AREA HARDSHIP INDEX - 2019-2023
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b57d7f755d3b4d219dac3ade2f387e9c
This is an update from the UIC Great Cities report issued in 2020 (see link above). The interactive map shows areas with highest level of economic hardship, based on six indicators which include unemployment rate, education, per capita income, poverty rate, crowded housing, dependency.
Find in this section

12-16-2024 - CAPACITY BUILDERS CONVERGENCE - SUPPORTS BROAD RANGE OF PRACTITIONERS
https://www.fabriders.net/capacitycon/
This network aims to support organizations who work as capacity builders, or intermediaries, who help other organizations develop and strengthen internal and external capacity. This article points to events held in 2023 and earlier.
Find in this section

12-10-2024 - STEP UP TUTORING - FREE 1-0N-1 MATH AND LITERACY TUTORING, CONDUCTED ONLINE WITH A TRAINED, CONSISTENT, TUTOR
https://www.stepuptutoring.org/
From the website: "Step Up Tutoring is a California-based nonprofit that drives student success by providing virtual high-impact tutoring and mentorship to elementary and middle school students in under-resourced communities." Browse the website to learn more.
Find in this section

12-10-2024 - HIGH-IMPACT TUTORING MICRO-CREDENTIAL LAUNCHED BY COALITION OF EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS - 2024
https://www.learner.org/learner-org-announcements/education-coalition-debuts-national-certification-for-tutors/
This article describes the launch of a 'micro-credential' for tutors designed to indicate competency while expanding tutoring best practices to ultimately improve student outcomes. This is a partnership of Annenberg Learner, Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, and Step Up Tutoring. Find links to those organizations in the article.
Find in this section

12-7-2024 - BLUESKY: THE GROWTH OF CHARITY ON BLUESKY
https://madlinblog.wordpress.com/2024/11/27/the-growth-of-charity-bluesky/
This blog is focused on the UK but is a great example of using a blog to show ways to get started and connect with others on BlueSky, which is a growing alternative to using Twitter. The blog includes links to several fund raising/non profit accounts and "starter packs" which are lists of accounts focuses on specific topics, like nonprofits.
Find in this section

12-6-2024 - TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WITH TECHNOLOGY - RESOURCE LIST
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/p/resources.html
This is one page on the Control Alt Achieve site hosted by Eric Curts. It includes a wide range of guides, presentations and other training resources for Google-related topics and other educational topics.
Find in this section

12-5-2024 - ACTIONS FOR PEACE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (APDC) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
https://www.apdc.info/articles.php
From the website: "APDC's mission is to contribute to improving the socio-economic and cultural living conditions of the population living in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I added this link in December 2024 after being given this message in a chat on BlueSky. "For us here, things are not well because of War. I am the founder of APDC, a local humanitarian organisation. We are doing volunteer work here in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to assist vulnerable people affected by War, natural disasters and bring positive change. As you know, there are many armed groups that are fighting here in eastern DR Congo. Many people die, other are displaced, cattle stolen, houses are burnt, some children are used in different armed groups, other are lost during displacements, etc. Internally displaced people are living in poor conditions. They have no food, no medical care, no house objects, etc. They need help in terms of food and nonfood items, house objects, medical care, etc."
Find in this section

12-5-2024 - INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DEMOCRACY ON THE BRINK: STRATEGIES, TACTICS, & TIPS FOR HOW EVERYDAY AMERICANS CAN FIGHT BACK TOGETHER WHEREVER WE LIVE
https://indivisible.org/resource/guide
From the website: "This document is for anyone who lives in America and is upset, scared and determined. It's a set of strategies and practical first steps to help you get started. Review this guide and start putting parts of this into action that makes sense for where you live.
Find in this section

12-5-2024 - THE COLOR OF LAW: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF HOW OUR GOVERNMENT SEGREGATED AMERICA
https://www.epi.org/publication/the-color-of-law-a-forgotten-history-of-how-our-government-segregated-america/
From the website: "This book by Richard Rothstein argues with exacting precision and fascinating insight how segregation in America -- the incessant kind that continues to dog our major cities and has contributed to so much recent social strife -- is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels." Read this 2024 article by Rothstein, titled "Residential segregation is an educational crisis. How the No Child Left Behind Act Led to the Color of Law. https://justaction.substack.com/p/residential-segregation-is-an-educational
Find in this section

11-25-2024 - CYBERSECURITY CAREER RESOURCES AND GUIDES
https://https://cybersecurityguide.org/
This site provides extensive information about cybersecurity and careers in this evolving profession.
Find in this section

11-18-2024 - FARTHER FOUNDATION - ENABLES STUDENTS TO TRAVEL THE WORLD
https://www.fartherscholar.org/
From the website: "The Farther Foundation enables students to break free from historic inequities and lack of opportunities based on race, ethnicity and other factors and experience the wider world through educational travel. Find information on the website about summer programs and student applications.
Find in this section

