How to respond to shootings in Chicago

If you've read any of the blog articles I've written, you know my goal is to help comprehensive, volunteer-based non-school tutor/mentor programs be operating in high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago and other cities.

This graphic illustrates that these programs all need the same resources to survive. If you read about challenges facing non profits, you'll see that money is a huge need. Thus, if you want to do something in response to the tragedy, go to the Chicago Program Links, and browse through the web sites listed there. Pick one or more programs that you feel do a good job, and send them a donation.

If you're a business leader, read some of these articles showing the benefits to business of volunteering and philanthropy, and form a team and build a strategy to support tutor/mentor programs in all of the areas where you do business, or where your employees live, or on the routes between work and home.

If you're in a neighborhood without any tutor/mentor programs, or with programs that need help to become the "best in the city", use these Steps to Start a Program guides as a blueprint for helping new programs grow.

If you're in media, or a network builder, or blogger, pass this message on to others who might be interested and connect with me on Twitter @tutormentorteam . If you use the hash tag #tmcon you can also help draw more people to next week's Tutor/Mentor Conference where the goal is to help people build constantly-improving volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs.

This map illustrates that people from many different backgrounds need to share the responsibility for helping tutor/mentor programs and other youth development activities be in every neighborhood, especially those with high concentrations of poverty and too few non-school supports helping kids move through school and to work.