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Intermediaries - Chicago

Chicago Youth Intermediaries.

The goal of the Tutor/Mentor Connection, created in 1993, was to help constantly improving k-12 tutor/mentor programs grow and reach youth in all high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago. Other organizations in Chicago share similar goals, focusing on well-being of youth and families.

I call these "intermediaries" because each supports a network of organizations through their websites, events they host and social media. However, they are not always connecting to each other, and most do not include the Tutor/Mentor Connection/Institute, LLC in their formal deliberations. Most don't keep a list like the T/MC does and try to draw attention to everyone on the list or to draw them together on a more consistent basis. That's what I've been doing since 1993.

Inviting people to come together requires first doing the research to locate people who are already involved, and building a list that enables communication and capacity building, which is what I've been doing. My list of tutor/mentor programs (see concept map) shows who is directly involved providing direct service. However, I've also been building a list of the intermediaries, and resource providers, working in Chicago. Then I've been sharing my lists, and web library, in an on-going effort to get them to connect, talk to each other, build relationships, share ideas, etc.

The concept map shown on this page has links to a variety of intermediary organizations serving the Chicago area. This is not all, but only what I've been able to locate thus far. Each node on this map has a link to that organization's website.

Many of these organizations are active on Facebook and a few on Twitter. A few years ago I created a page with links pointing to Facebook groups/pages of known tutor/mentor programs. In 2020 I move that list to the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC site (this page). Below is that list. If you know of others to be added, or deleted, please contact me and I'll edit this list:

Chicago Youth Intermediaries.

New Maps that Need to Be Created
On the concept map I show boxes for the categories without links, which means I do not have much information to fill the boxes. These include:

Foundations supporting youth.
Chicago Community Trust - https://www.facebook.com/TheChicagoCommunityTrust
McCormick Foundation - Why News Matte s- https://www.facebook.com/McCormickFoundation

Business/ Professional Networks Supporting Youth

Universities Supporting Youth (or departments/clubs within universities)

Faith Networks supporting youth programs

Civic/Service Networks Supporting youth

Government efforts at network building
Cook County Commission on Social Innovation - https://www.facebook.com/cookcountymission/

Chicago Programs - Facebook

Get informed. Get involved.

List of Volunteer-Based Tutor and/or Mentor Orgs in Chicago Region

Help me update this list. I created the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) in 1993 and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (T/MI) in 2011 to help volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow in all high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago.

To accomplish this I first had to start building a list of the different organizations in Chicago who offered non-school tutoring/mentoring. You can see the list and search web sites of programs by visiting http://tinyurl.com/TMI-ChiProgramLinks

Since my goal is to draw attention to the different tutoring and/or mentoring programs in the Chicago region, to help attract volunteers and donors to each program, I've created this list of organizations, with their Facebook pages. It's organized by sections of the city and suburbs.

One thing you'll quickly see is that while poverty is growing in the Chicago suburbs, I don't have information about very many organized programs in that area. As you look at this list if you know of programs not included, you can post the name of the organization, tell what part of the region it operates in, and the Facebook page.

The organizations shown in bold face involved more than 100 volunteers. Some have several hundred. Most don't show the number of volunteers and youth involved on their web sites, so I'm highlighting programs I know to have large numbers. If you know of others on my list with 100 or more volunteer tutors/mentors involved, please post this information in the comment section. As you browse this list, please let me know if I include organizations that do not offer organized, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs, or if I'm missing programs that you are aware of.

2020 NOTE: Some organizations have not updated their Facebook pages for a year or longer. If that's the case, look for their website address and view the site to see if the program is providing more current information. Please inform me if any of these programs no longer offer organized volunteer-based tutoring and/or mentoring or if you know of other groups that I should add to this list.

