Navigate the Tutor/Mentor Library

I point to the same web sites over and over, and many have long links. Thus, I've created shorter tinyURL links. Since I use these frequently, I created a page so I could use the same link, over and over. These are organized by category. 

Strategy and Vision Pages - concept maps

This first set of links point to visualizations that show strategies that leaders in any city could apply to help youth tutor/mentor and learning programs grow in high poverty neighborhoods. One of these is a map showing the four sections of the Tutor/Mentor web library where you can find most of the information that I point to in the sections below.

• Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Mission - http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/mission
• Strategy map - http://tinyurl.com/tmc-strategy-map
• Mentoring to Career cMap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-K-CareerMentoring
• T/MC 4 part strategy - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-4-Pt-Strategy
• T/MC Village Cmap http://tinyurl.com/TMC-VillageCMap-1
• Public awareness concept map - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-AwarnessPlan

• Tutor/Mentor Learning Network described - https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/tutormentor-learning-network-strategy-introduction/245288611
• Building Funding Stream Goal - http://tinyurl.com/TMIGoal-FundingStream
• Tutor/Mentor Institute Learning Guide - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-learning-path
• Full page with all concept maps:-http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/conceptmaps
• Tag Cloud-Google Search - read blog article
• Steps to Start a Tutor/Mentor Program - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-StepsToStartTMProgram
• Operating Principles for a Tutor/Mentor Program - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-OperatingPrinciples

Note: From 1998 until 2018 the www.tutormentorconnection.org site was our main website. Due to serious hacking and no funds to rebuild the site, we've deactivated it and you can only view it on the Internet Archive. All link to the main domain will re-direct to the www.tutorntorexchange.net site.    Visit this page to see how the organization's mission was stated on the original website - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-Missionme

Places to connect with Tutor/Mentor and Each other

• Facebook page - http://tinyurl.com/TutorMentor-Institute-Facebook
• Linked in group on volunteering - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2323444/
• Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC video page - https://tutormentorexchange.net/tmi-video-1
• Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Video List - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-VideoList
• Tutor/Mentor Institute Video Channel - http://tinyurl.com/TMIVideos-YouTube
• Email Newsletter subscribe - https://tutormentorexchange.net/newsletter
• Current newsletter - https://tutormentorexchange.net/newsletters

Chicago Volunteer-Based Tutor, Mentor Program Links:

Since 1993 T/MC has been maintaining a list of Chicago area non-school tutor/mentor programs, to help volunteers, parents, donors and others find programs in different neighborhoods. This list of programs can be found at this link:  https://tutormentorexchange.net/chicago-area-program-links

Map showing location of Chicago area programs https://tinyurl.com/TMI-ChicagoProgramsMap

Chicago Are Youth Tutor and/or Mentor Programs

* Chicago North - click here
* Chicago Central - click here
* Chicago South Central - click here
* Chicago Far South - click here
* Chicago Multiple Sites/Community Based - click here
* College Access Focus programs - click here
* Chicago Suburbs North West, South, NW Indiana, Rest of Ill. - click here
* School Based Programs - click here

Other youth serving programs in Chicago or nationally - https://tutormentorexchange.net/other-youth-programs

 Additional links point to other web sites that people can use to find contact information for youth tutoring and/or mentoring programs, and other volunteer opportunities, in Chicago, or other cities.

* Volunteer Recruitment info- https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-recruitment-platforms
* Volunteer support networks - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-vol-admin-networks
* Volunteer Recruitment page on T/MI site - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-Recruitment-Ideas
* Chicago Programs on Facebook - https://tutormentorexchange.net/tm-programs-on-facebook
* Chicago Youth Programs - Instagram list - https://tutormentorexchange.net/chi-orgs-instagram
* Chicago Youth Programs on LinkedIn - https://tutormentorexchange.net/youth-orgs-linkedin
* Chicago Youth Networks cMap - http://tinyurl.com/ChicagoYouthNetworks
* Chicago area Tutor/Mentor Volunteer Recruitment Campaign - 1995-2003 reports - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-RecruitmentCampaign

Web library (2000+ links) https://tutormentorexchange.net/resource-links
Contains wide range of information anyone can use to understand where kids and families need extra help and why. Includes information to help youth living in poverty have more support helping them move through school and into adult lives.

