How Many Tutor/Mentor Programs are Needed in Chicago?

 In 1994 when we were launching the Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago, this Chicago Tribune front page showed 240,000 kids "at risk" because they were in "poverty's grip". 

The map in the Tribune article showed high poverty levels on the West and South sides of Chicago.  

This information has fueled my efforts to help volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow in these areas for the past 30 years.  I've continued to look for data and maps that showed this information at the neighborhood level and showed the number of kids enrolled in volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs.

The only time I was able to get close to this information was in 1997 when the Associated Colleges of Illinois used our data to determine how many kids were enrolled in exiting programs.

The map below was included in the report. The survey of 300 organizations showed that "fewer than 6% of Chicago's school-age population is reached by these tutor/mentor organizations". 

I included this map in a 1999 article I addressed to billionaires. Here's a link to a 2016 article that also includes the map.  Here's the link to the 1997 report. 

In 2011 I was able to get data from the Heartland Alliance that I used to show the number of kids, age 6 to 17, in each Chicago Community Area.  I was able to update that in 2018, and you can view that report below.

Chicago Community Areas: Youth In Poverty-2018 from Daniel Bassill

I wish there had been a program at a Chicago university that had been working with me and doing this research for the past 30 years, and using the data to guide public and private investment in high poverty areas.  There's been a ton of research, but none focused on increasing support for tutor/mentor programs or helping more grow where the data shows a need. 

So where are we in 2023?  Today I saw a post on Twitter that pointed me to an article by Chalkbeat Chicago.

This article shows that there has been a steady decline of low-income kids in many Chicago neighborhoods and that the percent of low income kids has declined significantly in some schools as more affluent families move into those neighborhoods. 

This article is full of percents, with no raw numbers or maps. So I did a search to determine how many students are currently enrolled in Chicago Public Schools.

I found this "Stats and Facts" page hosted by Chicago Public schools.  It shows 322, 106 students enrolled at the start of the 2022-23 school year, in 634 schools.  It also shows that 72.7 % are economically disadvantaged. 

I multiplied the total number of elementary school kids by 72.7% and show 132,772 low income kids. I multiplied the number of high school kids by the same percent and show 74,248 kids.  That totals 207,020 low income kids attending Chicago Public Schools.

This is significantly lower than the 240,000 number in the 1994 Chicago Tribune article, but it's still a huge number of kids who might benefit from well organized, non-school, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs.

Over the past 10 years I've posted several articles inviting researchers to do market-research to provide information showing how many kids in different areas might benefit from tutor/mentor programs, and how many kids in those same areas were currently part of existing programs.

In one article I included maps like the one below.

In another article I included these two graphics

In another article I included this map of the United States, showing cities with high concentrations of poverty.

Each of these cities should have a research intermediary that borrows strategies piloted since 1993 by the Tutor/Mentor Connection, who collects and reports information that everyone else in that city can use to supply the resources needed to reach a higher percent of kids in high poverty areas with well-organized, mentor-rich, non-school tutor, mentor and learning programs. 

Researchers in Chicago could use my lists of tutor, mentor and learning programs as a starting point in collecting data about "how many are served" and "in what locations". 

I've been sharing this message for nearly 30 years but far too few people have ever seen it, or have dug deep enough into the work I was doing to understand it, support it, and/or duplicate it in other cities.

Today's media reports just are another reminder that without a comprehensive system of support that provides excellent learning and teaching during the school-day hours, well organized enrichment in the after-school hours, and mentor-rich programs in the after 5pm, weekend and Internet hours, we'll reach too few kids with the long-term support many need.

Below is a graphic that I've shared often in my articles.

Be the YOU in this graphic. Share my articles with people in your own network.  Start a conversation. Get more people involved.  If you're part of a university, or a billionaire giving away a fortune, look for ways to embed the Tutor/Mentor Connection strategy on a college campus.

Do it while I'm still alive to offer my help.

Thanks for reading. 

My social media links are on this page.   My FundT/MI page is here.  Help me if you can.

12/1/2023 update - Visit this section of the Tutor/Mentor library and find several dozen data platforms that you can use to understand where people need extra help. 

12/1/2023 update - view this concept map to see data platforms that you can use.

Learn from Tutor/Mentor Connection newsletters

Six volunteers and myself formed Cabrini Connections in late 1992 to provide 7th grade through high school support to teens living in the Cabrini-Green area of Chicago.  At the same time we created the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) to help similar programs reach k-12 youth in every high poverty area of the city.

We started telling our story via print newsletters in 1993, The first issues went to our database of about 400 people. However, over the next 9 years I kept adding to the database and by 2002 we were sending the newsletter to more than 12,000 people in Chicago and around the country.

Over the past couple of days I've shared images from some of these with the goal that people who are concerned about poverty, inequality, urban violence, etc. will use these as templates for creating their own versions of the T/MC and leading it for the next 20 years.  Please take a look.