11-14-2024 - CHICAGO ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT ENGINEERS
https://casechicago.wixsite.com/website/
Open to all high school students across Chicago, for no cost. "Aims to promote engineering pathways to high schools throughout the Chicagoland area by building an enthusiastic STEM community offering career resources to support students."
Find in this section

11-14-2024 - CHICAGO ENGINEERS FOUNDATION
https://www.chicagoengineersfoundation.org//
The Foundation's mission is "to inspire youth to explore engineering and to create pathways that empower young people to become the next generation of engineers."
Find in this section

11-14-2024 - PEACE CRANE PROJECT CONNECTS KIDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
https://peacecraneproject.org/
Children from different countries are encouraged to fold an origami crane, write messages of peace on its wings, then trade their crane with another child somewhere else in the world.
Find in this section

11-13-2024 - PHERN - PUBLIC HEALTH AND EQUITY RESOURCE NAVIGATOR
https://phern.communitycommons.org/
From the website: PHERN aims to help changemakers navigate over 2000 resources focused on improving the public's health, advancing equity, and building a resilient, robust, sustainable public health system for the future."
Find in this section

11-6-2024 - CHICAGO ENGINEERING AND TECH COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS LIST
https://github.com/driscoll42/chicago-engineering-and-tech-communities
This is an extensive list of Chicago focused Engineering Communities and organizations.
Find in this section

10-29-2024 - ALLIANCE FOR CIVIC TECHNOLOGY -
https://www.civictechnologists.org/
From the website: "The Alliance of Civic Technology (ACT) connects volunteer civic technology efforts, in both technology and advocacy, in their local communities. Our goal is to ensure the continuity and growth of civic technology volunteer communities across the United States, and to fill the gap left by the sunsetting of Code for America’s Brigade program." This is an emerging organization still in formation.
Find in this section

10-24-2024 - BLACK AMERICANS STILL SUFFER WORSE HEALTH. HERE'S WHY THERE'S SO LITTLE PROGRESS
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/10/24/nx-s1-5162440/black-american-south-health-disparities-medicaid/
This NPR October 2024 article describes a long-term history of racism that has led to worse health outcomes for Black Americans than for white people.
Find in this section

10-15-2024 - 7 WAYS TO GROW YOUR NONPROFIT DONOR BASE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.nptechforgood.com/2024/10/11/7-ways-to-grow-your-nonprofit-donor-base-with-social-media//
This article is posted on the Nonprofit Tech for Good site and offers advice that nonprofit organizations need to follow to build their volunteer and donor base using social media.
Find in this section

10-14-2024 - COMIC BOOK PROJECT AIMS TO STOP PROJECT 2025
https://stopproject2025comic.org/
A network of comic book artists and writers who are concerned about Project 2025 made a series of comics to explain some of the agenda items so people would not have to read the huge document to understand what is at stake.
Find in this section

10-12-2014 - BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE - FOLLOW THESE TIPS
https://htmlforpeople.com/zero-to-internet-your-first-website/
This blog is titled <@--HTML for people--> and this article's title is "Zero to internet: your first website". It provides easy-to-follow instructions for building a homemade web page. I learned about this by following Dave Winer on Twitter (X) https://x.com/davewiner/.
Find in this section

10-9-2024 - CREATIVE GOOD BLOG AND NEWSLETTER, LAUNCHED IN 1997.
https://creativegood.com/blog/23/25-years-of-newsletter.html/
This is another long-term blog, started in 1997 by Mark Hurst. This link points to a 2023 article sharing his 25 year history.
Find in this section

10-8-2024 - DAVE WINER HAS BEEN WRITING THIS BLOG FOR 30 YEARS (AS OF 10-7-2024).
http://scripting.com/2024/10/07.html/
Read this article to see what prompted Dave to begin blogging in 1994. It's an amazing story.
Find in this section

9-30-2024 - PARTICIPATORY COMMUNITY MAPPING AS COLLECTIVE SENSEMAKING - 5 PART INTERVIEW W ALDO De MOOR
https://greaterthanthesum.com/aldo1
https://greaterthanthesum.com/aldo5/
This set of articles on the Greater than the Sum website, provide valuable insight into participatory mapping as a crucial methodology for social intervention. My link points to the 5th article in the series, and to the first.
Find in this section

9-19-2024 - AN INVITATION TO ACTION AND MOVEMENT - 1PXO - A NEW BOOK BY CARLA ARENA, A LONG TIME MEMBER OF THE WEBHEADS IN ACTION COMMUNITY
https://1pxo.com/blog/
From the website: "In this book you will learn to create collaborative learning communities, with the pillars that support a genuine community: Context, Connection, Curation and Mastery. Carla Arena provides examples and practical suggestions so that anyone can take the first steps in building a community." The link points to the blog on the website.
Find in this section

9-3-2024 - IMPORTANCE OF THEATER EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS - HOW TO GET THE FUNDING
https://bestbroadwaymusicals.com/funding-for-theater-education-in-schools/
This site advocates for theater education in schools offers resources for building the infrastructure for a sustainable theater program. It describes types of funding available and ways to apply.
Find in this section