* Tutor/Mentor Institute Library map (full) - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-libraryFull
* Library cmap (non animated) http://tinyurl.com/TMI-library
* Graphic of info in T/MI library (shown above) - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Spaces-for-learning

 Resources for tutoring/mentoring Programs, Volunteers, Youth

* College & career resources - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-college-career-links
* Homework Resources - https://tutormentorexchange.net/resource-links/homework-help
* Homework help map http://tinyurl.com/TMC-HomeworkHelp-map
* Black History Links - https://tutormentorexchange.net/resource-links/homework-help/black-history
* Tutor & Mentor Training - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-tutor-mentor-training
* Parent Info - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Parent-Resources
* Youth as leaders - https://tutormentorexchange.net/other-youth-programs/youth-leadership

Link to research section of Tutor/Mentor Institute library - https://tinyurl.com/TML-ResearchLinks 

Research section cMap - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-Research-CMap

• Research links; NCLB, education - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-EducationResearch
• Research links Drop out crisis - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-DropOut
• Research links Social Capital - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-SocialCapital
• Social Capital - concept map - http://tinyurl.com/tmi-putnam-social-capital
• Research links –Mentoring, tutoring - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Mentor-Tutor-Research
• STEM ideas - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-STEM-Resources
• Public Health, Hospitals - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-PublicHealth
• Civil liberties resources - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-PoliticalAction
• Blog articles with update links - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-blog-as-library

Equal justice, poverty mapping, inequality, prevention section of library: https://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-poverty-inequality

* Equal Justice, Poverty Law cMap - https://tinyurl.com/Law-Justice-Poverty-Links
* Equal Justice, Poverty Law - https://tinyurl.com/TMILibary-law-justice
* Poverty and Crime Mapping - https://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-povertymapping
* Race and Poverty research - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-race-poverty
* Prevention resources - https://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-prevention
* Street gangs - https://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-StreetGangs
* Rural Issues - https://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-RuralIssues
* Violence against Women, Girls - https://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-Women-Girls 
* Drop Box File with additional reading - click here

Links to Funding, Philanthropy, Business Involvement

• Resources map - http://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-ResourceLinks
• Funding & Philanthropy links - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Philanthropy-FundRaising
• Blogs - Fund Raising - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-fund-raising-blogs
• Challenges Facing non profits - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Challenges4NPOs
• Making non profits more effective - http://tinyurl.com/Discuss-TMI-Uncharitable
• NPO Mgt. resources - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-NPO-MgtResources
• Corporate Social Responsibility links - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-CSR-links
• Business Diversity Issues - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Diversity-Inclusio
• Civic Engagement - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-civic-engagement
• Business School Connection - http://tutormentorinstitute.wikidot.com/business-school-connection
• Building philanthropic capital – T/MC Ning blog - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-growingNPONetwork
• University partnerships - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-university-partnerships
• Workforce Development links - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-workforce-development

Links to process improvement, innovation, etc. section of Tutor/Mentor Institute library
Much focus of 21st century education is on thinking skills, creativity, working with others. The links in this section of the library can be applied by youth, volunteers, organizations, businesses, etc. to solve day to day problems, and/or to solve complex community-wide problems.

• Process Improvement/Collaboration cMap – http://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-Innovation-etc
• Collaboration links - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-collaboration-links
• Twitter Chats/Hashtags - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-TwitterConnections
• Visualization links - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-visualization
• Creativity, Innovation, Knowledge Mgt - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-creativity-KM-innovation
• GIS Mapping - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-GIS-mapping
• Process Improvement & Evaluation - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-process-Imp-evaluation
• Social Entrepreneur ideas - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Social-Entrepreneur-ideas


Links to blogs, opinion, on-line forums
Blogs are a format for sharing personal opinion and stories that attract attention to ideas and strategies. Most blogs include links to many other blogs. Thus, this is a constantly expanding universe of ideas. In one section I attempt to point to blogs of different tutor/mentor programs in Chicago. Thus far, too few are using blogs in all the ways they could be.

