If more youth-serving programs took this role...

In late 1992 myself and six other volunteers came together in Chicago and established the vision for a new youth-serving program, which we named Cabrini Connections.  However, we recognized that while one more small tutor/mentor program might be life changing for the few kids who participate, it would not have much impact on the lives of the 200,000+ k-12 youth living in high poverty areas of Chicago.

So we created a second parallel strategy during 1993, which we named the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC). 

The graphic below is from a 2004-05 annual report. 

The shaded areas of the map are places with high concentrations of poverty.  The dots on the map are locations of volunteer-based tutor and/or mentor programs, which we had located through a survey that we launched in January 1994, as part of the Tutor/Mentor Connection strategy.

You can see that Cabrini Connections focused on teens in the Cabrini-Green area of Chicago while the Tutor/Mentor Connection aimed to help similar programs reach k-12 youth in every high poverty area.

I had led single volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs since 1975, for 19 years, before forming our new organization in late 1992 and 1993.  Below is just one example of media stories that demonstrated a need for an intermediary like the Tutor/Mentor Connection.  (click to enlarge)

The strategy we deployed to build our single youth program and the Tutor/Mentor Connection, is what I've come to understand as an "information-based problem-solving" strategy. By that I mean we learn from our own efforts and we search out other tutor/mentor programs in Chicago and around the country then learn from them ideas that we can apply to constantly improve our own program.  

We did the same to build the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC), although there were few models to borrow ideas from when we started in 1993.  However, my 17 years in retail advertising with the Montgomery Ward corporate headquarters (1973-90), and my three years as a Loaned Executive (1990-93) with the United Way/Crusade of Mercy, provided ideas that we borrowed in establishing the T/MC.

One section of the library I've been building focuses on collaboration, knowledge management, mapping, data, process improvement, etc.  I've been borrowing from these ideas for more than 20 years. 

I show the 4-part strategy in this concept map. 

While Step 1 focuses on collecting information Step 2 focuses on sharing that information in ways that increase the number of people who use it.  Step 3 focuses on helping people understand ways to apply the information and Step 4 aims to draw resources and ideas directly to EVERY tutor/mentor program to help them constantly improve.

One primary challenge since we launched has been that I've had far too few resources to do this work and too few others have shared the work of "spreading the word". 

Chicago and other cities have many well-organized, high quality, youth serving organizations. Unfortunately, few serve more than 75 youth on a regular basis, while a very small number may be serving 500 to 1000 youth weekly.  

I've pointed to a 1994 Chicago Tribune article, and much other research, to emphasize that there are more than 200,000 youth living in high poverty areas of Chicago. That number was as high as 240,000 in 1994 and may have shrunk to under 200,000 now.

No single program serves even a fraction of that number.

Which bring me back to the reason we formed the Tutor/Mentor Connection in late 1992.  While many organizations may be having life-changing impact on a small number of kids, none is having an impact on the overall poverty in the region.

Every year, for the past 30 years, I've encourage others to adopt the same commitment as my small organization adopted in 1993.  As you promote your own program, encourage volunteers, donors, policy makers and business to build strategies that support every youth serving program in your city.

The same message applies to the business community.  Almost every large business has one or more programs that engage employee volunteers and support youth in communities where they do business.  However, few have strategies that support the growth of birth-to-work youth serving programs in all parts of the cities where they do business.

Imagine how many more people would get involved in business websites and advertising pointed to lists of youth programs like the ones I host. 

Instead of a few people hearing this "call to action" and using the information in the Tutor/Mentor library, thousands would be called to serve and make life-changing impacts.

That's my wish for 2023.  Please help spread the word.

I've been sharing ideas on this blog since 2005, so there are many articles similar in purpose to this one.  As part of your New Year's Resolution, make a commitment to read at least one article a month and share it with people in your own network of influence.

Since 2011 I've supported the T/MC strategy via Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC.

My other wish is that a few more people will visit the "Fund T/MI" page and send a 2022 year-end contribution to help me continue this work in the coming year. 

Build Virtual Corporate Office to Support Youth In More Places

On most nights I dream about work I've done in the past to help build support systems for kids in high poverty areas.