"It is imperative that society provide opportunities"

It is "Imperative that society provide opportunities through which children can build the capacities and skills they need..." This is from my 1993 newsletter. If leaders had consistently apply this thinking maybe we'd not have the violence and shootings we have today. pic.twitter.com/5OP4uDvsZc

— Daniel Bassill (@tutormentorteam) August 18, 2021

"We have the words but we lack the will"

"We have the words. What we lack is the will". That's been the problem with finding and investing in solutions to poverty that might have prevented much of the violence. This was from my summer 1999 newsletter. pic.twitter.com/gct98ZoMm0

— Daniel Bassill (@tutormentorteam) August 20, 2021

How many programs are needed?

I've been asking "How many non-school, volunteer-based #tutor #mentor programs are needed in #Chicago since 1993. This shows use of maps. It's from the Fall 1996 TMCReport newsletter. Find links to these at https://t.co/70l1MJnfIH pic.twitter.com/lqcl1f2Fky

— Daniel Bassill (@tutormentorteam) August 20, 2021

Tips for recruiting volunteers.

I've been sharing tips to help #tutor #mentor programs throughout #Chicago recruit volunteers since forming the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993. This is page from our Fall 1994 newsletter. pic.twitter.com/rveuybRDBu

— Daniel Bassill (@tutormentorteam) August 18, 2021

We need to drain the swamp, but we're up to our neck in alligators.

I wrote about "draining the swamp" in this Jan 1995 newsletter. I wrote about this again on the #tutor #mentor blog in 2012. https://t.co/uLcW5uqqcD pic.twitter.com/jKXQStOQ79

— Daniel Bassill (@tutormentorteam) August 18, 2021

Endorsement from Tim Henry, of the Friends First Program at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.

This endorsement of the #Tutor #Mentor Leadership & Networking Conferences, that my organization hosted every six months from May 1994-May 2015 was from a leader of the Friends First program at @MercyHome. It was shared in the Spring 1996 newsletter. pic.twitter.com/UELp6KBleJ

— Daniel Bassill (@tutormentorteam) August 20, 2021

View all of the past newsletters from 1993 to 2002.

I've pointed to a few of the TMC Report newsletters from the 1990s in a few Tweets today. You can find links to these in this page on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website. https://t.co/Pa9AfRWEhL

I'm sharing the same ideas and resources now as I was then. pic.twitter.com/OqcNhqbdEZ

— Daniel Bassill (@tutormentorteam) August 18, 2021

The image below shows the vision of mentor-rich non-school programs located in every high poverty area of Chicago, which can be identified using maps with overlays showing indicators of where programs are most needed.  I've shared these ideas for over 25  years by too few people have even seen them.

The need for the types of volunteer-based youth programs that I've describe in this blog and my newsletters is as great in 2021 as it was in 1993.  The challenges of building and sustaining public will and a constant flow of operating and innovation resources, to EVERY program and every high poverty neighborhood still has not been met.

However, if teams of researchers in Chicago and other cities use my archives as a starting point, they can build versions of the T/MC and do it better than I ever could....if they can attract the funding and talent needed.

I am 74 and don't know how many more years I have left to share this information and/or coach those who might want to duplicate the T/MC.  Thus, if you're reading this, and recognize the lack of leadership in your own community, start reading and learning, so you can create your own version of the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

I'm on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook, so let's connect.  Find links here.

Expanded Role for Volunteers in Tutor/Mentor Programs

I created the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) in 1993, and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC in 2011, to help draw extra attention, and a more consistent flow of operating resources, to volunteer-based tutoring and/or mentoring programs in every high poverty area of Chicago.

The ideas I've been sharing can be applied in any part of the country, but especially in big metropolitan areas where the geographic divides between rich and poor are greater and the population numbers are much larger.

I studied history in college, spent 3 years in US Army Intelligence, then 17 years working in the corporate retail advertising department of a big company.  Thus, the strategies I've developed focus on information-based solutions, which depend on building, and using, comprehensive information libraries.

One thing I've tried to do is build a deeper understanding of the different types of mentoring strategies that exists within a geographic area like Chicago, and the different youth and adults who are the intended beneficiaries of various types of programs.

Furthermore, I've tried to expand the roles volunteers can take to help youth, and help tutor/mentor programs grow in more places, beyond being a mentor, or without being a mentor.

Let's look at this graphic first:

All youth and adults would benefit from mentors helping them journey through life. However, much research shows that youth living in high poverty, segregated, and/or isolated, areas need more help to move from first grade toward their adult lives.  Here's a concept map that illustrates this differently. People living in more affluent areas have more resources to help them overcome challenges. 

Then look at this graphic (click to enlarge). Kids face many different challenges based on differing abilities, health conditions, family structure, etc.  The T/MC and the work I do focuses on kids living in high poverty, where the environmental condition of poverty is the root cause of many challenges they face as they grow from birth to adult lives.   

Volunteers in organized non-school and school based programs can have a huge impact on the lives of these kids.  However, volunteers normally do not have the specialized training needed to address the challenges of kids with special needs. These need much more sophisticated services.  