8-27-2024 - EMPOWERING AMERICAN WORKERS AND RAISING WAGES - COMMUNICATED USING KUMU.IO
https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/empowering-american-workers
https://edythe.kumu.io/empowering-american-workers-and-raising-wages?token=SVmF7ADucV3Lz9Fw
Senator Elizabeth Warren posted this "Empowering American Workers and Raising Wages" presentation on her website when she ran for President in 2016. It goes into great detail. The first link goes to the presentation on her website. The second goes to a visualization, using KUMU.io, that outlines the components of this plan. It's a great example of what leaders might do to communicate complex ideas.
Find in this section

8-26-2024 - ADDRESSING WEALTH INEQUALITY IN AMERICA - NINE CHARTS FROM URBAN INSTITUTE AND POLICY CHANGE RECOMMENDATIONS
https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/
From the website: "Wealth inequality is higher in the United States than in other developed countries and has risen for much of the past 60 years. As shown in the Urban Institute’s recently updated Nine Charts about Wealth Inequality in America, white families’ average wealth was more than $1 million higher than that of Black families and Hispanic families in 2022. Racial wealth inequities have persisted for generations, reflecting the long-standing effects of racist policies, not individual intentions or deficits. Addressing these deeply rooted inequities requires bold solutions and cross-sector collaboration." Take time to view the charts and policy recommendations.
Find in this section

8-22-2024 - FORDHAM INSTITUTE - EXPLAINING ACHIEVEMENT GAPS: THE ROLE OF SOCIAOECONOMIC FACTORS - 2024 RESEARCH
https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/explaining-achievement-gaps-role-socioeconomic-factors
The research looks at racial achievement gaps in schools and changes over the past 20 years. The introduction starts with "Racial achievement gaps in schools are well documented and remain a significant cause of concern in education. Troubling too is that the role of socioeconomic disparities in mediating these gaps remain unresolved."
Find in this section

8-18-2024 - ADDRESSING FUNDING ISSUES. ARTICLE: WHY PHILANTHROPY NEEDS TO INVEST IN SOCIAL CAPITAL
https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2024/7/16/should-we-pay-for-relationships-why-philanthropy-needs-to-invest-in-social-capital
This article in InsidePhilanthropy by Julia Freeland Fisher of the Christensen, is titled "Should we pay for relationships? Why philanthropy needs to invest in social capital." In a concluding paragraph Freeland writes, "a lack of unrestricted funding to support staff capacity actively hinders programs from supporting social capital development between mentors and mentees."
Find in this section

8-17-2024 - TEACH ROCK IMPROVES STUDENTS' LIVES BY BRINGING THE SOUND, STORIES, AND SCIENCE OF MUSIC TO ALL CLASSROOMS
https://teachrock.org/
TeachRock provides free, standards-aligned resources to help teachers, students and families, through the power of music.
Find in this section

8-13-2024 - CENTER FOR STORY-BASED STRATEGY - LINKS MOVEMENT BUILDING WITH NARRATIVE POWER AND STORYTELLING
https://www.storybasedstrategy.org/
From the website: "The Center for Story-based Strategy cultivates imagination spaces where story, grassroots leadership, organizing, and democracy are interwoven strategies to build power." Read the blog posts on the site to build your understanding of this resource.
Find in this section

8-10-2024 - MINNESOTA EXECUTIVE MAP PORTFOLIO
https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/statewide-maps-help-governor-walz-guide-policy/
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/c44d98d602804d6d885af299ac5db754/
Read this 2024 ESRI blog article and learn about Governor Tim Walz's commitment to using GIS maps to support planning, then visit the Map Portfolio and explore the interactive maps. Three collections are shown on the first page. Each collection has several interactive maps.
Find in this section

8-6-2024 - PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM ONLINE DRUG DEALIERS - A GUIDE FOR PARENTS
https://www.addicted.org/supe/parents/protecting-children-from-online-drug-dealers/
This resource provides essential tools to safeguard children, including the "Emoji code" to identify online drug dealing, insights into the dark web, and other online safety measures
Find in this section

8-6-2024 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAREERS - A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR WOMEN IN STEM PURSUING CAREERS IN AI
https://aidegreeguide.com/gender-equity-in-ai/
This is a comprehensive guide that can help close the gender equity gap in STEM, and draw more girls and women into careers based on Artificial Intelligence.
Find in this section

7-31-2024 - CLIMATE CHANGE - WHAT IS IT? COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE
https://www.perlego.com/knowledge/study-guides/what-is-climate-change/
This page offers and extensive, in-depth review of climate change. It's offered by a company called Perlego, based in the UK, which offers "unlimited access to academic and personal development resources on one simple platform". The article on climate change is one of dozens of "what is...?" article on the site. This and similar articles are FREE for learners, but there's a membership fee and cost to read the text books that are suggested with the articles.
Find in this section

