Lessons from Lawndale

Last week my NUPIP seminar visited a free health clinic, Lawndale Christian Health Center, which serves over 119,000 patients in the Lawndale community of Chicago. Dr. Wayne Detmer, the passionate and dedicated Medical Director of Medical Operations, gave us a tour of the impressive facility and told us more about the Lawndale community.

Lawndale is a neighborhood in the working poor West Side of Chicago. As Dr. Detmer described, it is among the most dangerous and impoverished communities in the entire country, and businesses will scarcely operate in the area. Several years ago, a Starbucks opened in the community as part of a joint venture between Starbucks and Magic Johnson Enterprises. This store was part of a strategy to open urban businesses in order to bring upward mobility and business and employment opportunities in struggling areas. As this July 2008 Chicago Tribune article describes,"For communities such as Lawndale, where vacant lots alternate with graystones, Starbucks became shorthand for the promise of better days, a neighborhood on its way up." However, a short time after opening, this shop closed its doors.

The only remaining sit-down style restaurant in the community is the gourmet pizzeria, Lou Malnati's. This restaurant has lost well over $1 million since opening, however it continues to operate as part of the owner's personal dedication to providing safe places and employment opportunities in the Lawndale community.

This type of mindset and community investment on the part of a business is rare, but it is an incredible example of how a company can truly partner with a community. In an era where Departments of Corporate Social Responsibility are all but expected of major corporations, it is clear that businesses DO realize that social responsibility is in their best interest for building brand loyalty and visibility.

Although operating a business at a loss is not a feasible model for most to follow, it is worth considering how businesses might partner more intentionally within their communities. While annual employee service days may be worthwhile for the individuals involved, they are not productive in terms of a sustainable contribution. Likewise, short-term giving and sporadic monetary or product donations are certainly put to good use, but long-term investment in an organization demonstrates far greater commitment to creating change within a community. Mobilizing long-term volunteers or long-term funding requires a heightened level of commitment from a business, yet it also demonstrates a company's cohesive identity and well-thought-out corporate responsibility strategy. In fact, an entire section of Tutor/Mentor Connection's online resources is dedicated to explaining "A Case for Business Involvement" and the benefits of businesses partnering with tutoring and mentoring programs.

While empty lots and closed storefronts indicate the challenges of a neighborhood, tutor/mentor programs indicate a neighborhood's promise and a concrete investment in a community's future. As this map shows, there are fifteen known tutoring and mentoring programs in the Lawndale community making the ratio of sit-down restaurants to tutor/mentor programs in Lawndale 1 to 15. That's a whole lot of potential!

Conference Countdown: One Month Away!

The past few weeks have been very busy at Tutor/Mentor Connection with the conference just a month away. Our partnership with the conference host, Victory Apostolic Church, has been an excellent experience thus far. The pastors, staff, and members of the church view the conference as a ministry to the many programs supporting youth throughout the greater Chicagoland area. Although we are a secular organization, it is energizing to work with individuals who share and value the TMC's goal to help mentor rich volunteer-based programs become more available in all high poverty areas of Chicago and its suburbs.

Registration for the conference is available online, so please visit the conference website to participate in the valuable two-day event on May 19th and May 20th. Attendees are welcome to participate for both days ($80 registration fee) or for a single day ($50 registration fee). Please contact me with any questions or for information on group and scholarship rates.

KEYNOTES:

Thursday Afternoon Keynote:
Phillip Jackson, Executive Director of The Black Star Project

Friday Afternoon Keynote:
Senior Pastor Andrew D. Singleton, Jr., Victory Apostolic Church

More keynotes coming soon!

WORKSHOPS:

"Childhood Lead Poisoning: An Urgent Problem in Greater Englewood"
Jean Carter-Hill
Executive Director, Imagine Englewood if...

"E-Mentoring: A Case Study in Innovative Recruitment and Retention"

Oliver Miller
Community Engaged Scholarship (CES) Coordinator, Community Partnerships Department, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

"Process for Transforming Performance"

Rose Mabwa
Manager, Mercy Housing Lakefront

"Reducing Barriers to Academic Success: Motivating Students to Learn"

Ylonda M. Ware

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor/Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor, Naelewa Counseling Services

"Sing Your Own Blues Tune for Tutors"

Bonni McKeown

Teaching Artist, Chicago School of Blues

Miss Taj

Teaching Artist, Chicago School of Blues

"Threats to Income Tax Exemption"

Jay Readey

Executive Director, Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc.

"Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Panel"

Christy Beighe-Byrne

Director of Mentor and Volunteer Services, Chicago Youth Centers

Joel Newman

Director of Community Partnerships, Big Brothers Big Sisters

More workshops coming soon!

REGISTER NOW!!

Become a Speaker at the May Conference!

Planning for the May 19th-20th Tutor/Mentor Leadership & Networking Conference is well underway!

We are excited to announce two of our keynotes. Our Thursday lunchtime keynote will be Phillip Jackson, Executive Director and Founder of The Black Star Project. The Black Star Project is designed to help children and students realize their educational potential through programs that connect men with their children, programs geared toward college preparation, and programs focused on parental involvement. Mr. Jackson has received national recognition for his contributions to eliminating racial and academic achievement gaps, and we are honored to have him joining us!

Another of our keynote speakers is Jordan Hestermann, founder and executive director of Becoming We The People which works toward ending poverty. Ms. Hestermann led a popular "Networking 101" session at our November 2010 conference, and we're excited that she'll be presenting another interactive all-group training on how to best maximize networking opportunities during and after the conference.

In addition to these keynotes, we also have a variety of workshops already in place. Visit the conference website for details and updates on keynotes and workshops in the weeks prior to the conference.

We are still looking for additional workshop presenters. Please see the list of suggested topics below, and contact me for more information!


Workshop suggestions:

* Program Spotlights: Do you want the stage for 10 minutes to briefly tell about what your program is doing? Become part of a workshop/panel that showcases different programs serving the Chicago region or Northern Indiana.

* Tutoring and /or Mentoring - Train the Trainer: What resources do you use to train and support volunteer tutors and mentors? Share your expertise so others can build their own capacity based on what you are doing in your own organization.

* How can volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs be part of Drop-Out Prevention strategies? Program leaders, researchers and/or workforce development leaders are invited to talk about this topic.

*Role of Faith Communities and Business in mobilizing support for volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs. These articles on the T/MC website point to the role intermediaries can take in helping tutor/mentor programs grow. Who is doing this well and will share their ideas?

* Fundraiser events: We invite tutor/mentor programs to share their experiences in organizing fund raising events.

* Funders of Tutor/Mentor Programs: Foundations that fund tutor/mentor programs are invited to attend and present information about funding guidelines. New donors are invited to attend and learn ways to add support for tutor/mentor programs.

* Empowering Volunteers as Fundraisers: How is your organization empowering volunteers to be part of on-going fund raising? The Cabrini Madness event of Cabrini Connections engages more than 100 youth, volunteers and friends. Who else would be interested in talking about their experience in this area?

* Blogging Best Practices - This link points to blogs written by many different people who share ideas related to learning, fund raising, non profit management, etc. Included are a few blogs written by tutor/mentor programs. Dan Bassill writes about blog exchanges on his blog.

* Volunteer Panel: Veteran volunteers are invited to share why they stay involved, how they advocate for their program, what they wished they knew before becoming a mentor, and how to create a meaningful volunteer experience.

* Student Retention and Recruitment Panel

* Strategies for Keeping Program Alumni Involved

* Building a Healthy and Active Board of Directors and Advisory Council

* Strategies for Measuring and Evaluating Program Success

* "Taking advantage of the summer months"- Who has a strategy for engaging tutors/mentors and youth during June-August? How can programs best prepare now for a great start in the Fall?

*See the list of additional topics that could be part of the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference.

May 2011 Tutor/Mentor Leadership & Networking Conference Announced!

As those familiar with Tutor/Mentor Connection know, every May and November we organize the Tutor/Mentor Leadership & Networking Conference. Each conference provides an opportunity for leaders of tutoring and mentoring programs to share best practices and collaborate toward shared goals.

Since late Spring is when tutoring and mentoring programs generally finish their sessions for the school year, the May conference celebrates each program's accomplishments while also equipping program leaders with momentum and fresh ideas to plan for the next year of programming. In addition, the May conference is intended to generate attention for tutoring and mentoring programs from outside of the nonprofit community so that organizations can recruit volunteers, donors, and investors during the summer months.