• Blog list on Inoreader - http://tutormentorexchange.net/definition-of-issues/246-blog-list
• Blogs - Learning, Networking - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Learning-Networking-Blogs
• Blogs on Education & cMOOCs - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-education-cMOOCs
• Blogs - Mentoring, tutoring program - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-tutor-mentor-blogs
• Conferences and training - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Conferences
• TMI Blog network map - http://tinyurl.com/TM-BlogNet-Map


Links to other tutor, mentor and learning programs in Illinois and beyond – benchmarking opportunities

• eMentoring; networks, etc.- https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-eMentor-Tutor
• Mentoring, networks - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Networks-Intermediaries
• Programs beyond Illinois - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-ProgramsBeyondIL
• Mentoring links – international - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-InternationalMentoring
• Links to Program Locators - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-ProgLocators-Directories
• Library links to afterschool networks/resources - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-AfterschoolNetworks
• Alternative Schools - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-AlternativeSchools
• Intergenerational resources - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-senior-cit-volunteering
• Adult Literacy Programs - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-AdultLiteracy

Technology networks and resources, cool-tools

• Digital Divide Movie; Issues: http://tinyurl.com/TMI-DigitalDivide-Issues
• Technology networks - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-tech-networks-resources
• Technology – cool tools - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-useful-tech-tools
• Data Collaboration Map - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-DataCollaborationMap


Other Categories in Library

• Chicago Public Schools. Misc Chicago links - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-ChiGov-ChiSchools
• Faith Based - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-FaithBased
• Arts Based - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Arts-Humanities
• Reference books, Dictionaries -https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Dictionarys-RefBooks
• Suggested books - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-suggested-books
• Test Prep, Pro Tutors, Fee-based - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-TestPrep-PaidTutoring
• ESL Learning Resources (list on Tutor/Mentor blog article - click here

 
Tutor/Mentor Institute articles


While the majority of information shared on Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC web sites represents ideas of other people and organizations, a portion of the ideas represent Dan Bassill's own ideas and vision, based on 40 years of leading a single tutor/mentor program, and of helping similar programs grow in more places.

March 1, 2022 - D. Bassill interview w. Anthony Brogdon, Detroit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuyhpgwvBmI

 April 12, 2022 - D. Bassill interview with Aliyu B. Solomon, from Nigeria - tinyurl.com/DBassill-4-22-video

Since the 1990s Dan Bassill has been creating Visual Essays to communicate ideas and strategies. You can now find three pages with my collection (one page is shown below)  - https://tutormentorexchange.net/visual-essays

These presentations are also on Scribd.com at https://www.scribd.com/user/20297076/Daniel-F-Bassill

Many of these same Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC idea presentations are also available at www.slideshare.com/tutormentor where they are presented using a different format.

Concept map library:  The Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) have been using cMapTools to create concept maps since 2005. These are sharing ideas and strategies and showing organization of information on our the Tutor/Mentor website and blogs. You can view these on this page, too. https://tutormentorexchange.net/conceptmaps

These are some of the cMaps you will find.

• Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC -2018 - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-2018
• TMI 2011-12 - http://tinyurl.com/TMI2011-12
• Concept map – strategic investment by business - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-WhyShouldBusinessInvest
• Birth to work challenges - https://tinyurl.com/ChallengesFacingYouth-TMI
• Influencing Change via on-line communities - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-InfluencingChange
• What We Need to Think About-cMap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Logic-CMap
• Tutor/Mentor Program Locator re-build - layers needed - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-Platform   

   Conference planning - click here

• T/MC History of using maps - 1993-present. https://tinyurl.com/TMC-Maps-History
• Reasons to engage - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-ReasonsTo-Engage
• Volunteer Growth Cycle - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Vol-Growth-Cycle
• Volunteer growth strategy - cMap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-volunteer-growth
• Information flow strategy - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Information-Strategy

• T/MC info flow map - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-Info-flow
• Concept Map - Business Motivation - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-BusinessMotivation
• Concept map workforce development – http://tinyurl.com/TMI-WorkforceDevelopment
• Civil Liberties links - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Civil-Liberties-Links
• Complex Problems - Leaders Needed - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-complex-problems
• Civic Engagement-2020 - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-civic-engagement
• T/MC Rest of Story on Ning - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-GIS-Week
• Athletes leading - http://tinyurl.com/TMCBlog-Athletes-Leading
• Volunteer Opportunities platforms - cMap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Volunteer-Opportunities
• Talent cmap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-TalentNeeded
• Network Map - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-NetworkMap
• T/MC social media net - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-DanNetwork
• Building Teams cmap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-BuildingTeams
• Career Pipeline map - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Career-Pipeline
• Virtual Team- http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Team2011
• Many to 1- http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Many-to-1
• Race-Poverty Cmap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Race-Poverty-Map
• Race-Poverty Map - update help needed - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-race-poverty-update-help
• Collaboration Mapping - http://tinyurl.com/TM-CollaborationMapping
• Network Building Maps - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-NetworkBuildingMaps
• Connecting Networks Map - http://tinyurl.com/TM-ConnectingNetworksMap
• Map stories album on Ning - https://tutormentorconnection.ning.com/photo/Using+maps+to+focus+resources
• Program’s learning goals cmap - http://tinyurl.com/TMProgram-LearningGoals
• Learning Path 10-10-16 - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-learning-10-10-16
• Learning Path 7-14-17 - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Learning-7-14-17
• Public Health-Hope - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-PublicHealth-Hope
• Interns communicating T/MC and T/MI strategies - https://tinyurl.com/TMC-interns
• POTUS46 to-do list - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-Potus46-to-do-list
• Local Global Learning via Twitter - https://tinyurl.com/TM-Global-Learning
• Digging through digital archives w #clmooc - https://tinyurl.com/TMI-modgiwri

