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Happy New Year! Celebrate Mentoring.
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I hope you all have enjoyed the holidays and are looking forward to a safe, healthy, happy New Year.
January is National Mentoring Month and there will be many ways to recognize mentors and celebrate the work they do.
Thus, in this newsletter I'll focus on the infrastructure that is required for well-organized, on-going, volunteer-based, tutor, mentor and learning programs to reach youth in high poverty areas.
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Use this newsletter as a study guide.
The ideas and resources shared in this monthly newsletter point to a library of resources that can be used by anyone, in Chicago, or around the world, to help mentor-rich youth programs thrive in all of the neighborhoods where they are most needed.
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Celebrate mentoring and help make well-organized programs available to more youth throughout America. Use these Mentoring Month Resources.
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I began my mentoring journey in 1973 when matched with a 4th grade boy living in the Cabrini-Green area of Chicago. We're still connected. He called me before Christmas to say "How are you doing?"
Building and sustaining long-term connections through well-organized programs is the purpose of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present).
During Mentoring Month I encourage programs, volunteers and mentees to share their own stories of long-term connections.
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National Mentoring Summit - January 25-27, 2023 - click here
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Think about needed infrastructure
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Building a segmented understanding of who youth programs serve
My focus has been to help kids in high poverty areas of big cities like Chicago. However, I recognize other kids need help, too.
Read this, and this article and think of ways to create a segmented understanding of who is being served by what programs in your community.
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Most big cities have areas of concentrated poverty.
Within these areas, how many kids are there? What programs exist. How many kids, in each grade level, are being served? How many more programs are needed?
Is there a planning process in your city collecting this information? Read about this process in this and this article.
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Re-Imagine how youth tutor/mentor programs are funded
This is one of four graphics in this article that show the challenges of funding long-term youth tutor, mentor and learning programs. If you're flying from point A to point B you want to be sure the airplane has a full tank of fuel.
Yet, if we want to help kids get from first grade, through high school, then post high school into jobs, that requires 16 to 20 years of continuous support. Funding from foundations usually lasts only one to three years and never covers more than a small percent of total costs.
Are there groups in your city talking about this?
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Learn what's available in the Tutor/Mentor Resource Library
I started collecting information in 1973 to support my own efforts as a volunteer tutor. I expanded this effort between 1975 and 1992 as I led the tutoring program at the Montgomery Ward HQ in Chicago and it grew from 100 pairs of kids and volunteers in 1975 to more than 400 kids and 550 volunteers by June 1992.
I expanded it even more between 1993 and today, as I've tried to help youth tutor, mentor and learning programs grow in all high poverty areas of Chicago and other places.
Here's an article where I show what's in the library, using a Monopoly board game design. Does someone host a library like this in your city?
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Building a system of supports and helping every youth through school is a long-term effort.
Thus, as you move through 2023 and beyond, keep asking "How can we do this better?"
Use the resources in this newsletter and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website and blog to support your planning.
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Communities need to be constantly asking "What are all the things we need to know, and do, to assure that kids born in high poverty areas today are in jobs by mid 20s.
That covers a lot of territory. This graphic shows tags places on articles in the Tutor/Mentor blog, where I've been writing about some of these issues since 2005. Who is leading this conversation in your community? Is there an on-line space where leaders, funders and programs are connecting?
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Get to know youth tutor and/or mentor programs in your city.
This concept map points to lists of Chicago area youth tutor and/or mentor programs that I've been maintaining since 1993. It also points to directories and volunteer search resources that you can use to find youth serving programs throughout the USA. If you lead a youth serving program look for ways to tell who you serve, why your are needed, what challenges you face, the successes you have and ways people can help you. A blog offers a flexible way to provide updated information and social media is a tool you can use to share regular updates.
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Trouble at Twitter. I'm still using it. But using Mastodon, too.
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I've been using Twitter since 2009 and value it because I find information like this almost every day. I host a list of Twitter accounts for Chicago area youth programs so others can easily find them and offer support. During 2022 actions by new ownership has caused many people to close their accounts. I won't go into details. You can dig up news about this if you're interested.
What I will say is that a) I'm still using Twitter and hope it survives, and improves; b) I've set up an account at @tutormentor1@mastodon.cloud; and, c) I continue to post on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and my blogs. I hope to connect with you at one, or more, of these places in 2023.
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Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
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View latest links added to tutor/mentor library, Jul-Dec 2022 - click here
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Recent Tutor/Mentor Blog articles:
If More Youth Serving Organizations Took This Role - click hereBuild Virtual Corporate Office to Support Youth in More Places - click hereWhite House Summit on STEAM sets 2050 Goals - click here
Bookmark these Tutor/Mentor Resources
* 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.
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Resources & Announcements
* 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* Proven Tutoring - coalition of independent tutoring providers - click here ; read Robert Slavin blog articles - 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
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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).
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Thank you to the small group of donors who have made contributions in 2022 and since 2011 to help me continue to support you through this newsletter, the Tutor/Mentor library, my blogs and my social media posts. I've not operated as a non-profit since 2011, but as Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC. I'm doing the same work, just with a different tax structure (and same small budget!).
My monthly Constant Contact cost to send this newsletter is about $50. If 12 people each made a $50 contribution this year, it would cover that fee. A similar contribution would cover the hosting expense for the http://www.tutormentorexchange.net website. The hosting fee for the map of Chicago tutor/mentor programs ( shown here) is $20 a month. These are examples of costs I cover from my own pocket if I don't receive enough contributions to the Fund T/MI campaign. If you'd like to help, visit this page.
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Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Serving Chicago area since 1993
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.
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2023 Tutor/Mentor Newsletters 