This week Tutor/Mentor Connection President, Dan Bassill, and I had a meeting to finalize the May 2011 conference date and location. The next conference will be held on Thursday, May 19th and Friday, May 20th at Victory Apostolic Church in Matteson, IL.

Victory Apostolic Church was built in 2008 and has a beautiful facility including wireless throughout, various breakout spaces with natural light, and free parking. In addition to this state-of-the-art facility, partnering with a church in Matteson helps us to reach toward the goal of connecting with more programs in the South Suburbs. Although the church is about a 45 minute drive from the loop, we hope many programs will view this as a chance to expand the collective knowledge about tutoring and mentoring throughout the Greater Chicago Area.

We are also thrilled to be partnering with a religious institution since Tutor/Mentor Connection strives to engage faith communities in supporting tutoring and mentoring programs. You can learn more about this strategy by reading: How Faith Communities Can Lead Volunteer Mobilization.

Dan and I had an energizing conference brainstorming meeting with Pastor Issac Greene (center), leader of Youth Ministries at Victory Apostolic Church, and Bernard Key (left), President of Key Link Technologies. Both Pastor Greene and Mr. Key have an excellent understanding of the organizations, leaders, and needs in Matteson and surrounding regions. They discussed a number of ideas for keynotes that would attract increased conference participation in addition to brainstorming ideas for raising awareness about the conference through a press conference.

Thanks to Pastor Greene and Mr. Key for helping with the planning process and to Victory Apostolic Church for agreeing to host us in May. Thank you also to the many individuals who helped us search for a conference location including Toinette Gunn of PEAK, Amy Schachman of EPIC Academy Charter High School, and Carl Hurdlik of Chicago Public Schools (and a Cabrini Connections mentor).

If you would like to be a speaker at the May 2011 conference or know someone else who would lead a great workshop, please refer to the Presenter Interest Form. Please contact me if you would like more information about getting involved.

Stay tuned for registration information and information on keynotes!

Spring Cleaning of Chicago Area Program Links

With Spring just around the corner (according to the calendar, not necessarily the weather forecast), I have been doing some cleaning of the Chicago-Area Program Links on the Tutor/Mentor Connection website.

While the Program Locator enables visitors to search for tutoring and mentoring programs based on a variety of criteria such as zip code and age group, the Chicago-Area Program Links provides a list of website links for tutoring and mentoring programs according to their region in Chicago. This allow prospective students and volunteers to find programs in their areas. Likewise, it provides an inventory of programs that the leaders of organizations themselves can use to build awareness of programs operating in the same region.

I went through all the links during the Fall to make sure programs are still operating. I revisited every website in the past week to ensure that all links are still correct and to touch base with many of the programs.

Of the 214 programs currently listed in this links directory, the regional breakdown is as follows:


The distribution of programs doesn't necessarily align with the distribution of need. This map that Mike Trakan created (click here to see enlarged view) shows the locations of programs in relation to poverty and poorly-performing schools.

It isn't rocket science to surmise that where there are more poorly performing schools, more tutoring and mentoring programs are needed to give kids academic skills, guidance, and motivation to graduate from high school and prepare for their next steps such as college, vocational schools, or careers. For those growing up in poverty neighborhoods and with failing schools, building relationships with a mentor can give students the support they need to realize their own potential.

Each one of the dots on the map represents a story, a program, a unique vision, a group of youth, a group of volunteers, and a staff.

When I look at Mike's maps, I try not to just see "dots" where programs are located. I try to picture in my head the tutoring sessions and programs occurring on a weekly basis at that center. By putting a "human face" on these locations, I realize more fully the impact of these programs and their vital roles within each community. For a sneak-peak into a tutoring session at one of these locations (Cabrini Connections), see the latest Cabrini Madness video below.

Wednesday Night Lights from Cabrini Connections on Vimeo.

What would it take to keep these programs operating while also expanding the number of programs to reach all neighborhoods with failing schools?

