Agenda for November 7, 2014. Thank you to all who participated.

All speakers are volunteers who share their time and expertise to help volunteer-based tutoring, mentoring programs grow throughout the Chicago region. Workshop topics and speakers are subject to change without notice.

Use hashtag #TMConf_Chi to connect on Twitter. 

8:15am-8:45am

Registration and Continental Breakfast
Plan to arrive with enough time to pass through security screening. Bring a valid photo ID with you.

8:45am-9:15am

Welcome:

Daniel F. Bassill, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

John Hosteny, Director of the Corporation for National and Community Service's Illinois Office.  http://www.nationalservice.gov/

Networking IceBreaker - Jordan Hesterman, Founder/Executive Director, Becoming We The People

9:30am-10:40 am Workshops

Stopping The Violence: The Embodiment of Core Values and Key Components that Must be Employed and Embraced, presented by Bishop Steve Braxton, Founder, Marketplace Ministries, Inc, Freelance Writer, Author, Life Coach. See blog.

This workshop will be an interactive dialogue and discussion concerning 'Key Components' to help elevate, diminish and/or curtail crime, violence, drugs and gang activity among young people in communities across the city of Chicago, particularly, North Lawndale. Outcome: To gather a cadre of like-minded people to form a collaborative group to be a consistent voice to allay fears and make the community a better place that's closely akin to a 'Safe Haven' to live, work and play.

If I Build It, Will They Come? How to Develop Youth Programs That Are Relevant and Impactful, Presented by Valerie F. Leonard, Expert in Community and Organizational Development. Web site.

Presentation handout pdf

Whether you are developing a youth program concept, or are in the throes of running a youth program, this workshop has something for you.  You will learn how to develop or improve existing programs so they are consistent with your mission and strategic plan, yet, responsive to client needs. This workshop covers a list of knowledge organizations need to master including building a team, developing a strategy and fundraising plan, conducting evaluation, developing budgets and more.

Turning Middle School Students into Leaders, Presented by Mallory DePrekel, Manager, Middle School Programs, McGaw YMCA  Project SOAR

This workshop is intended to serve the program leaders and managers as well as the mentors who know the kids skills. Leaders will learn how to turn a child's strength into leadership potential and keep them encouraged to be a part of programming in the future. We will also discuss how to use community partners, organizations, fundraisers, etc. to our advantage and how the kids can not only help but be an integral part of these relationships

Evangelizing the Cause- Communications for Effective Fundraising, Presented by Daniel Cotter, Chair, Lawyers Lend a Hand to Youth Program

This session is for board members, executive directors and volunteers. We will discuss use of social media, email and other media to obtain support for your organization's mission. This blog article illustrates how Dan put these ideas to action in 2014 while raising more than $70,000 to help fund tutor/mentor programs in Chicago. http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2014/06/more-heavy-lifters-needed.html

10:45am-12:00 noon Workshops

12:00pm -1:20pm

Box Lunch & Networking -

12:50pm - 1:15pm - Keynote

Understanding childhood trauma and learning development; helping volunteers understand and respond empathically. Presented by Archana Lal-Tabak M. D, Holistic Physician, Heart of Transformation Wellness Institute

This article, titled, "In Chicago's war zones, the tragedy extends beyond the kids who die," from the Chicago Reader, emphasizes the stress and trauma of youth and families living in urban poverty. Volunteers need to be trained to understand these issues.

1:30pm-2:30pm Workshops

Educate HER -- Hosting Empowerment Revolutions, Presented by Dr. Christina Kirk, Dean/Director, Prep University, Oklahoma City, OK

Educate HER is a workshop for leaders, mentors, volunteers, directors, and anyone who works with youth encouraging them to seek higher education. Participants will learn to: (1)organize and plan an effective and well attended empowerment session; (2) market and reach a maximum amount of target attendees for empowerment sessions; (3) motivate and encourage teens to succeed in academics; and (4) plan and manage information education curriculum sessions that attendees are eager to participate in and leave wanting more.

Erin's Law: Responding to Disclosures, Presented by Melanie Foote Davis & Alexandra Kumin, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago

The Erin's Law Training covers information regarding the newly implemented state law, and is designed for education personnel, clergy, medical professionals, and anyone else working with youth. It includes child sexual abuse facts and state laws, mandated reporting, how to handle a disclosure of sexual abuse, and role plays to practice handling disclosures.

Educators, mentors, clergy, parents and other professionals will walk learn:

*     How to handle disclosures

*     How to recognize signs of Child Sexual Abuse

*     How to create an environment that feels safe and empowering

*     Resources to support sexual assault survivors and families

Reaching, Recruiting and Engaging At-Risk  Youth/Volunteers, Presented by Tyrina Newkirk, Recruiter, and Valencia Carter,  Boys Hope Girls Hope

The Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement workshop will provide useful tips on how to develop an outreach plan, ways to engage the target audience, and personalizing the recruitment process.   The workshop will also highlight some of the recruitment and outreach best practices in an effort to reduce challenges and increase success for potential students as well as volunteers. This workshop is intended to serve anyone who is looking to explore new ways to strengthen their recruitment efforts for either students or volunteers.