* Connection Reality - 2016 - click here
• 2011 Drop out Conference cmap - http://tinyurl.com/2011DropoutConf-Network
• Community Development Conf 2012 – cmap - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-CommunityDevelopment
• NCVS 2012 concept map - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-NCVS2012map
• WTTW American Graduate map - http://tinyurl.com/American-Graduate-TMI-networ



Other Visualizations of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC strategies:

• Mentoring Kids to Career outline on Debategraph - http://debategraph.org/mentoring_kids_to_careers 


Archived Versions of Tutor/Mentor Connection websites that are no longer working

 * Tutor/Mentor Program Locator Search - archive page: https://tinyurl.com/ProgramLocatorSearch
 * Tutor/Mentor Program Locator Interactive Map - archive page: https://tinyurl.com/ProgramLocatorMap-archive
 * Tutor/Mentor Map Gallery - archive page: https://tinyurl.com/archive-TM-map-gallery
 * Program Locator Home Page - archive: https://tinyurl.com/archive-ProgramLocatorHome
 * OHATS - Organizational History and Tracking System (June 2012 version - https://tinyurl.com/TMC-OHATS-archive
* OHATS Metrics page - June 2012 - https://tinyurl.com/OHATS-Metrics-archive
* Tutor/Mentor Connection site now archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20200513125440/http://www.tutormentorconnection.org/


Strategy Visualizations Created by Interns - Between 2006 and 2016 interns from a variety of universities have created visualizations to interpret Tutor/Mentor Connection and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC strategies. Visit these links to browse this collection:

* Animations and visualizations by interns: http://tinyurl.com/Ideas-Animation
* Introduction to interns - http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/defining-a-terms/215-interns-at-tmc
* List of intern visualizations - http://michaelcnt.blogspot.com/2017/04/work-by-interns-since-2006.html
* Videos by interns - https://tutormentorexchange.net/tmi-video-1/intern-videos
* Loyola University Intern reflection - http://tutormentorconnection.ning.com/profiles/blogs/final-paper
* Strategy visualization Prezi - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Strategy4-Mina
* Service Learning Loop – https://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2021/06/creating-service-learning-organization.html

Tutor/Mentor Conference (1994-2015) web site - http://www.tutormentorconference.org

• Conference participation maps at http://tinyurl.com/TMConfHistoryMap
• Conference participation map on Tableau at http://tinyurl.com/TMConfHistory-Tableau
• Conference Planning. http://tinyurl.com/TMIConf2016
• Conferences since 1994 - story map - http://tinyurl.com/Conf-since94


History/Awards Tutor/Mentor Connection 1993-present; Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, 2011-present

• Tutor/Mentor Connection 1990 - 2018 - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Timeline1990-2015
• Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC roots 1965-1992 - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-timeline-1965-90
• Tutor/Mentor Institute CMAP - http://tinyurl.com/TM-InstitueCMAP
• 4-part strategy planning concept map - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-4-part-strategy-planning
• Tutor/Mentor Institute Planning Wiki - http://tutormentorinstitute.wikidot.com/home
• Tutor/Mentor Institute support at http://tinyurl.com/TMCSupportNet
• TMI Talent Needed (same as above). http://tinyurl.com/TMI-TalentNeededMap
• TMI – what we do map - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-WhatWeDo
• T/MC and T/MI History - http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/org-info
• Stories/Interviews w/Dan Bassill in Library - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-StoriesAboutTMC-TMI
• Dan Bassill Awards - http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/awards-and-recognition


 Mapping for Justice and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Blog articles http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com 

 

Social Network Analysis articles
Creating networks and using network maps to understand who is participating, as well as who is missing, is an ongoing focus of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and Tutor/Mentor Connection. Along the left site of this blog is a list of "tags". Browse articles under networking, network building, and network analysis to follow this set of ideas.