Chicago North:

Chicago South Central

Chicago West Suburbs

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will & Grundy County - https://www.facebook.com/bbbswillgrundy
Bremen Youth Services - https://www.facebook.com/bremenyouthservices?fref=ts
The Bridge Communities - https://www.facebook.com/bridge.communities?fref=nf&pnref=story
Kids Above All (was ChildServ) - https://www.facebook.com/KidsAboveAll/
The Fig Factor Foundation - https://www.facebook.com/TheFigFactor/
Metropolitan Family Services - https://www.facebook.com/MetroFamChicago

Chicago South Suburbs

IMPACT Family Center - https://www.facebook.com/pages/IMPACT-Family-Center/75507774812
Jones Memorial Community Center - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jones-Memorial-Community-Center/322740707831197
North South Foundation - https://www.facebook.com/NorthSouthFoundation

Help these programs get the resources each program needs to grow. Help build new programs in areas where they are needed, by borrowing ideas from existing programs. Read and share stories on Tutor/Mentor Blog at http://tutormentor.blogspot.com

If you value this list and the work of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
please visit this page and use the PayPal button to send a contribution.

Jan-Feb 2018 eNews

December 2017 Tutor Mentor eNews

Use the ideas and resources shared monthly to help youth in your zip code have opportunities to participate in well-organized, mentor-rich, non-school programs.

January-February 2018 - Issue 166

New Year. Same Old Challenges. Get Informed. Get Others Involved.

Want to know more about Dan Bassill (me) and the goals of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC? Listen tothis podcastinterview.

The ideas 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.

While I try to send this only once a month, I write blog articles weekly. In the sections below I post links to a few of the articles published in the past month. Spend a little time each week reading the articles and following the links. Use in group discussions with people who are concerned about the same issues. Create a blog like this sharing your own ideas.

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 http://www.tutormentorconference.org/newsletter.asp

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)

Local Leadership Needed to Build and Sustain Mentor-Rich Programs in More Places

Maps of Chicago and other places can show where youth need extra help that non-school programs provide. Leaders needed at the program level, the neighborhood level, and the city level.

You can find this graphic in this Tutor/Mentor blog article.

Maps of Chicago and other cities show where poverty is most concentrated. These are areas where youth and families need good schools, and where they need great non school tutor, mentor and learning programs.

No program starts off great. It takes a few years to build trust, participation, a culture, and a support system. And, it takes 12 years for a first grader to finish high school. The oil well icons on the map above intend to show that great programs are needed in many places, and they need to be there for many years.

Each program needs a board of directors and diverse base of volunteers along with community support and a consistent source of funding to become great, then stay great for many years.

In 2011 Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC created a map presentation showing the number of youth age 6-17, in each Chicago community area, who were living below the poverty line. (see pdf) For instance the Austin area had 6356 and the North Lawndale area had 4717. If a non school tutor/mentor program were serving 50-75 kids, it would take quite a few programs just to reach half of the kids in these areas.

Thus, while each program needs great leadership and support, neighborhood leadership is also needed to assure there are enough programs to serve as high a percent of the K-12 youth, in a zip code or community area, as possible.

At the city level the Mayor should be looking at maps like this, and have a team in place to help grow the number of well-organized programs that are needed in every community area. That means mobilizing public and private dollars and making sure they flow to all programs, not just to a few select groups, or to a few types of program providers.

This is not a new message. It's one that I start every year with and that I support throughout the year with blog articles, social media posts and many one-on-one conversations.

Recommended reading:

* So many problems. Building networks for solutions -read

* Stopping the violence. Invest in the neighborhoods -read

* Black Families Fleeing Chicago; Ending in Segregated Suburbs -read

Read more articles like this onTutor/Mentor Institute, LLC blog.

Making Strong Programs Available in More Places: What's the Plan? What Information Are You Using?

Every youth serving organization competes with the others for the same operating resources. Let's innovate ways to increase the pool so there's more for all the programs that are needed in big cities like Chicago.

You can find this graphic in this article where I ask "What do we need to do to fill every high poverty neighborhood with great non-school tutor, mentor and learning programs"

I've been creating maps and visualizations since 1994 to show where existing non-school tutoring/mentoring programs are located in Chicago and where more are needed...and to show roles leaders can take to draw attention and needed support to programs in every high poverty neighborhood.

Visit this pageto see my most updated list of Chicago area programs.

This graphic shows the number of programs in my list for different sections of the city and suburbs (view article with map). For this information to remain useful, I need help from people in different areas who will help update my information, tell me about new programs, or programs I don't know about, and tell me when programs are no longer operating.