Last night's feature was a conversation with people at the Sears corporate office. In that conversation I was showing the parallel of how the Tutor/Mentor Connection, created in 1993, (see 1994 news story) was doing to support hundreds of individual tutor/mentor programs in many different places, and what companies do to put retail stores close to potential customers and support them with a variety of functional teams, including millions of dollars of advertising.

This morning I was going to post a Tweet about this, and wanted to point to an article on my blog where I shared this concept.  Below is an article from 2013.  I hope you'll read it and share it.

----- start 2013 ____

When I came to Chicago in 1973 it was to start a job in retail advertising at the corporate headquarters of the Montgomery Ward Corporation. Over the next 17 years I was promoted often and by the early 1980s I was in charge of the creative development of all national retail advertising. Later I was also responsible for building the first draft of the company's 52 week advertising schedule. I started with a budget of around $250 million dollars and a blank set of papers then had to develop a weekly ad schedule that had variations for big stores, small stores, specialty stores, etc.

Other than differences in products and services, all stores are basically the same. They offer a "things" people near each store want to buy. This graphic illustrates the range of merchandise and services offered by every Sears retail store. Wal Mart, Target, Dayton Hudson, Macy's have similar selections.

If you do a search on Google for different stores you can find maps showing locations throughout the Chicago region. Each of these companies has a corporate office structure with teams that build and operate stores, provide well trained people, provide the merchandise and services that a store offers, and provide advertising that draws customers to each store. This is mass merchandising. It's efficient. Small "mom" and "pop" stores have a hard time competing with the major chains.

Because of my background, the strategies I have developed mirror some of the work done by the corporate office of big companies. The tutor/mentor program's I've led have been site-based, which means students and volunteers come to a program site each week. Because we have space to operate, we're able to offer more different learning and enrichment experiences to youth and more opportunities to volunteer for employees from the Chicago region.

I've used maps to show where tutor/mentor programs are needed, based on high poverty, poorly performing schools, violence and other indicators. I've overlaid on these maps locations of tutor/mentor programs from a directory I've been trying to maintain since 1994.

Many of the existing programs, including the ones I led, were like the small "mom" and "pop" stores. We never had a consistent flow of operating dollars thus worked at a level of poverty that would make it difficult for most businesses to succeed. Everything I've been doing for the last 20 years has intended to improve the flow of resources, the talent in programs, and thus each program's ability to have a greater impact on the lives of youth and volunteers who get involved.

I don't think any organization will ever have the money that corporate offices spend to support their stories. Yet, I feel that type of support is needed to help each tutor/mentor program operate more effectively. Thus, instead of trying to build a single corporate office, I've been focusing on building a "virtual" corporate office where volunteers from many different industries and backgrounds are taking on roles that traditionally are part of a single organizational structure.

I'm not suggesting that small non profits should be consolidated under larger operating umbrellas. Just the opposite. I think the success of a tutor/mentor program comes from a core group of dedicated adults making a long term commitment to do everything they can to help the youth in their program. We need to push resources to the program level and give maximum flexibility for how those resources are used to meet local needs.

At the same time, programs need to communicate a common vision and "what they do" on their web sites. I created this "shoppers guide" to illustrate some information that I feel would help donors choose programs if it were on the organization's web site.

I've been trying to find ways to communicate this concept and today created this PDF essay. I hope you'll take a look and let me know if it makes sense to you. If it does, share it with business leaders who might begin to encourage employees to take on these roles. If you can improve on this, please try, and send me a link to your own version.

____ end 2013 ___

In most of the articles posted on this blog I call on leaders to adopt the strategies I've been sharing.  Volunteers from different companies could be taking roles of functional teams within the "corporate office" to support the growth and long-term impact of volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs within defined geographic areas.

What's critically important to understand is that I'm not talking about supporting one, or two programs in a few places.  I'm talking about filling a map area with high-quality, constantly improving, programs reaching k-12 kids in all high poverty areas within a geographic area like the Chicago region. 

Last Friday I wrote this article about the White House initiative to draw more youth into STEMM careers by 2050.  Unless leaders from every industry adopt the strategies I'm sharing it's not likely the opportunities for youth in 2050 will be much better than as we head into 2023.