Strategic City Planning through Maps

For my PIP seminar this week, I had the opportunity to visit Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). CMAP is a government organization that collects and aggregates data, then makes policy and planning recommendations for the city of Chicago based on the statistics they gather. Their goal is to use information to track quality of life changes and trends for citizens of Chicago based on a number of indicators such as health, education, transportation, and arts and culture. CMAP created a plan for the city called "Go To 2040" that provides suggestions for the city and its communities moving through the next few decades.

Much of CMAP’s work resonates with the work of Tutor/Mentor Connection. Both agencies create plans for Chicago based on maps and data that can be visualized using sophisticated technologies. CMAP even launched a new site, "MetroPulse," in November 2010 where visitors can search and view maps and charts. It reminds me of T/MC's Interactive Map.

One staff member of CMAP, a self-proclaimed "tech geek," discussed how rare it is for a nonprofit to have staff members with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) skills. He emphasized how important it is for nonprofits to be able to base their services and their strategic planning on information that can be analyzed via GIS maps that provide region-specific indicators for issues like poverty, health care, and education. As he asserted, CMAP works to fill a void in the nonprofit industry by enabling access to GIS maps and data for organizations that don't have that staff position.

While most small organizations certainly don’t have GIS staff positions, Dan Bassill values this type of thinking enough that our 6 person staff does include a part-time GIS specialist. This is something that differentiates the type of work T/MC does from most other nonprofits. T/MC uses whatever information is available to help communities make strategic plans involving tutoring and mentoring. The maps that Mike creates show where tutoring and mentoring programs exist, where there is poverty, where there is crime, and a variety of other relevant statistics and community assets that enable leaders of municipalities, organizations, churches, and organizations to recognize areas of need.

While CMAP focuses on broad issues and general statistics to create a city-wide plan for a variety of issues, T/MC focuses specifically on what we identify as relevant to tutoring and mentoring youth.

During the seminar, several other PIP fellows asked questions about how CMAP connects its GIS maps, data, and recommendations to actually impacting change. My ears perk up since this is oftentimes a question that arises surrounding the work done by T/MC. How do our maps and articles translate into change? Is there evidence that this information leads to more high-quality, well-funded programs in Chicago’s most needy neighborhoods?

From my limited experience working at T/MC, I do think that the organization fills a necessary gap within the hundreds of organizations providing tutoring or mentoring services to youth in Chicago. Countless times since I’ve been here, Dan Bassill has told me about the ways he helped new programs get started or provided consulting services to existing programs. Events like Mapping Solutions also bring visibility to the needs in our city and provide information for leaders to make strategic plans that will yield positive impacts in their community.

At CMAP, the speaker asserted that the impact of GIS mapping is tough to track. It is hard to know when people use the information or when it clicks with the right individual. But he also spoke about some pretty tangible benefits that their maps and data can provide for organizations that I think T/MC also provides. For instance, organizations can use information aggregated and mapped by CMAP or by T/MC to use in their grant proposals to demonstrate needs in their areas. They can also use this type of data to help track changes and evaluate success of their programs.

This is just one example of how maps can be of use within the nonprofit community. But in order for this to happen, someone needs to be doing this work.

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"Increasingly, job growth relies on the availability of well-educated, skilled workers for knowledge-based industries. We can gain a significant advantage by ensuring that businesses and residents here have the skills necessary to compete with other global economic centers. Providing equitable opportunities to gain those critical skills is among our region's most complicated challenges. Disparities in educational attainment, health, and other measures--often based on income levels, race, or ethnicity--put the entire region's economy at risk."

-From CMAP's "Go to 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan"

A Case for Collaboration: From Cochabamba to Chicago

Last year for my senior thesis at Northwestern, I had the opportunity to research organizations working with street youth in Cochabamba, Bolivia. My fascination began when I studied abroad in 2008 for 4 months in Cochabamba and conducted ethnographic research with a group of youth who live and/or work on the city's streets. During that time, I also became aware of the vast number of organizations that exist offering support to these kids.

When I returned to Cochabamba a year later, I conducted interviews with the staff and directors of 8 organizations providing services to street youth. In these revealing conversations, it became apparent that many of the leaders of these organizations were unaware of what other nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were ALSO doing on behalf of these youth. The leader of one organization even explained to me that he viewed similar organizations as competitors, and even witnessed certain organizations arguing over the exclusive rights to photograph specific groups of kids to use in their brochures and websites to attract donors.