• Network Analysis overview on Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC site - http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/sna
• 2010 SNA Training with Valdis Krebs - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-SNAday1
• Youth SNA map discussion on NIng - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-youthSNAmap
• Kalyani maps of May 08Conference - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-SNA-9-16-10
• Kalyani maps of Nov 08 conf- http://tinyurl.com/SNA-Nov08Conf
• Kalyani blog - http://tinyurl.com/Conf-SNA


NOTE: I was inspired to create this list in January 2016 after viewing a screen cast video that Terry Elliott used to highlight a list of podcasts posted on a blog by Bryan Alexander. As I viewed the screen cast I though that it might be useful for me to create a similar list, pointing to various resources in my own Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC Library.  

I have had to re-create this article in June 2024 after the page was taken off line without a specific explanation. 

I hope you find this list and blog of value.  I depend on contributions to help fund my work. Visit this page if you want to help. 

Building Social Capital

I've been sharing pages from printed newsletters that I created in the 1990s in the past few blog articles, along with portions of e-Mail newsletters sent from 2000 to 2010.  These show a consistency in the advocacy I've been doing for 30 years, and the need for new leaders to carry this forward for the next 30 years.

Below are two pages from a 1999 newsletter. You can open the PDF at this link. 

In this page is a subhead that reads "Building 'social capital' for America's future." in this I wrote about hearing Dr. Robert D. Putnam speak in December 1998 at a  UIC Great Cities annual Winter Forum. I wrote that "Dr. Putnam's research shows that "Americans have dramatically deserted the voting booth, the family dining table, the church pew, the union hall, the PTA, and even the bowling league and coffee klatch" over the past 25 years. He suggested that new forms of social interaction must be generated in the coming years.  

I countered that "while most forms of social capital have declined, the number of students and volunteers participating in the 5pm-7pm tutor/mentor program sessions held at the Montgomery Ward headquarters in Chicago has increased. While other forms of networking have declined, this program's ability to connect adult volunteers from widely diverse social, ethnic, faith and geographic backgrounds has increased. Programs like this, which connect adults and children in weekly one-on-one and group settings --- where everyone has a shared vision of making life better for the children we serve --- is one of the best investments in social capital, diversity education and workforce preparation any company could invest in today."

I have continued to advocate for organized, volunteer-based, tutor, mentor and learning programs as a form of social capital since 1999.  In 2016 I wrote this article, pointing to Putnam's "Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis" book.  It's one of more than 30 articles on this blog that focus on social capital. 

I think many organized tutor/mentor programs connect kids and volunteers the same way we did in the programs I led, but when I visit websites or look at social media posts, I don't find many describing what they do as a form of social capital building.  I hope my articles inspire more to adopt this thinking.

Maybe donors will begin to look for this and reward it with funding. 

The next page of that 1999 newsletter is shown below.

 

Once again you can see examples of how I've been using maps. 

Under the heading of "MENTORING WORKS, BUT....", I wrote "Communities need a strategy to help mentoring programs recruit, train and retain volunteers, to make sure programs are where they are most needed, and to make sure they receive ongoing funding, so they can stay connected with a child for as long as that child needs their help...even into a career."

They still do. 

Open the PDF and read the full article, and the rest of the news that we were sharing in 1999.

I've continued to repeat this call to action over the past 25 years.  Below is a graphic I created for this 2016 article. 

It's the same message, with a different visual presentation.  

That's the point of this and other articles that I've been writing. I've been preaching this message of building and sustaining organized, mentor-rich programs that reach K-12 kids in high poverty areas for 30 years. 

Yes, there are actually thousands of people calling for support for mentoring and tutoring programs. I point to hundreds of youth-serving programs at this link. Many have sophisticated, far-reaching advertising and PR strategies that call attention to their own programs.

However, I don't find any using maps to focus attention and resources on areas of high poverty within specific geographic regions, or calling on volunteers and donors to support programs in every high poverty area, the way we did from 1993 to 2011.  Nor do I find many using visualizations that show long-term support needed in every high poverty area.   Or who has piloted a year-round event strategy to help programs grow. Or who have led that strategy for 30 consecutive years.

So, I think I'm unique. In fact, one of my volunteers once accused me of being so far in front of other people with my ideas that no one was able to follow me.  That's why I've used my website, blog and visual essays to share ideas.