7-18-2024 - INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION - SYSTEMS THINKING + YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN BOTSWANA
https://piercegordon1.kumu.io/system-thinking-youth-unemployment-in-botswana
This presentation uses the Kumu.io software to create an interactive visual presentation showing challenges facing young people in Botswana as they try to find employment.
Find in this section

7-18-2024 - INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS THINKING - YOUTH EMPOYMENT MAP - SHOWING BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN ENGLAND
https://youthfuturesfoundation.org/our-work/identify/youth-employment-system-map/
This interactive casual loop diagram map was created by the Youth Futures Foundation in 2021 to map the youth employment system in England. From the website: "It provides a visual representation of the barriers and opportunities young people from marginalised backgrounds face as they seek good jobs."
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7-16-2024 - MY CHI MY FUTURE - COMMUNITY PAGES - COLLABORATIONS
https://explore.mychimyfuture.org/
The My Chi My Future initiative was launched by Mayor Lightfoot and has been continued by Mayor Johnson. It serves as an intermediary, bringing together youth-serving organizations from throughout Chicago. Since 2022 it has encourage the growth of community-based planning initiatives. These are found on the home page under the Communities tab. Examples are, Austin - https://mychimyfuture.org/village/austin; Greater Englewood - https://mychimyfuture.org/village/greater-englewood; Humboldt Park - https://mychimyfuture.org/village/humboldt-park. On each page are logos for youth serving organizations serving that area. Click each logo and go to a page that describes the group, and find a link to the group's website.
Find in this section and this section (Note: I've had a link to My Chi My Future in the library for a few years, but added a link to show their Communities page today.)

