Planning your Impact

I was camping over the weekend so did not have Internet access. Now that I'm back it's time to really focus on what I can do during the coming six months to draw attention to volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in Chicago and other cities and to the information I share on the web sites I host. This information can be used by existing programs, volunteers, youth, donors, etc. to help thousands of young people in many neighborhoods connect with networks of extra adults in well-organized non-school programs.

School starts in less than a month, so anyone who writes a story about their experience in a tutor/mentor program, or about the need for such programs in more places, can help attract volunteers and donors to these programs if they just add links to portals that enable people to search for programs by zip code and type of program.  In this concept map I point to the Chicago Tutor/Mentor Program Locator and Chicago Links Library as well as to other volunteer search engines that anyone can use.

While school starts soon the next event I'm organizing comes on November 19 when I host the next Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference at the Metcalfe Federal Building , 77 W. Jackson, Blvd, in Chicago.  During the June 2012 conference we recorded three panel discussions. Below you can find a video from the first of these. During the November 19 Conference there will be more panels like this.



In order to host these conference and keep fees low to all participants we need volunteers to step forward to offer workshops or be part of panels. This is a list of suggested workshop topics. Speakers can come from businesses and universities or from non profits. If you're interested in hosting a workshop use this form to present your idea. I also need one or two sponsors to help cover the costs.

While we  hope we can bring together 100 to 150 people at the November conference I hope we can attract even larger numbers to our web sites or to internet meeting places such as the Tutor/Mentor Forum, Facebook, or Linked in. Furthermore, I hope others will use their own media to write articles and encourage volunteers, businesses and philanthropists to support volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in different locations throughout Chicago and other big cities.

By showing how important tutor/mentor programs are to inner-city youth and how such programs depend on donor generosity to operate, the November conference can stimulate year end charity giving if enough people will make an effort to write about tutoring/mentoring in their own media.

That's what I'm focusing on now that I'm back from my camping trip. I hope you can help me find others who are focusing on the same topics.