But I'm just one person. With the help of six other volunteers we created the vision of Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection in November 1992.  We had no source of financial support. We launched the site-based Cabrini Connections in January 1993 with seven volunteers and five teens. We did the planning for the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 and launched it in January 1994.

In the summer of 1993 Montgomery Ward made a multi-year commitment of $40,000 a year to fund our work and donated an entire floor of its corporate tower in Chicago for our operations.  In total that year we raised only $50,000 in cash, but the value of donated space and corporate services was much greater.

Each year from 1994 to 2000 we raised more money to fund our efforts and raised over $400,000 in 1999.  Then Wards went out of business and we lost their financial support and donated space and services. To stay connected to the kids we were were working with we had to rent space in the Cabrini Green neighborhood.  

This increase in expense and loss of income came as we endured the dot.com financial meltdown in 2000, and then entered 2001, and the 9/11 tragedy that led to a drastic reduction in funds available to us.  We cut expenses, such as ending our print newsletters and printed directory and moving almost entirely to a web-based communications strategy.  

By 2007 we had rebuilt our donor base and were receiving contributions as large as $50,000. Then the financial markets collapsed, and in 2009 and 2010 we struggled.  That led to my leaving Cabrini Connections in mid 2011 and forming the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC to continue the Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago and help similar intermediaries grow in other cities.

I say all this to emphasize that we never had much money for advertising and public relations. Our newsletters never were sent to more than 12,000 people, and then only three or four times a year.  

Too little to change the world.

A couple of weeks ago I published this article showing how I've reached out to universities for the past 30 years for the talent and manpower needed to expand the reach, frequency and impact of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and the ways we were helping our own teens through school and into college and careers.

Skim through this presentation and you'll see numerous examples of how student interns have helped.  

But is has not been enough.

As you look at my printed newsletters from the 1990s you see a problem that persists around the country in 2024, and will continue, unless more people adopt an information-based strategy like I've piloted and devote their own time, talent and resources to leading it for the next 30 years.

This 1998 story in Crain's Chicago Business described the work I had been doing since 1993.  It's one of dozens of stories I share on this page.

This could be YOU!  This could be a page on your university's website, showing work your students, faculty and alumni were doing.

It just takes two or three people, with a big commitment (and a major donor) to launch such a program. 

Thank you for reading this article. Please share it with others in your network,  particularly people who might bring my archives and lessons into a university in your city or state.  

Let's connect on social media.  Visit this page to find links to where you can connect with me.

If you're able, please visit this page and make a contribution to help me continue this work for another few years. 

Building youth networks.

Below is a graphic I created in 1990s to show the range of adults from different backgrounds who were connecting with teens in the Chicago tutor/mentor program that I led from 1993 to 2011.

Note the pre-school through career timeline in the middle of the circle. This shows the multi-year support needed by kids living in high poverty areas, where too few of the people surrounding them work in the wide range of careers that more affluent kids are exposed to.  Note also the circle showing public school above the timeline and the 3pm-5pm and 5pm-8pm circles below the timeline. This shows that the 3-5pm non-school hours are the typical after-school program, needed in all areas where Mom and Dad have full-time jobs and kids need safe places during this time frame.

The 5pm-8pm timeframe is more unique to big cities where workplace volunteers are more able to become tutors and mentors in on-going programs. That was the timeframe when the programs I led operated. 

I did not realize until I read Dr. Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone book in the late 1990s that what we were doing was creating bridging social capital for our kids.  Around 2013 Putnam published another book, titled "Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis" which I've written about often. 

In my graphic at the top of this article I show a hub and spoke design, where the hub represents a tutor/mentor program, or an individual youth. The spokes represent all the people who could be part of that youth's network, made possible by the family and community she is part of, or by the organized tutor/mentor program she is part of.

But how do we show this?  

At the left is another graphic that I've used for many years. In the mid 2000s I begin to learn about social network analysis, which is a tool for mapping connections between people and showing them in a visualization.  

Here are two articles written in the late 2000s where I introduce social network analysis, and one of it's pioneers, Valdis Krebs.  Click here and here. 

Yesterday I did a web search using the terms "tutor mentor push pull maps".  Below is a screen shot of the images from the top results on that search. Many of the images shown are from this blog and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website. 

I often do searches like this to make sure my web content can be found if people are searching for terms that include "tutor mentor".  In this search I saw that there were some others who were mapping networks.