7-10-2024 - FIRST® (FOR INSPIRATION AND RECOGNITION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)
https://www.firstinspires.org/
FIRST® is "a global nonprofit that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18. The programs are suitable for schools or structured afterschool activities."
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7-10-2024 - BEYOND THE SCHOOL BUILDING: EXAMINING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OUT-OF-SCHOOL FACTORS AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCHOOL GRADES (2024)
https://epaa.asu.edu/index.php/epaa/article/view/8497
Research by Nandrea Burrell and Erica Harbatkin of Floriday State University examines impact of non-school factors beyond a schools locus of control on school performance grades. As you read this research view the links in this article on the Tutor/Mentor blog.
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7-7-2024 -BUILDING A BETTER TOGETHER ECOSYSTEM - CREATING A NATIONAL NONPARTISAN SUPPORT NETWORK OF LOCAL DEMOCRACY HUBS
https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/current-projects/better-together-america
The Mediators Foundation "Better Together America" project is described on the website that I point to with the link shown above. In addition, here are two examples of mapping a network, using Kumu.io and using coggle.it. Both show a "Better Together America Ecosystem". a) the Kumu version: https://kumu.io/mesasebree/healthy-democracy-hubs-map#hubs/center-for-high-impact-philanthropy ; b) the coggle.it version: https://coggle.it/diagram/Zh7VvlCvDnguaLCL/t/better-together-america-ecosystem
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6-25-2024 - COLOR (THE) OF WEALTH - CHICAGO
https://colorofwealth.org/
Visit this website of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy and view research that "examines wealth by race, ethnicity and national origin in the context of specific locations and histories. The Color of Wealth studies have been conducted in seven metropolitan regions in the United States (as of June 2024). Chicago is one of the seven.
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6-25-2024 - WEAVE: THE SOCIAL FABRIC PROJECT
https://weavers.org/about/
WEAVE was created in 2018 "to address the crisis of broken social trust that has left Americans divided along many lines, isolated and unable to address our common needs. The project aims to turn Americans into a nation of weavers, spreading connection and belonging." Take a look at the "Trust Map" which is a link in the top menu bar on the website.
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6-18-2024 - REALIZING A MULTIRACIAL DEMOCRACY FOR ALL - SSIR SERIES (2024)
https://ssir.org/realizing-a-multiracial-democracy-for-all
This link points to a series of Policy Link essays on the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR). It starts with "Imagine a nation that values the humanity of everyone living in it. One where all people can participate, thrive, and shape their own futures. This flourishing multiracial democracy in the United States is ours to create." The five articles in the series outline the challenges we face and propose specific short and long-term solutions.
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6-13-2024 - WHY IS INEQUALITY SO STICKY? THE POLITICAL OBSTACLES TO A FAIRER ECONOMY - 2024 ARTICLE
https://frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk/why-is-inequality-so-sticky-the-political-obstacles-to-a-fairer-economy/
This Poverty to Power article "looks at the politics of inequality and how and why governance systems do - or more often don't - introduce new policies to address income and wealth distribution."
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6-10-2024 - FOUR ELEMENTS OF HUMANE EDUCATION FROM INSTITUTE FOR HUMANE EDUCATION
"https://humaneeducation.org/the-four-elements-of-humane-education/
The Institute teaches people to "have the skills and experiences to be solutionaries for a more just, humane, and healthy world." This page points to four steps in a "problem solving" process.
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6-5-2024 - AGGH! MILLIONS OF WINDOWS 10 PCS CAN'T BE UPGRADED AFTER 2025 - WHAT DO YOU DO?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/5-ways-to-save-your-windows-10-pc-in-2025-and-most-are-free/
Microsoft is introducing a new Windows 11 operating system in October 2024 and that's a disaster for millions who operate PCs with older operating systems. This article offers some options.
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6-4-2024 - GENDER APARTHEID - VIDEO BY BILL MAHER
Open link
This video was posted in 2024 on Twitter and LinkedIn. In it Bill Maher calls on young people to take on GenderApartheid as their cause. The video shows dramatic reasons for taking such a stand. The link I've provided points to a Twitter post with the video.
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6-4-2024 - ARCHIEVING THE INTERNET - SAVING HISTORY.
https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2024/05/17/when-online-content-disappears/
https://niemanreports.org/articles/saving-the-first-draft-of-history/
These links point to two articles focused on preserving Internet content. One is from Pew Research Center, titled, "When Online Content Disappears". The second is an interview with Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, titled "Saving the first draft of history." Everything in this web library will potentially be lost in a few years if a simple solution to the questions these articles pose is not found.
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6-3-2024 - ASK THESE QUESTIONS BEFORE STARTING A NONPROFIT
https://nonprofit-utopia.lpages.co/questions-you-need-to-ask-before-starting-a-nonprofit/
The NonProfit Utopia website has a FREE workbook that you can download to find questions you and your team should be asking before you start a non profit organization. View this video from NonProfit Utopia outlining "10 Common Mistakes Nonprofit Founders Make"
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5-27-2024 - FAIR VOTE - AIMS FOR RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV)
https://fairvote.org
The Fair Vote strategy says "In 2020 FairVote invested in a strategic planning process to define our long-term goals, theory of change and unique roles within the electoral reform ecosystem. Our long-term goals are to enact ranked choice voting (RCV) for all federal elections and the proportional form of RCV for U.S. House elections, as embodied by the Fair Representation Act, by 2030." Browse the site and see how this would affect ever state.
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5-21-2024 - SCHOTT REPORT ON BLACK MALES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION - 2024
https://schottfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/schott-foundation-black-males-report2024.pdf
This report looks at the disparities of high school graduation rates of Black Male students in the US vis other students and surfaces the persistent challenges that exist in far too many school districts. The report calls for building "loving systems' to improve graduation rates and life outcomes.