Thank you for reading. I hope you'll be one of these leaders and will share this blog with others.

Furthermore, I hope a few of you will visit my "Fund T/MI" page and make a contribution to help me continue doing this work in 2023.

White House Summit on STEMM sets 2050 Goal

Below is a video of the December 12, 2020 White House Summit on STEMM. I did not watch it live, but viewed the recording. I encourage you to do the same. 



It's over 2 hours long, so you might want to watch it in smaller time frames. As you do, visit the STEMM Opportunity Alliance website.  The Summit stated goals for "Building a STEMM ecosystem rooted in equity, inclusion, and scientific excellence to power progress, innovation and prosperity for all by 2050."

As I viewed this I thought that leaders of this movement might benefit by borrowing some of the ideas piloted by the Tutor/Mentor Connection since it was formed in Chicago in 1993.  

I used a red pen to highlight ways STEMM versions might be created out of concept maps I've used since 2006. 

Strategy map commitment:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

Read this concept map from the top blue box, going down to the left, then the right, then the center.  I've added "STEMM" to the job or career node and "STEMM" to the tutors/mentors node.  Every company, university, foundation, etc. who makes a commitment to the 2050 goal should create and share their own version of this concept map.  

Mentoring kids to STEMM careers: (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

This map shows supports EVERY youth need to move from first grade into a job/career over 25 years. That means that kids entering 1st grade in 2023 will be just starting careers by 2048.  It will require a huge ramp up of resources and support for that to be a reality.   I added "STEMM" to the elementary school, middle school, high school, college and life-long learning/re-skilling nodes. 

As a result of a concerted effort of STEM public and private sector leaders a map should be able to show mentor-rich STEM learning programs reaching k-12 kids in every high poverty area of Chicago, it's suburbs and other places with concentrations of  persistent poverty.

While I emphasize this focus on reaching youth in high poverty areas, it's obvious that a STEM initiative need to be reaching kids in all sectors and all income levels.  It's just that if we do not focus on poverty areas, these kids are likely to be left behind.

Strategic business investment in STEMM:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

The only addition I made to this map, showing reasons business should be strategically investing in all youth tutor and mentoring programs is to emphasize  "STEMM" careers in the yellow node at the bottom left.

Workforce Development strategy:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

On the right side of this concept map I emphasized that this strategy would lead to more "STEMM" workers.  Note the graphic at the lower left that emphasizes using all three time frames in a long-term strategy. 

4-1-2024 update - I added a link to an article titled "Early STEM education key to growing future chip workforce" to the workforce development links section of the library.  

It takes a Village. (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

One of the speakers in the video use this phrase to emphasize that people from every sector need to share this commitment.  I added "STEMM" to the center circle where it says "Pipeline to Careers". I also emphasized that I already show STEMM industries on this map.  

Who need to be involved:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

I added "STEMM" to the node showing "Business and Professionals".  Use this map along with the "village" map to emphasize that all sectors need to be involved. 

Who is supporting growth of STEMM programs in your community?  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 



This concept maps shows intermediary organizations in Chicago who support youth via organized tutor and/or mentoring.  It already has a link to the Chicago STEM Pathways Co-op.  Maps like this should be available in every city and state, pointing to local intermediaries and others who are supporting STEMM 2050 goals.

While these maps are aspirational, showing "who" should be involved, they also can show "who IS" involved, by placing links in each node to a "commitment" page showing a company's version of the "strategy map" shown first on this list.  Such maps are needed in every zip code of the country if ALL youth are to be reached.

4-Part Strategy to achieve the 2050 target: (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

I've been following this strategy since developing it in 1993 and launching Tutor/Mentor Connection in January 1994.  Step 1 focuses on collecting information.  I added an emphasize of "STEMM" to this node.  Step 2 and 3 focus on building attention and greater use of the information collected and helping people understand the information and how to apply it in their actions.

In Step 4 I added "STEM" to emphasize a desired result of building and sustaining STEMM learning, mentoring and career development programs in more places.