Sing Your Own Blues Tune, Presented by Bonni McKeown, Teacher, Chicago School of Blues

This "Sing Your Own Blues" workshop will help tutors and mentors put themselves in their students' shoes. The blues "happy, sad, or funny" is, to quote the late blues master Willie Dixon, "about the facts of life." Youngsters as young as 7 can  compose and sing a simple three line blues verse--happy, sad or funny:  "The dog ate my homework, please have mercy on me."  By learning this time-tested, culturally rooted way of self expression,  tutors and mentors can help both teachers and students creatively channel their own experiences and feelings into a structured art form and share it with the community. By  releasing emotional pressures, everyone can be more open to the discipline of learning. Blues helps us realize that others share the same feelings and sometimes the same situations. "It's a step towards less isolation and more civility" the human skills that will help students cope with a changing world.

Funders are From Mars and Community Organizers are from Venus, Presented by Darryl E. Allen, Managing Partner, Mentorship Institute, Inc, Kettering, Ohio and Cliff Wright, Jr., a Certified School Development Educator and a staff consultant for Commonweal Foundation in Washington, DC

Every community program needs more volunteers and more funding - or so it seems.  This workshop delivers practical tools that assist tutoring/mentoring programs with solving these two issues.  Speaking the language of Funders requires Community Organizers to become "bi-lingual".  Come learn the language of the Funders.

2:35pm-3:45pm Workshops
 

Dealing with Trauma Issues within Tutor/Mentor and Youth Serving Organizations.  Marilyn Danos, Chicago area mentor health professional.
This workshop will be a follow up to the noon keynote presentation. Marilyn will lead a discussion of resources available for programs to use in training volunteers to better understand and respond to issues of trauma facing the youth they work with.

Mentoring Myths and Realities: Creating Pivotal Mentoring Opportunities, Presented by Mark Carter, Founder One80 See blog.

Creating a mentoring program can be a daunting task.  Not just because of the time needed,  but deciding HOW to build it.  We'll move past myths (1 on 1 matchmaking is the best) and learn how you can create organic, successful mentoring opportunities for people in your organization.

This session will be an active discussion; NOT a lecture.  You're going to learn more than 10 mile high theories about mentoring. We'll be using Idea Climbing to help you learn how to 1) be a mentor, 2) be mentored and 3) how to create successful mentoring programs with measurable results (yes, you'll learn how to create metrics rather than unfocused conversations).

Since this session is in the final time slot of a full day of workshops, bring the ideas from previous workshops and take all of this information back to your organization and involve others in planning, organizing and developing strong youth tutor/mentor organizations.

Impact of HIV and AIDS Among Teens and Seniors in the Community, Presented by Mitchell Sholar, President of City Harvest Headstart Harvest Mihnistry,  CHOOM.org

The high rates of HIV and AIDS point to the overwhelming healthcare, economic and educational systems. This threat to the survival and well-being of our community teens and seniors is a social protection problem. HIV is impacting our community and it is our responsibility to speak out and fight the ignorance and neglect that make people vulnerable to HIV infection. We invite you to join us in educating individuals, families, business leaders, and faith based organizations to ensure we all have access to the information, insurance, prevention, care, and treatment that we need to preserve their lives and futures.

Illinois Campus Compact VISTAs: Connecting Colleges to Civic Engagement & Community Service, Presented by Toni Ellison, MA, Inner-City Studies, AmeriCorps VISTA, Illinois Campus Compact

Illinois Campus Compact is a coalition of colleges and universities working together to promote effective civic engagement and service-learning practices in higher education. The primary approach these directives are carried out through its partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps VISTA program. VISTAs are national service volunteers that are placed at our member schools to support our initiatives. Those initiatives include working with veteran students – connecting military service to community service. Also, working with First Generation and Low Income/High Risk college students to encourage them towards college success by providing resources for advancement in school and life and developing community partnerships. Several of the programs provide tutor/mentor services.

Join in Happy Hour after the conference, at Cavanaugh's, located in the historic Monadnock Building at 53 W. Jackson Blvd. Free food. Cash bar. 4:15 go 6pm.

Before, During and After the Conference: Connect with peers in on-line space
Participants are encouraged to think of the spring and fall tutor/mentor conference as a meeting place where they can bring a group who is interested in creating more tutor/mentor programs in a specific region or in a specific focus area (such as health careers, technology, arts, etc.).  We encourage you to join on-line forums and help plan the conference and other T/MC actions. If you would like to organize a single workshop, or a conference within the conference, please contact us online or connect with Dan Bassill on Skype at "dbassill".