One was a mentoring network map from Lehigh University. 

The second was an Earth Sciences mentor network map.

Both of these graphics use a "hub and spoke" design, similar to mine.  Both are trying to teach people to "know their networks".   I encourage you to visit their websites and read more about their network mapping.  Learn from them and apply the ideas to your own program design. 

Here's another great resource.

In 2021 I connected with the Christensen Institute on Twitter and posted the graphic below in this blog article, titled "Digging Deeper into Social Capital Thinking".  

The Christensen Institute has a collection of articles on its website that focus on increasing social capital.  I also have a collection of links to social capital websites and research in the Tutor/Mentor library.  The more you know and understand these terms and how expanding social capital can be a strategy for creating opportunity while reducing violence, and improving workforce readiness, the more you might apply these ideas in your own work.  

So how are youth programs showing social capital in their program design and outcomes? Are they?

From posts I see and websites I review, I know many Chicago tutor/mentor programs are connecting inner-city kids with adults from diverse workplace backgrounds.  At the left is a post on Twitter from Chicago Youth Programs, Inc. Their website does a great job showing their long-term support for kids and families.  However, I don't see the term "social capital", although they certainly do help kids build their networks.

Furthermore, I don't know of many foundations funding youth programs based on their social capital-building designs.  I pointed to recent MENTOR research in this article, that shows how few foundations fund long-term operations. That's a problem. 

There's a lot to digest in this article. The two mentor network mapping sites that I point to above focus on adult-to-adult mentoring.  The Christensen Institute seems to focus on what schools can do to expand student networks.  

Thus, I don't see many using work of people like Valdis Krebs to figure ways to show how student networks expand over a period of years as a result of intentional program design, funded by committed philanthropic partners.

I'm still connected to Leo Hall, who I first met in 1973 when I was assigned to be his tutor/mentor.  He's one of many former students, volunteers and staff members whom I'm connected to on Facebook. 

I've dabbled with network analysis over the past 20 years.  In 2010 we set up this intern group on our Ning site, where our goal was to create a tool to map network growth.  That fizzled when I could not retain interns for more than a few months. 

In 2012 I created a network analysis map showing my Facebook followers. You can see the analysis in this PDF essay.   

I'd love to find student researchers who'd continue the network analysis work I point to above.  It's not something I can do on my own.

Are you doing this type of analysis?  How can we apply the network mapping graphics used in workplace mentoring to better understand the impact and program design of youth tutor/mentor programs?  How can we convince funders to provide operating dollars based on this information showing up on a youth program website?

Where are you connecting and talking about building social capital for youth in high poverty areas?  I host a list on Twitter that includes the people I've mentioned here.  I hope you'll connect.

Here's my list of Chicago youth tutor/mentor programs. Take a look. See which, if any, are building social capital through program design and which, if any, are writing about this in their blog, or strategy pages.  If you know these programs, connect them to articles like this on my blog.

Thanks for reading.  As usual, I encourage you to connect and follow me on social media and to visit this page and make a contribution to support my work.

5-5-2025  update - here's May 2025 newsletter from Julia Freedland Fisher and the Christensen Institute. Note the feature article about social capital.  click here

Examples of Tutor/Mentor Library

In today's article I'm going to show two examples of the type of information that's in the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC web library.

Below are two concept maps, creating using free cMapTools:

The first is an outline of the Our Kids book written in 2013 by Dr. Robert Putnam.  click here to view.

Putnam focuses on social capital and how "benefits accrue to kids born in affluent areas" and "negatives accrue to kids born in low income areas".  I outlined the book and point to articles on this blog and my library that expand on this idea and show volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs to be an ideal strategy for expanding bridging social capital and narrowing the impact of "where you were born" for kids born in low income areas. 

The second is an outline of a book titled Uncharitable, written by Dan Pallotta. click here to view

Pallotta offers challenging ideas for how social sector organizations should operate and be funded, focusing on "if you want charities to do important work you need to change how they are funded."  Links from different nodes in the concept map point to sections of the tutor/mentor library with information related to philanthropy and fund raising. 

Thus, a big part of the library focuses on building and sustaining constantly improving tutor/mentor programs that have a quantum impact on the lives of kids in poverty, as well as volunteers who become part of their lives via organized programs.  

Next I'm showing three map-based information platforms.

First is the Georgia Statewide AfterSchool Network website and data map.  