Building a library of STEMM research:  (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

This is part of Step 1 on the 4-part strategy map.  On this concept map I added "STEMM" to the "Research and Resources" heading in the yellow box and highlighted that I'm already collecting STEM links in the Tutor/Mentor Library.  In any STEMM  initiative a greater effort would be made to collect STEMM related research.

Support map-based inventories of existing STEMM youth serving organizations. 

This graphic is from a 2013 PDF report on the Chicago STEM Pathways Co-op website.  A new survey is being conducted now.  This type of information should be collected in every city, tribal area and Zip Code and used to a) understand availability; b) build support for existing programs; c) develop new programs in underserved areas.  

I already point to the Chicago STEM Pathways Co-op from this section in my library.  The STEMM Opportunity Alliance should have a research section with links to organizations like this in every city and state and should be hosting conferences, on-line forums, social media and other efforts that help people connect and learn from each other.

Resources to help STEMM programs grow in more places: (click on the graphic to enlarge).  View the original at this link. 

This is also part of Step 1 on the 4-part strategy map.  I added "STEMM" to the headings on this page and emphasized a need to add "STEMM" funding sources as a featured collection of links in the library. 

What I've shown above is just one set of resources that could be borrowed by the national STEMM initiative, or by any local initiatives.  I could do the work myself of creating versions of these concept maps showing the "STEMM" additions I've made.  But I think this should be work done by teams who are specifically focused on STEMM.

Mapping a path showing how communities get from "Here in 2022" to "There in 2050".  

This is just one graphic that I've created to emphasizes steps needed to achieve this goal.  View this graphic and video at this link. 

My focus is on helping kids in high poverty areas move through school and into jobs and careers.  I emphasize that with graphics like shown below. 

The STEMM Opportunity Alliance needs to have specific focus on these areas, with extra resources and investment, if more youth from high poverty areas are to be in STEMM careers by 2050.  However, it also will need to focus on other sub categories, which I emphasize in this article. 

Use all of the visualizations and ideas from this blog and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website. 

I've been thinking about systems needed to help all kids in high poverty areas move from birth to work, for more than 40 years. Thus I think there's a lot that others could borrow to support similar strategies focused on STEMM and other issues.  

However, my library points to more than 2000 links which have the ideas and thinking of OTHER people.  For the STEMM 2050 goals to be achieved information needs to be aggregated and programs need to be created that help people find,  understand, then apply that information.

If you've opened the concept maps and followed the links you'll see there already is a load of information that leaders can use to help build and sustain STEMM initiatives.  Thus, as you build your own strategy and resource maps, keep pointing to mine. 

I hope that over the next few years I can find blogs and websites with STEMM leaders standing in front of  maps and graphics pointing to where STEMM programs are located and where more are needed and strategies that help make each of those programs the best in helping kids through school and into STEMM careers.

Connect with me on one of these social media platforms.

Support the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC with a contribution on the FundT/MI page. 

Thank you from my network!

I scroll through all of my social media pages every morning and today on Twitter I found a message from Kevin Hodgson, who I met via the #clmooc community of educators.  I hope you'll listen to it.  click here

Keven models what I've encourage others to do. He reads posts I share on Twitter, reads posts on the Tutor/Mentor blogs, and creates stories about the work I'm doing that he shares with others.

And he has visited this page and sent annual contributions!  

I've used the concept map shown below for several years to point to articles written by Kevin and others about the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and the work I'm doing.  

I encourage others to "be like Kevin".  Help others find and use the ideas I've been sharing, to help build and sustain volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs reaching kids living in high poverty areas of Chicago and other places.  

Share your stories with me and I'll add them to the concept map!  

I'll be 76 on December 19th.  Please make a contribution and help me celebrate....and keep doing this work in 2023!

Or contributed at the "Fund T/MI" page.  click here

Listen to some of my blog articles!

Today my Acacia Fraternity brother Allen Anderson put a message on Facebook saying he had set up an account on POST.news.  I'd seen others share similar news on Twitter and wondered how this compared to MEDIUM, a blogging platform I'd used in 2015-16.

So I visited.  I was blown away by an unexpected new feature.

