Protest Marches, Responses to Pandemic. Educating and Mentoring. Challenges we must meet in 2020.
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In my last newsletter at the end of April I offered condolences to those who lost loved ones to Covid19 and to those struggling due to lost jobs. Since then that pain has continued to grow and the impact on many families from having schools and non-school programs closed has added to the suffering.
The murder of George Floyd has added to this and ignited pent up rage and anger that is still growing with protest marches throughout the world.
The uncertainty of what the future holds is something that we all fear.
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Yet, there is great hope that this time, things will be different.
The ideas and resources shared in this monthly newsletter can be used by youth organization leaders, resource providers, political leaders, universities, volunteers and youth to help mentor-rich programs thrive in all of the neighborhoods where they are most needed, and to help understand and respond to these over-riding challenges.
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Entering 2020 we faced a literal tsunami of significant challenges. Then in March the Covid19 pandemic burst on our shores, closing businesses, school & non-school programs and taking thousands of lives.
Just as we appeared to be getting a control over the health crisis, a new public health emergency emerged, with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. This with countless previous acts of police and institutional violence against Black Americans, burst a dam of pent up rage and for the past two weeks people in the US and all over the world have been marching and demanding change.
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There are no simple, short-term solutions.
Each of the issues on the graphic above is a complex problem, requiring the involvement of many people over many years.
Added together it's a wicked complex problem requiring a systems thinking approach. What's that? Read what I wrote in this blog article. I post articles weekly. I hope you'll follow, read, then share them with others.
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What can you do? Spend time learning.
With so many people working from home the number of on-line webinars and conferences has exploded. I spend time in 3-4 ZOOM meetings a week, sometimes 2-3 in a single day!
In many people are asking "what can I do" and the most frequent answer is "Educate yourself. Spend time learning." This is an especially important message for White people trying to understand issues of racism and White privilege.
This June 2020 Poverty Narrative on-line conference is just one place you can learn from.
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Share what you are reading and watching.
The graphic at the left visualizes the role every person can take to share what they learn with people in their various networks.
You can use Twitter, LinkedIN, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or any other media you're comfortable with.
However, read something every day. Share something every day.
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The Tutor/Mentor web library is being updated, so instead of pointing you to sections of the library i'm going to list a few websites that you might visit.
Understand long history of racism in America
- 43 books on racism for adults and kids. From Chicago SunTimes - click here
- Anti-Racism books recommended in MiddleWeb article - click here
- Police Violence videos on Twittter. Aggregated list. - click here
- 1619 Project - NY Times - click here
- How we Rise: Policy solutions to upend structural racism and create a more equitable society for all - click here
- 11 things to do besides Say "This Has to Stop" in the wake of police brutality - click here
- A history of race and racism in America - click here
- Advancing Racial Equity with State Tax Policy - click here
- Digital mapping of racism and segregation in America - click here
Fixing broken election and political system
- Expanding Voting Rights - Issue Brief from Reclaim the American Dream - click here
- Fixing our broken political system. New book. click here
- Education is over....though provoking article - click here
- Race and the Schooling of Black Americans. This 1992 article illustrates how little has changed over the past 30 years - click here
Challenges of poverty, Covid19, and the education system
- 9 ways poverty hurts education - click here
- Basic needs and Covid19 - a collection of articles - click here
- Digital Education Post Covid19 - PDF- click here
- Chasing the American Dream. Poverty and Opportunity in America - click here
- Closing the Racial Wealth Gap in America - click here
- Our Equitable Future. Roadmap for the Chicago region - click here
- Race, Racism and Health - Examining the connections - click here
- Zinn Education Project - teaching people's history - click here
The above are just a few of the links in the Tutor/Mentor Web library. You can access the library at this link. ( for the next few weeks you might see two versions of the library as I'm transitioning to a new hosting format.) My map and list of Chicago area Tutor/Mentor programs - click hereHere's my Facebook list of programs - pick which ones you want to follow. - click hereHere's my Twitter list. It includes more than just Chicago - click hereHere's my LinkedIN page. Follow me and see posts that I'm seeing. - click here
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Below are resources to use to help youth in your community.
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Recent Tutor/Mentor blog articles:
* Looking back over 45 years of involvement - click here
* How do we turn participation map into collective impact map? click here
* Mentoring as Part of Larger Strategy - click here
* Hashtags I follow on Twitter. Use to expand your own network - click here
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* Incarceration Reform Digital Resource Center - click here
* ChiHackNight - civic technology meet-up; every Tuesday in Chicago - see agenda* Chicago Youth Serving Organizations in Intermediary Roles - click here
(Please help update this cmap.)
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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.
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, use 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)
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Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il 60654
Thank you to those who help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and this newsletter. Contributions always welcome. Click here.
Connect with Dan (tutormentor) on one of these social media platforms.
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