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5-20-2024 - BEAT THE STREETS - CHICAGO WRESTLING
https://www.btschicago.org/
BTS Chicago "empowers Chicago youth through wrestling". They "combine year-round wrestling programs with customized enrichment opportunities so that children can become their best selves. Mentoring, tutoring, workshops and positive relationships combined with the unique power of wrestling changes lives."
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5-15-2024 - GUN VIOLENCE ARCHIVE - COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE
https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
From the website: "Gun Violence Archive (GVA) was formed in 2013 to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States. GVA collects data from over 7,5000 law enforcement, media, government and commercial resources daily." The site has an extensive collection of charts and maps.
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5-13-2024 - SCHOOLS CAN'T DO IT ALONE: REPORT ON CHILDHOOD POVERTY (2013)
https://truthout.org/articles/schools-cant-do-it-alone-why-doubly-disadvantaged-kids-continue-to-struggle-academically/
The full headline of this article is "Schools Can't Do It Alone: Why "Doubly Disadvantaged" Kids Continue to Struggle Academically: A report on childhood poverty proves once again that no single measure can cure poverty's ills." While this is a 2013 article the basic message is one the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) have been sharing since the early 1990s.
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5-10-2024 - AMERICAN INEQUALITY DATA PORTAL - USE THE MAPS
https://www.americaninequality.io/maps
This site is a tremendous resource for those who want to understand where poverty and equality are concentrated in America and to view some suggestions for "a path forward".
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5-9-2024 - INPATIENT DRUG AND ALCOHOL TREATMENT RESOURCE
https://rehabnet.com/treatment/inpatient/
The Rehabnet.com site has a comprehensive article that included "everything you need to know" about alcohol and drug addition treatment options and inpatient rehab centers. On one page of the site they list all 50 states in the USA and post links to each state, where they provide a guide to "the top alcohol and drug rehab centers" in that state. Here's the link for Illinois - https://rehabnet.com/illinois/
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5-9-2024 - A LETTER TO MEDIA ABOUT HOW TO COVER THE 2024 ELECTION FROM A PRO-DEMOCRACY STANDPOINT
https://www.mediaanddemocracyproject.org/2024-election-coverage#guidelines
This is an open letter from the Media and Democracy Project, that will be distributed to the executives, publishers, and union leaders of major media organizations. Read the guidelines and add your name.
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5-9-2024 - PLURALISTIC: DAILY LINKS FROM CORY DOCTOROW
https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/04/analytical-democratic-theory/#epistocratic-delusions
This is an interesting blog with new links added daily via on-going blog articles. Written by science fiction author, activist and journalist, Cory Doctorow.
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4-29-2024 - POVERTY AND RACE RESEARCH ACTION COUNCIL (PRRAC) REVIEWS "BROWN AT 70 AND MILLKEN AT 50" (PDF)
https://www.prrac.org/newsletters/poverty-and-race-april2024.pdf
https://www.prrac.org
From the website: "This Poverty and Race special issue brings together a variety of perspectives to reflect on both the fulfilled and unfulfilled promise of Brown v. Board of Education and of Milliken v Bradley and offers ideas to help chart a path forward for making truly equitable and integrated schools a reality."
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4-29-2024 - RETRO REPORT - INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT NEWS ORGANIZATION
https://retroreport.org/video-library/?type=Video
From the website: "At a time when misinformation is rampant and there's disagreement over objective facts, our team of award-winning journalists and educators is creating trusted documentary videos and classroom resources. Our work brings a greater understanding of current events, fights misinformation and encourages inquiry."
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4-27-2024 - AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY SECTION OF LIBRARY OF CONGRESS BLOGS
https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/category/african-american-history/
Visit this section to find Black History stories on the Library of Congress website.
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4-24-2024 - WE KNOW THE ABCs OF BLACK HISTORY ... DO YOU?: VOLUM 1
Find on Amazon.com
This book by Maurice Woodson was published in April 2024 and "was created to change the false narrative taught in schools for generations...and that is that the Black American story is just one of oppression. Nothing could be further from the truth." Read the full description on Amazon.com.
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4-22-2024 - CHILDREN RISING - OAKLAND, CA
https://www.children-rising.org/
From the website: "through a circle of care approach, Children Rising programs surround children with deeper academic support so they can more quickly catch up to grade-level reading and math skills and become confident, engaged students. The organization pairs trained, caring adults from the community with elementary school children struggling to read or lacking basic math skills."
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4-20-2024 - NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE - AT THE SMITHSONIAN
https://nmaahc.si.edu/
This museum is the only national museum devoted exclusively "to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003.
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4-19-2024 - CREATE SPACES TO EMPOWER YOUNG READERS AND WRITERS - PDF STUDY GUIDE
Open link
This PDF is a study guide, designed for educators, to help them create spaces to empower students. It's based on a book titled "Classroom Design for Student Agency: Create Spaces to Empower Young Readers and Writers", by Lynsey Burkins and Franki Sibberson.
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4-19-2024 - VOTING AND ELECTIONS RESOURCE FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
https://www.justice.gov/voting/voting-rights
This site has been updated for 2024 and is a comprehensive resource about voting rights and elections in the U.S.A
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4-16-2024 - NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE INTERSTATE COMPACT
https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/written-explanation
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/national-popular-vote-explained
This agreement among the states (if it is reached) will assure that whichever candidate wins the popular vote in a Presidential election will be the winner. Open this link and learn more.
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4-15-2024 - NONPROFIT FINANCE FUND THEORY OF CHANGE