It became apparent that while these organizations shared similar goals, they did very little to help each other. At best, the organizations were operating in silos unaware of the work of similar organizations. At worst, organizations were wasting scarce resources by re-inventing the wheel or replicating programs that others had realized were ineffective. And it wasn't the fault of the organizations' leaders. In fact, they had really good reasons why collaboration between similar organizations wasn't practical.

In my research I identified a number of reasons why collaboration amongst non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and nonprofits is hugely challenging. I mention this now, because so much of what I learned about the environment of NGOs in Bolivia applies to what I am learning about the nonprofit atmosphere in Chicago. For issues ranging from immigration to health care to education, a variety of organizations exist with similar goals. Yet the amount that organizations are able to work together is limited.

Some of those barriers to collaboration include:

1. Lack of time/challenges in coordinating: Organizations are focused on serving the populations they work with and are too strapped for time to reach out to leaders of other organizations.

2. Competition for resources: Organizations doing similar work are competing for the same grants, funding sources, and donors. Thus just like McDonald's probably wouldn't be eager to collaborate with Burger King, organizations aren't always interested in collaborating with their "competitors" but instead see the nonprofit landscape as "survival of the fittest" organization.

3. Differing Priorities: Organizations often have different ideas about how to tackle their particular social issue. While some organizations are secular, others are religiously affiliated. While some provide handouts, others are adamantly opposed to this type of assistance. These all might be reasons why organizations don't want to associate with one another.

4. Lack of awareness: Organizations may not realize that other nonprofits doing similar work even exist or where they operate.

Tutor/Mentor Connection works as a catalyst trying to break down these barriers to collaboration for organizations focused on tutoring and mentoring (especially in the Chicago region).

Here are some of the ways we tackle each challenge and our logic for why collaboration is beneficial:

1.Lack of time/challenges in coordinating: T/MC puts in the time to coordinate between organizations, reach out to other programs, and plan ways for leaders to convene and share best practices. T/MC also builds online resources so that leaders can easily and quickly access information T/MC has compiled from various organizations.

2. Competition for resources: Perhaps what we should be asking ourselves is not: "Is there competition for resources between organizations?" (the answer will always be YES), but instead: "Is there competition for CLIENTS for our services." Let me explain. If two organizations are competing to serve the same target population, then perhaps it doesn't make sense for both organizations to exist. BUT for big social issues like "helping urban youth succeed and graduate in Chicago" or "getting kids off the streets in Cochabamba" the demand for services is unfortunately, greater than the number of organizations able to supply help. So viewing other organizations as competitors really doesn't make sense.

The nonprofit industry is different from business because when there is more demand for our services, it generally costs us money. Each student in a program like Cabrini Connections, costs about $1,500 per year. Thus the more kids we help and the greater the demand for our services, the greater our expenses. It's important to keep this in mind when realizing that the survival of other organizations actually alleviates some of the expenses off of a single organization while working toward shared goals and allowing more people to be served.

However, it's overly simplistic to think that competition for funding is not a huge factor. Thus Tutor/Mentor Connection focuses on the ways that drawing resources or attention to one organization benefits us all. When one organization gets a grant that leads to media attention, tutoring and mentoring is spotlighted as a need in this city so all programs can harness this attention to get funding for their work. In addition, TMC works to organize events throughout the year that involve organizations throughout the city. By creating a "buzz" surrounding tutoring/mentoring, we all get attention (and hopefully resources).

3. Differing Priorities: Learning about other organizations' strategies can be helpful as programs share what works and what does not. Collaborating doesn't mean all organizations have to sign on to the same mission statement, and in fact, having different focuses may help get diversified donors.

4. Lack of Awareness: T/MC has invested in creating a database of tutoring and mentoring programs in Chicago so that students, volunteers, donors, and programs are aware of what is out there. We also work to bring program leaders together via conferences, online forums, and email contact so that they are aware of the work other organizations are doing.

This type of collaborative action through a decentralized organization is not widely practiced within the non-profit sector. Not in Bolivia, and not in Chicago. Perhaps that is why we have always struggled to find the type of funding needed to operate Tutor/Mentor Connection.