Take time to browse this site and see all the information that's available to help leaders support the growth of high quality afterschool programs throughout Georgia.  A second map on the site is a program locator. 

Next is the 50 State Afterschool Network map, funded by the C.S. Mott Foundation. 

Run your mouse over each state and the afterschool network for that state is shown, with a link to a page with extensive information, and a link, to that network.

So, I clicked into Washington State, then followed the links to the Elevate Washington website that has a map-directory showing afterschool programs in that state. 

I added links to both sites to this section of the tutor/mentor library, where I point to afterschool networks and resources.  I've another section with "program locators and directories" where I could have put these links. 

Anyone in the country could be viewing these links with the goal of finding ideas and "best practices" that they could apply to help youth tutor/mentor and afterschool programs grow in their own state.

That's the goal of the library.  

As one person gets to know what's in the library they can share links with other people, who do the same.  In this way it becomes a "learning resource" available to anyone in the world who is committed to helping reduce poverty, violence, inequality and many other problems by providing more support to kids in high poverty areas as they grow from birth to work.

I keep looking for people who will share ownership of the library, provide funds, and even rebuild it, to make the information easier to find and to fix broken links and continually add new information.

So far no one has stepped forward to take this role, so I'll just "keep on, keeping on."  However, I'll be 76 in December and that means for the library to remain available, someone(s) need to begin to take ownership.  

I'm still using Twitter. Here's a set of posts that show some good reasons why I plan to stay.  I'm also on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram and have re-started my Mastodon account.  I hope you'll reach out and connect with me.

I'm also seeking contributions to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC. Click here if you want to help. 

Thanks for reading. 

Mapping Social Capital

Today I watched a panel of social capital researchers, featuring Robert D. Putnam, Richard Reeves, Raj Chetty and others who were sharing their thoughts on new research exploring the relationship between social capital & economic mobility.   Here's a Tweet with a clip from the discussion.

I'll post the link to the full video as soon as it's available. If you visit #SocialCapital on Twitter, and look at Tweets posted today, you'll understand more about what was discussed than what I am sharing in this article. 

During the presentation this Social Capital Atlas was described.  I've posted a few screenshots below.

This dashboard shows information about economic connectedness, cohesiveness and civic engagement for every county, every zip code, every high school and every college in the nation.  Just choose the category you want to view from the menu bar at the top left.

It's an interactive platform, so you can zoom into areas as small as a zip code and get data related to that specific zip code.

When you choose high schools, or colleges, you get a  map view like below, which shows high school in Chicago.  The different colors represent high or low levels of connectedness, cohesiveness or civic engagement. Click on an icon to get information for a specific school.  

This information is not new to me.  I've followed Robert D. Putnam since the early 2000s and wrote this article in 2015 and this article on this blog in 2018.  And, in 2019 I pointed to Raj Chetty in this article.

 

In 2018 I posted this article on the MappingforJustice blog, pointing to an Opportunity Atlas website, which is also a product of Opportunity Insights. However, the Social Capital Atlas is brand new. 

My goal is that people use these websites to create stories for blogs, Tweets, Instagram, videos, etc. that draw more attention to the inequalities in America, and more motivation to provide the time, talent and dollars to close these gaps, in EVERY zip code. 

Here's an article where I demonstrate using multiple platforms in one story. 

Here's an article where I combine maps from two platforms. One is based on my own database of Chicago youth tutor and/or mentor programs. 

Last week I posted this article showing my 30 years of using maps to try to draw attention and resources to high poverty areas of Chicago, to help youth tutor/mentor programs grow and have a greater impact on the lives of young people. 

Here's an article from last April, titled "Maps, Time, Social Capital" which uses the graphic shown below.

Click the social capital tag at the left and scroll through the articles. Visit this section of the Tutor/Mentor library to find more articles about social capital. Use this concept map to locate other data platforms that you can use in  your stories. 

Share these articles and help mobilizer more people who will work to close the opportunity and racial gaps that divide Americans from each other. Learn to use maps in stories, the way I've demonstrated, as part of a call-to-action that draws resources directly to the zip codes and community areas where help is most needed.

Thanks for reading. Please use these resources and connect with me on one of these platforms. 

Finally, please consider a small contribution to help fund the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and my ability to keep aggregating information and sharing these ideas. 

8-17-2022 update - here's a blog article from Brookings.edu that summarizes the information in the webinar. It's titled: "Seven Key Takeaways from Chetty's New Research on Friendship and Economic Mobility".  click here to read.