https://nff.org/nff-theory-change
This page uses visualizations to show how its work leads to greater racial equity, community wealth and well-being.
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4-11-2024 - WATTS OF LOVE - END CYCLE OF POVERTY BY BRINGING SOLAR LIGHT
https://www.wattsoflove.org/
This group sees "solar lighting as one of the strongest tools available to break the cycle of poverty". Although located in the Chicago region it's service reach the most vulnerable people in the developing world, who live without access to electrical light. Visit the website and learn more.
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4-10-2024 - FREEDOM HOME ACADEMY INTERNATIONAL - AFRIKAN CENTERED PRIVATE SCHOOL IN CHICAGO
https://www.fhaintl.net/index.html
This unique school is located on the far South side of Chicago. It concentrates on reading, mathematics, focus geography, health and cultural enrichment and offers French, Kiswahili, Tai Chi, science, biology and more in a home school environment. There is a significant tuition fee. Browse the website to learn more.
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4-8-2004 - AI TOOLS FOR EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, AND THE REST OF US
Control Alt Achieve - https://www.controlaltachieve.com/search/label/artificial%20intelligence
AI for educators - Larry Ferlazzo's blog - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/category/ai/
Claude - a family of AI models - https://www.anthropic.com/claude
These are blogs that are aggregating links to AI tools that can be used by any of us.
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4-2-2024 - POVERTY SOLUTIONS - MICHIGAN POVERTY AND WELL-BEING MAP
https://poverty.umich.edu/research-funding-opportunities/data-tools/michigan-poverty-well-being-map/
From the website: "This map combines several indicators to provide a snapshot of poverty and well-being across Michigan." Also view, "The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America". Read the article and view the interactive data map. https://poverty.umich.edu/research-funding-opportunities/data-tools/understanding-communities-of-deep-disadvantage/
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4-2-2024 - DAILY STEM LEARNING ACTIVITIES - VIA WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
https://dailystem.com/news/
from the website: "The "Daily STEM News" is a FREE one page weekly newspaper to help inspire kids to engage with STEM in the real world. Each issue can be printed or shared digitally with the kids you know."
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4-1-2024 - EARLY STEM EDUCATION KEY TO GROWING FUTURE CHIP WORKFORCE - 2024 ARTICLE
https://semiengineering.com/early-stem-education-key-to-growing-future-chip-workforce/
This article focuses on "building a domestic workforce for the chip industry by attracting kids to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects at a younger age." The article points to some examples of ways TEM programs can "introduce the benefits of advanced manufacturing jobs to kids who are unlikely to attend four-year college and get an engineering degree."
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3-31-2024 - BREAKING CYCLE OF POVERTY IN AMERICA - BLOG
https://www.combarriers.com/blog-home-page
This blog is titled, "Communication Across Barriers, Inc." and is written by Dr. Donna Beegle, as part of the consulting were she does to help entire communities break the cycle of poverty in America.
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3-21-2024 - FORA EMPOWERMENT CENTER - HIGH IMPACT TUTORING FOR REFUGEES
https://www.refugeefora.org/about
FORA was formed in 2019 to serve the needs of refugees coming to the West Ridge area of Chicago. The High Impact Tutoring (HIT) aims to unlock the potential of millions of unschooled refugees. It is the heart of what FORA does. This includes at least 10 hours a week of tutoring; no more than two students per tutor; high quality, individualized, and foundational curricula; regular testing to identify educational gaps; and, monitoring progress through high school.
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3-14-2024 - THE SOFT BIGOTRY OF HIGH EXPECTATIONS - JUST ACTION 2024 ARTICLE
https://justaction.substack.com/p/the-soft-bigotry-of-high-expectations
This article makes this case: "To combat black-white school achievement gap, worry about their persistent segregation, don't hope for miracle teachers."
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3-13-2024 - EXTENDING EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER IMPACT BEYOND KITS AND NUMBERS
https://www.realizedworth.com/2024/03/13/extending-employee-volunteer-impact-beyond-kits-and-numbers/
This Realized Worth article identified three problems with current corporate volunteer involvement programs and challenges business leaders to do better.
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3-6-2024 - 100+ STATISTICS ON CRIME IN US SCHOOLS
https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/us-schools-crime-statistics/
This article has a comprehensive collection of statistics about all types of crime and student behavior in US schools. Each topic is supported by creative visualizations. It concludes with tips to prevent school crime and violence.
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3-5-2024 - LION'S PRIDE MENTORING - SCHOOL BASED PEER MENTORING
https://www.lionprideinc.org/
Lion's Pride Mentoring was formed in 2017 at Baker College Prep and has spread to other Chicago schools. It became a non-profit in 2019. It provides leadership development and college and career skills to upper-grade students who then become peer mentors to freshmen.
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3-2-2024 - NEW YORK CITY YOUNG MEN'S INITIATIVE
https://www.nyc.gov/site/ymi/index.page
YMI was created in 2011 "as a public-private partnership to address increasing disparities among black and Latino men between the ages of 16 and 24 in education, employment, health and justice."
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2-29-2024 - DEMOCRACY LABS - VOTER RESOURCES TO PROTECT DEMOCRACY - 2-28-2024
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/02/28/voter-resources-protect-democracy/
From the website: "Democracy Labs is a hub for ongoing technology and creative innovation in service of a healthy democracy at the national, state and local levels. The LABS focus on long-term, sustainable and affordable solutions." The link points to one recent article.
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2-23-2024 - NON PROFIT UTOPIA - CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CHICAGO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
https://nonprofitutopia.com/
From the website: "NonProfit Utopia provides a broad range of services and resources to help NPO leaders achieve their goals, including an online community, consulting, courses, coaching, livestreams and podcasts." Browse the website to learn more.
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2-16-2024 - PERSISTENT POVERTY INTERACTIVE MAP - ADVANCING DEVELOPMENT IN PERSISTENT -POVERTY COMMUNITIES
