While the media, and elected leaders are calling for new solutions to helping end violence in inner city neighborhoods, and reduce the high rate of high school drop outs, it's the business community who I feel has untapped potential to help. I've posted articles showing that a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program can be part of a company's workforce and diversity development strategies.
We've also posted maps that companies can use to plan their involvement around places where they do business, or where they might want to do business.
Mike Trakan, who creates maps for the Tutor/Mentor Connection, has created maps showing where some of the Insurance companies in Chicago have locations. The map on the left shows Allstate locations in the city compared to concentrations of high poverty.
This week Mike is launching some new maps, showing grocery store chains in the city. This map shows Jewell stores.
You can read Mike's articles at http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com
In all cases we're encouraging a mix of philanthropy, volunteering, and workforce development. We want companies to invest in strategies that connect employee volunteers with kids in elementary school, so that they influence reading, writing, critical thinking, and learning habits. We want these companies to stay connected to these same kids through middle school, high school and even college, so they can influence work aspirations, and provide a range of part time jobs, internships and scholarships, that assure more youth from poverty neighborhoods are working in their companies, or are their customers, when the kids are adults.
Most of all, we want them to develop strategies that reach youth in all areas where they do business, or where employees might live, not just in a few chosen places where they might have a high profile involvement.
Read more about these goals in leadership articles on the Tutor/Mentor Institute or in this blog.
Do you want to help the Tutor/Mentor Connection with this strategy? Call 312-492-9614 or email tutormentor2@earthlink.net
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