Recommended Reading:

* Expanding social capital for youth living in concentrated poverty -read

* Connecting People and Ideas -click here

* Birth to work blueprints needed -click here

* Reaching out to universities- click here

Nothing happens until someone reads these articles, then invites others to do the same. This is an on-going process, where many can take leadership roles.

What's Your Planning Cycle Look Like?

Building and sustaining a well-organized mentor-rich program is a challenge. Making enough programs available in all areas is an even bigger challenge. Attracting young people and keeping them involved through high school is an even greater challenge.

This concept map can be seen in this article.

Where do you get your ideas?

What data do you use to show why your youth organization is needed where it is? What research do you point to? What models do you look at and say "I want to do what they do." How do you show your vision, theory of change, strategy and successes on your web site?

These are all questions that Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC points to on its web sites and blogs. I don't claim to have the answers. The articles I point to are intended to expand your thinking, so you can innovate solutions that work for you and your community. You just need to spend a little time, on an on-going basis, to browse the sites and know what's there.

For instance, where do you find data indicators? You can see the map below at this link. Under each graphic are links to web sites with rich data and mapping tools.

What other resources can you find on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC web sites? Here's a concept map that shows the four sections of the web library I've been building since the mid 1990s.

Visitthis article where I've used Thinglink to highlight what's in each section.

Another way to know what's in the library is to visit this article, where I have a list of links that I point to often in my articles. This points you to each sub section of the web library, my visual PDF presentations and my concept maps.

Find other articles related to starting, sustaining tutor/Mentor programs -click here

Here are some resources you'll findin the library .

Understanding Black History, Race and Class in America. Three sections of the web library contain articles related to this topic.

* Black History month -click here

* Poverty, Race and Inequality -click here

* Equal Justice, Poverty Law & Juvenile Justice -click here

Here' are some other links of interest that are recent additions to the web library:

* Story map shows life and words of Dr. M.L.King, Jr. -click here

* A Graphic Re-Visioning of NonProfit Overhead -click here
* Who Are The Poor Americans? -click here
* Cook Central - Cook County GIS web portal -click here

* How Poverty Can Follow Children into Adulthood -click here

* Education Can't Solve Poverty. So Why Do We Keep Insisting That It Can -click here

* Understanding issues of rural vs urban America -click here

* Engage students in local-global problem solving -click here

Other links of interest:

* To&Through Project website. Find information showing progress of CPS freshmen to and through 4-year college. Find ways to help.click here

* MENTOR Illinois resources for mentors page -click here

* Indiana Afterschool Network Out-of-School-Time Conference, April 9, 2018 -details

* Chicago Organizations in Intermediary Roles -click here

* See what's being discussed on Twitter - use Tutor/Mentor#hashtag map

*View past Tutor/Mentor Newsletters - use for on-going learning -click here

Dan Bassill (that's me) is available to discuss any of these ideas with you, or others, via Skype, Google Hangouts or in person if you're in Chicago.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy,
Hopeful and Safe 2018.

Thank you to all who made contributions in 2017 to help me keep the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC ideas and resources available to you and others.

Your help is still needed in 2018. Click here to contribute.

Tutor/Mentor Connection,

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

Merchandise Mart PO Box 3303, Chicago, Il 60654

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

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC,MerchandiseMartPOBox3303,Chicago,IL60654

Use Information Resources During Time of Crisis

During the COVID-19 crisis millions of people are restricted to staying at home, making the Internet and TV, along with the telephone, their main means of connection to the larger world.

During this time the Tutor/Mentor Connection/Institute, LLC's information-based resource library can be a useful source of information and ideas to help people find their way through these challenging times and to help build and sustain volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs that will still need to be reaching youth in high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago and other cities once this crisis is over.

Use the resources on this web site to support your learning. Do a Google search using "tutor mentor" and any of the words in the tag cloud below, and find articles intended to stimulate and influence thinking of leaders across Chicago and the rest of the country.

Click here to view to an interview with Dan Bassill, founder of Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011).

Click here and use the PayPal button to send a contribution to support this work.

Thank You Dan - 1989-90 card from students & volunteers

Birth to work goal

Thank you Dan card, from students and volunteers, 1989-90

View here