But it seems that in the age of electronic collaboration, it is the direction where the nonprofit sector NEEDS to head. This infographic illustrates "the new culture of collaboration" and refers to some of the benefits of collaboration in the digital age.

Cabrini Madness: Game On!

The Super Bowl is now behind us, which means another tournament has begun:

Cabrini Madness 2011!

Be sure to watch the first 2011 Cabrini Madness promo video, "Training Days."

Training Days from Cabrini Connections on Vimeo.

Visit each team's page to view their roster of volunteers, staff, students, board members, and outside supporters:

• The Kids Are All Bright (Shameless Plug: This is my team! Donations are much appreciated!)
• Team 5Ds
• The Blue Chips
• Boom Goes the Dynamite
  
• Cabrini Allstars
• Cabrini Loyalty
  
• The Change Makers
• The Dream Team (defending champions)
• The Free Agents
  
• The Golden Stars
  
• The Green Team
  
• Running for Cabrini
• Team high5ive
  

You can also keep track of tournament news and updates via the main Cabrini Madness page.

Even if you aren't able to donate, you can help out by promoting your favorite team (or Cabrini Madness in general) through your Facebook page, Twitter account, or (gasp) even talking to people in person. Cabrini Madness isn't just about raising money. It's about giving people an opportunity to introduce the program and the organization to those in their networks. The more people that know about us, the more supporters we will have for the kids in our program and for the work that Tutor/Mentor Connection does throughout the city of Chicago.

Cabrini Madness is a great example of how programs can use innovative, interactive, and fun strategies for fundraising. The idea for the tournament was developed last year over a dinnertime conversation between EL Da'Sheon Nix and Bradley Troast. Now, after a successful first season, the tournament is in its second year.

Cabrini Madness also exemplifies how outside events, holidays, and even sports tournaments can be leveraged in creative ways to draw attention to nonprofits. Although most small tutoring and mentoring programs do not have the budget to advertise on a grand scale if at all, using widely recognized events to pull people to programs is a great strategy for catching people's attention and interest. For an easy reference, see this article on national events that might be creatively geared toward supporting tutoring and mentoring programs.

You can read more about the "annual calendar" that Tutor/Mentor Connection has developed in Dan Bassill's recent blog article about T/MC's strategy to engage businesses throughout the year with continual investment.

Thanks for your support and good luck to all of the teams in this season of Cabrini Madness!

New Year's Resolution: Make 2011 a Year of Serving Others

Happy New Year!! 2011 has officially started as has National Mentoring Month!

Among the most common New Year's Resolutions in the U.S. is to volunteer to help others, which is obviously a laudable goal. It is wonderful that many many people are making the resolution this year to help those in their community--in the form of both time and dollars to programs and organizations they find valuable.

Yet as we all know, sometimes our intentions to make big changes in our lives drop off a few weeks into a new year. I was reminded of this fact yesterday when meeting a friend for coffee. The usually packed Starbucks I went to was nearly empty. When I commented on this fact to the barista, he noted: "Yeah, people always make New Years Resolutions against their coffee addictions. We'll get busy again around March."

It is ironic that the patterns at at a nonprofit like T/MC are kind of the reverse of Starbucks. People tend to give to us more around the holiday season and near the first of the year when they are focused on what is "good for them and good for the community," and then the donations let up in the months after. Similarly, while we start out each year with the best of intentions for positive changes, we often fall back into old patterns after a few weeks. I hope those of us who resolve to volunteer and invest in our communities in 2011 will stand by these goals for the entire year.

As you can see from this calendar of events made by T/MC, tutoring and mentoring programs operate based around a similar annual calendar of events throughout the year. Programs need ongoing support all year round to keep operating. You can see an animated version of this calendar on the Tutor/Mentor Institute site.

To kick off 2011, I've created a calendar of international, national, and local events that might serve as reminders and reasons to support your community tutoring/mentoring programs throughout the year. Add these events to your calendar as reminders of opportunities to join with others across the country and world to volunteer your time, give a monetary donation, or show your support for tutoring and mentoring programs in your community. I hope keeping these dates in mind will enable us all to have a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2011.

ALSO: For those who have New Year's Resolutions related to bettering your health, read this report on the Health Benefits of Volunteering.