https://eig.org/persistent-poverty-in-communities/
The Economic Innovation Group report shows that 35 million Americans reside in persistent-poverty communities. The website has an interactive map that you can zoom into and look at this data at the census tract level or at the county level. In a big county like Cook County, Il, persistent poverty is not visible, unless you look at it at the census tract level. View the map at https://eig.org/persistent-poverty-in-communities/interactive-map/
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2-14-2024 - PERSISTENTLY POOR, LEFT-BEHIND AND CHRONICALLY DISCONNECTED (IN AMERICA)
click here
This report by Kenan Fikri "explores the extent to which persistent poverty areas represent a compelling sub-category of left-behind areas in America. It explores three ways in which places struggling with persistent poverty exhibit disconnection from the broader economy: commuting patterns, social networks (social capital) and job growth." Finally it emphasizes that "these problems tend not to resolve themselves naturally."
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2-13-2024 - ART MAKERS CLUB - CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
https://www.artmakersclub.com/
This site was mentioned in an article on a blog by a CLMOOC educator whom I've followed for nearly 10 years. Here's the link: https://sheri42.net/2024/02/12/fun-with-photo-doodles/
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2-10-2024 - EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: METHODS & BENEFITS
https://custom-writing.org/blog/experiential-learning-methods-and-benefits
This is a comprehensive article showing types of learning, benefits of experiential learning, and experiential learning activities that teachers, mentors and tutors can use. It provides a lot of information about "Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle and Stages of Learning". The article also includes links to additional resources.
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2-7-2024 - SKILL UP - HELPS WORKERS FIND QUALITY LIVING-WAGE JOBS
https://www.skillup.org/
SkillUP is a coalition of more than 100 organizations, including training and education providers, tech firms, employers and philanthropies. This site can be valuable to young people exploring career options, to people without college degrees who seek good-paying jobs, or people seeking to explore new career options. Take time to explore the site and learn what's available.
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1-30-2024 - PRISONERS IN THE U.S. ARE PART OF A HIDDEN WORKFORCE LINKED TO HUNDREDS OF POPULAR FOOD BRANDS - U.S.NEWS JAN 2024 ARTICLE
https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4e
A 2-year investigation from the Associated Press "finds that prison labor is connected to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods, sold by some of the biggest food companies." Read the article.
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1-30-2024 - KQED YOUTH MEDIA IN THE CLASSROOM RESOURCES
https://www.kqed.org/education/
From the website: "Free, ready-to-use lesson plans, videos and resources that promote youth voice and help students practice media making, media literacy and civic engagement. Find fresh ideas for all grade levels and subjects, aligned to standards like CCSS and NGSS." Learn about the Youth Media Challenge at https://youthmedia.kqed.org/ and the Election 2024 project at https://youthmedia.kqed.org/election2024
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1-23-2024 - RSS FEED READERS HELP YOU KEEP UP WITH YOUR NEWS FEEDS - TOP FIVE (2024)
https://www.theverge.com/24036427/rss-feed-reader-best
This article explains what a RSS Feed Reader is and lists five sites, with a description of the free and paid versions for each. The Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC uses Inoreader.com
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1-19-2024 - MOZELLA OPEN LEADERSHIP TRANING MODULES
https://mozilla.github.io/open-leadership-training-series/articles/introduction-to-open-leadership/introduction-to-working-open/
https://mozilla.github.io/open-leadership-training-series/articles/introduction-to-open-leadership/stating-your-project-vision/
From the website: "This website introduces you to the basic concepts of working open. When you are 'working open' you use the power, knowledge, and skills of a diverse community of volunteers (called "contributors") to accomplish something that a single person or a small team couldn't do alone."
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1-19-2024 - OPEN LIFE SCIENCE AND OPEN SEEDS - DEDIDICATED TO CAPACITY BUILDING AND DIVERSIFYING LEADERSHIP IN RESEARCH
https://openlifesci.org/
https://openlifesci.org/openseeds/
This non-profit organization offers online mentoring and training programs for individuals and teams worldwide to learn about and adopt open research practices. The "Open Seeds" is a mentoring and training program for Open Science ambassadors.
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1-17-2024 - MAPPING POLICE VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/
This site has been collecting and reporting information about the number of people killed by police since 2013. The data is intended to provide greater transparency and accountability for police departments as part of the ongoing work to end police violence in America.
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1-17-2024 - DIGITAL SPACES DIRECTORY
https://newpublic.org/directory
This website is aggregating links to digital spaces as a "jumping off point for further exploration and research for anyone who's interested in studying, building, stewarding, or simply using digital platforms."
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1-10-2024 - ILLINOIS POLICE TRAFFIC STOP DATA - WBEZCHICAGO
https://interactive.wbez.org/traffic-stops/illinois-statewide/
This site provides comprehensive data about police traffic stops in Illinois and shows a growth in racial profiling from early 2000s to 2022. The site includes interactive maps. The information is available to others to use.
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1-8-2024 - THE GIRL INNOVATION, RESEARCH, ANDLEARNING (GIRL) CENTER - GLOBAL RESEARCH HUB
https://popcouncil.org/hub/girl-center/
The GIRL Center "is a global research hub that envisions a gender-equitable world where girls and boys make a health and safe transition into adulthood and reach their full potential". This is part of a global research center called The Population Council. View their strategic plan at https://popcouncil.org/strategy/
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1-2-2024 - SEEK - SENSE - SHARE - PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE MASTERY PROCESS
https://jarche.com/pkm/
This article on Harold Jarche's blog describes a process of learning and sharing that anyone can apply to "make sense of our world and work more effectively." The article contains numerous links to additional ideas that show this thinking in practice.
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