Here's the link to the article shown above. I've circled a green icon above the headline, which you can click, and hear someone read my article! 

I've wanted this feature here on Blogger for many years.  About 4 years ago I recorded myself reading one of my articles. You can view that recording below.

If you compare the article being read on Medium, with me reading the article in the video, I'd choose Medium every time!

Here's another article on Medium.  Again I circled the "Listen" button. 

So far, I don't see this feature on Blogger (this blog) or on Wordpress.  I don't know if articles on Post.com have this feature. I'll find out.

However, based on this new discovery I'm sure to start posting on Medium again!

After you listen to a few of my stories please visit my home page and go to one of the December campaigns that I'm using to raise money to support my on-going efforts.

Thanks for reading....and listening!

Vertical vs Horizontal Networks

Do you ever wonder how I come  up with ideas for articles on this blog?   My daily travel through social media stimulates many ideas.  As I think of something I post an email to myself so I won't forget what I wanted to write about.   

Last week I decided to write about my PDF essay on "vertical and horizontal" networks and how concept maps in my library have a vertical and horizontal format.  

Then, I saw that I had written a similar article almost a year ago, in December 2022.  I hope you'll read it.

I included this PDF essay:

Understanding Difference Between Vertical and Horizontal Networks from Daniel Bassill

Now let's view my collection of concept maps, starting with the one shown below.

This strategy map is one of the first ones I created in mid 2000s to visualize commitment I'd made through the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) to help kids in high poverty areas move through school and into jobs and careers by their mid 20s. I created this article last year to explore the elements of this map.   

I've updated this concept map often and over the years I created additional concept maps to show more of the ideas and resources that I've been sharing. 

This concept map has a flat, horizontal layout.  That means there are a lot of related ideas.  What I think is valuable about cMapTools is that while I have a lot of information visible on the map, I don't have "everything" like you see using other concept mapping tools. 

Instead, you can open new maps by clicking on the right hand small box at the bottom or many nodes.  Thus, if you follow the arrow from the middle of the blue box, straight down you'll see a box with text saying "Four-part Strategy to Achieve this goal".   Click on the small node and open the cMap you see below. 

The nodes showing Step 1 through Step 4 each open to additional concept maps, and to external nodes.

If you return to the strategy map shown above, you can open additional maps. 

For example, in the lower left center of the map is are the nodes shown in the graphic at the left.  The text says "leadership provided by business, hospitals, universities, etc."

Click on the right hand node and you'll see two links. Open the one saying "Strategic investment by business" and you'll see the concept map shown below.

In the middle you'll find another node saying "as Workforce Development strategy (open new map) which opens to the concept map below:

On the left side is a yellow node saying "Expands network of employee-volunteers".  Click the small box at the right and you have three choices.  The bottom one says "Business Investment in Youth Orgs Motivation."  Open that and you see the concept map below.

Open the links under each node and you go to external websites or to other concept maps.

All of the concept maps and links I point to are intended to support on-going efforts to help kids in high poverty areas move through school and into adult lives, with  jobs and careers, that enable youth to raise their own kids free of poverty's grip.

It's a long-term commitment, which requires vertical, or sequential,  thinking. It's like building  a tall tower. You need to start at the bottom, and work floor-by-floor, until you reach the top. With kids, you start when they are born.

Just getting people together at a conference or on-line forum to share ideas does not automatically result in applying these ideas to actions that advance this goal in one or a thousand different places.

Read the article I wrote last December and review the PDF essay.   Since I recognize that many people may not dig through the many layers, I created this page to show all of the concept maps that I've created. 

There is a lot of information in this and other articles on my blog. That's why I invite students and volunteers to create videos and other presentations that guide other people through these. Here's how Wona Chang, an intern from South Korea, guided people through one of my concept maps. 



Visit this intern blog and see how many interns have created similar projects.

If people from my networks do the same more people will dig through the vertical layers in my concept maps and blogs and use these ideas to help kids in their own communities. 

Thank you for reading and everything you do to help kids. 

I'll be 76 on December 19th.  Please support Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC with a gift in honor of my birthday.  click here

Or, make a contribution to my annual Fund T/MI campaign. click here

Thank you!