Resolve to Do Good in 2011:

January:
National Mentoring Month: Find a program in your neighborhood (click here if outside of the greater Chicago area), then visit the program's website. After you learn more or find a program you can see is doing good, commit to becoming a volunteer or give a donation!
January 17: MLK, JR. Day of Service: Join with thousands of other Americans in a day of community service.
January 25: Thank A Mentor Day: Post a message of gratitude to your personal mentors!

February:
African American History Month: The 2011 theme is 'African Americans and the Civil War.'
February 14: Valentine's Day: Read about 14 Charitable Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day.
February 21: President's Day: Learn about those recognized by the President's Volunteer Service Award and keep track of your personal volunteer hours.

March:
Women's History Month: See how mentors are giving girls a model for success in Chicago.
March Madness: Get in the spirit of the Big Dance while supporting Cabrini Connections with Cabrini Madness!
March 2: Read Across America Day: The National Education Association calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult today--a great reason to become a mentor!!!


April:
National Child Abuse Prevention Month: Support mentoring organizations that work to provide nurturing adults role models in the lives of kids.
April 10-16: National Volunteer Week 2011: Volunteer!!!
April 18: Tax Day: Admittedly, this day is not usually cause for celebration. But be sure to make tax exempt donations to 501 (c) 3 non-profits (Shameless plug: Our tax ID is 36-3893431 and donations are greatly appreciated!)

May:
National Foster Care Month: Find opportunities to mentor youth in foster care
Older Americans Month: Read about the Benefits of Community Service for Senior Citizens
Spring Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference: Help us make sure that this event on our calendar comes to fruition in 2011. Join the online conference planning forum and become a conference sponsor!
May 8: Mother's Day: Give a donation to help kids in honor of your mom!
May 30: Memorial Day: Honor lost loved ones through a life of service, and learn about how returning veterans are engaging as community service leaders in their communities.
May 31: World No Tobacco Day: Read the abstract of this study to learn how substance abuse goes down amongst lower income adolescents who are in a mentoring relationship with an older adult.

June:
Tutor/Mentor Programs Ending for the 2010-2011 Year: Celebrate along with programs for their work with kids during the 2010-2011 school year. Be sure to look out for Cabrini Connection's Year End Dinner as well as similar celebration ceremonies throughout the country.
School's Out for Summer!: Find opportunities to help in programs mentoring youth and keeping kids engaged and learning during the summer months (check out Camp of Dreams for one such program!)
June 19: Father's Day: Honor your dad through a donation or through your service to a tutoring/mentoring program.

July:
July 4: Independence Day: Celebrate our country by investing in its future! Visit Volunteering in America to learn about civic engagement in the U.S. and let it inspire you to volunteer in your community.
Jimmy Bigg's Memorial Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection Golf Benefit: (date TBA): Don't miss this fun opportunity to tee up and support our work with Chicago's youth!

August:
Tutor/Mentor Volunteer Recruitment Campaign: In preparation for the start of their 2011-2012 season, tutoring and mentoring programs all over the country are recruiting volunteers. It's the perfect time to find a program and become a volunteer tutor or mentor! Also look out for fun ways to support programs while drawing visibility to these organizations through events like Tutor/Mentor Jam.
August 12: International Youth Day This day recognizes the efforts of youth in improving global society while encouraging youth to become increasing involved in service work. Invest in the futures of youth by becoming a mentor role model, an academic tutor, or giving generously to a program serving these kids.


September:
School Begins and Tutor/Mentor Programs Begin!: Find a program and get involved as a volunteer, donor, or business supporter.
September 11: National Day of Service and Remembrance: Make a difference on 9/11 by exploring charitable causes that need your help.
September 15-October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month: Explore tutoring and mentoring programs that focus on Latino youth in Chicago or other cities like Casa Central.

October:
October 2: International Day of Nonviolence: In honor of Gandhi's birthday, this day calls for nonviolence in all communities. Read Dan Bassill's articles on stopping youth violence through mentoring programs for at-risk youth.
Martini Madness: (date TBD): Raise your glass to the work of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection at this annual fundraiser event!