So, what programs exist serving kids in poverty? How do we find them? How do we help them get the ideas, talent and dollars each needs to be the best it can be? That's what I've focused on since 1993. 

The T/MC launched a survey in January 1994 to determine what volunteer-based tutoring and/or mentoring programs operated in Chicago and segmented this information by asking "What type of program?  Pure tutoring; pure mentoring; or combination tutoring and mentoring."  And by age group served:  Elementary School, Middle School and High School.  We shared that information in print directories until 2002 then in 2004 we launched the directory on line, with the searchable Program Locator screen shown at the right.  This is now only available as an archive. 

Visit this article to see the current Chicago tutor/mentor programs map and list of programs. 

As we collected data on youth tutor/mentor programs we plotted it on GIS maps, with overlays showing indicators of need for programs, such as high poverty and poorly performing public schools.  In 2008 we created an interactive map enabling people to search small sections of the city, or look at layers of information, such as mixed tutor/mentor programs serving high school youth.  You can view the archive here. 

If you visit the MappingforJustice blog you can find many articles where I've used map images created from the Program Locator or with our desktop GIS.

While all of this information can help  youth, parents, teachers and social workers find programs, the maps and directory were intended to help leaders make sure that k-12 youth in every high poverty area were being reached by mentor-rich programs.  Our goal was to influence what resource providers were doing to help programs grow while also sharing information that programs could use to constantly improve. 

Unfortunately, I no longer have the resources or capacity to do the survey or create these maps.  Furthermore, while I find some websites with interactive youth program map/directories, I don't find any who are segmenting the information with the layers I was using, or to the degree that I visualize in the graphic at the top of this article.  Nor do I find many attempting to draw volunteers and donors through their platform directly to youth programs in their city. 

Without that information cities will spend millions of dollars and still now know if they are reaching kids in every age group, in every high poverty neighborhood, with a wide-enough range of programs. 

The question we should be asking ourselves, if our focus is on youth living in poverty, is "How can we fill all high poverty neighborhoods with organized, age specific programs, that can build and sustain long-term connections with children as the grow to become adults?    How do we pay for it? Where do we attract and retain talented leaders? How do we keep volunteers involved for multiple years?  

There are another set of questions that need to be answered. Why are these programs needed?   Where are they needed most? The answer may be obvious to many, but I created this concept map to visualize the many obstacles kids and families face if they live in high poverty areas.  Kids in affluent areas also face many of these challenges. However, their families and neighborhoods have far greater resources to overcome them.

Thus, how do we mobilize and educate potential volunteers to build this information base, share it with millions of others, and address these challenges?   How can we teach volunteers, students, alumni and parents to tell stories using this information, powerful enough to draw more people into support of youth in every high poverty zip code?

This is in addition to the questions volunteers and youth program staff must answer weekly.  What do I do as a tutor, mentor to help the youth I'm working with, or the young people in the program I'm involved with? 

These are just a few of many questions to be asked an answered...in many places. For instance, of all of the organizations that offer mentoring, which focus on children living in high poverty poverty areas? Which have long-term strategies? Do cities have  maps showing what neighborhoods are being reached with existing programs? Do they use that information to expand the number of kids reach every year?

Furthermore, who's providing the money and talent to collect, organize, analyze and share this information on a continuous basis?  

Finally, where are the on-line spaces where people are talking about these things?  

So what role do volunteers, and people who don't  have the time to meet directly, and regularly, with youth, take to make this happen?  Here's one presentation titled "Mentor Role in a Larger Strategy".  I hope you'll look at it.

Mentor Role in Larger Youth Development Strategy by Daniel F. Bassill

The questions I've posted here just scratch the surface of the questions that might be asked.  Visit this section of the Tutor/Mentor Web library and read the research articles. Visit this section and read some of the blog articles.

Throughout the year, I invite volunteers, program leaders, media, donors and policy makers to dig into this and other articles I've posted since 2005 on this blog, and in my library on Scribd.com.  Do a Google search for "tutor mentor", then look at the images. You'll find dozens more intended to stimulate your thinking.

Become the YOU in this graphic.  Build a deeper  understanding of what types of  programs serve the different needs of youth from different age groups and different social/economic backgrounds. Talk about proactive roles business, volunteers and donors can take to help strong, long-lasting tutor/mentor programs reach youth in more places. Create a "learning organization' where many are involved in this effort.  

If you're hosting this conversation share links on social media so I and others can join you.

Every child is special. Every child deserves a support system that offers hope and opportunity. Some have this when they are born. Others won't have this unless many adults who don't live in poverty make a consistent, heroic, on-going effort to make such supports available. 

If you're writing similar articles on your own blog, or host on-line forums where people are discussing these questions, use the comment box to share a link to your web sites or forums. I hope there are many leading this discussion.

I'm on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN and Instagram. Please reach out and connect with me.  Find links to these sites on this page. 

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