November:
Fall 2011 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference: Help us make sure that this event on our calendar comes to fruition in 2011. Join the online conference planning forum and become a conference sponsor!
November 6-12: Tutor/Mentor Week in Chicago: In 1994, then Mayor Richard M. Daley officially proclaimed this as Tutor/Mentor Week as a means to call attention to the good work tutor/mentor programs are doing. Learn about the history of this campaign and become involved!
November 16: GIS Day: Support Mapping Solutions and the use of innovative mapping technologies to connect adults and ideas to inner-city kids.
November 24: Thanksgiving: Give a thanksgiving gift to a program helping youth!

December:
Year End Holiday Giving Drives: During this season, programs all over the city are calling upon the generosity of their donors. Please give what you can!!

Happy Holidays: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Season's Greetings from Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection!

2010 Holiday Sessions from Cabrini Connections on Vimeo.

I am excited to report some great news that we received last week: For the second year in a row, Cabrini Connections was recognized as the #1 Mentoring program across all 6 regions of Chicago!! Congratulations to EL Da' Sheon Nix, Administrative Coordinator and Bradley Troast, Assistant Program Coordinator, along with all volunteers, students, staff, and donors for this huge accomplishment!

Cabrini Connections is a GREAT program that is clearly being recognized for its positive impact on the youth involved. Yet while Cabrini Connections is able to invest in 70-80 teens per year, there are an estimated 200,000 students in Chicago that would benefit from mentoring-to-careers programs. While there are over 200 programs in our Program Locator that operate within Chicago, these programs only reach a fraction of those 200,000 youth and many of those programs continually struggle for funding.

While supporting programs may seem a financial burden upfront, the number of youth not currently being reached by such programs could translate into staggering financial costs to society. As Dan Bassill writes in his recent blog, a study conducted by by Mark Cohen and Alex Piquiero from Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management asserted: “We estimate the present value of saving a 14-year-old high risk juvenile from a life of crime to range from $2.6 to $5.3 million.” If you look at the budget for a program like Cabrini Connections, the cost per student is close to $2,500 per year. That means that every $1 spent on a tutor/mentor program could save over $350 of societal costs later on! A program like Cabrini Connections is an investment in the positive futures of youth that may result in kids staying in school, staying out of trouble, and having opportunities to pursue the careers of their choosing.

When Tutor/Mentor Connection was founded, Dan Bassill realized that one great program in a city as large as Chicago is not enough. He also realized that there needs to be a strategic plan for helping tutor/mentor programs get started and for helping businesses and leaders realize the importance of supporting programs in their regions. T/MC collects and shares research on the best practices of starting and operating tutor/mentor programs as a one-stop knowledge center for those building strategies to help youth from poverty to careers.

As this presentation states "No General Would Go to War Without A Map" and the war on poverty should be no different. We strive to create a "tipping point" that sets the actions in place to help every child (not just those reached by Cabrini Connections) graduate from high school and start college and careers by age 25. I encourage you to check out these links to build your own understanding of T/MC's strategy.

Thank you to the many people who have donated to our Holiday Fund. We are at almost half of our goal, and we hope that the generosity of our supporters will continue in the next few weeks. If you believe in our work and our mission, please show your support so we can continue to operate effectively in 2011! Thank you for all of your help!!!

Alarming Stastics that Call for Real Solutions

Today I came across a study by The Schott Foundation for Public Education entitled Yes We Can: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males. Looking at this report for the state of Illinois, the statistics are highly alarming:

In the state of Illinois:

• 47% of African American males graduate from high school (versus 83% for white males in Illinois)
• 52% of African American males are below basic reading level in 8^th grade (versus 19% of white male 8^th grade students)
• 53% of African American males are below basic math level in 8^th grade (versus 50% of white male 8^th graders)

• 18% of the state’s population of male African American students were put on out of school suspension during the 2006-07 school year (versus 5% of the state’s white male student population)
• Over 6 times as many white male students were placed in Advanced Placement Mathematics and Advanced Placement Science classes as compared to African American male students (given their respective shares in the student population)

Needless to say, this paints a pretty bleak picture for the educational prospects of African American males in this state. In an era and in an economy when a college degree does not even guarantee a person's employment, less than half of African American males in this state are earning their high school diplomas. And realistically, the picture is not terribly bright for white male students either: 17% not graduating high school and 50% below basic math level is definitely disturbing.

Studies such as this highlight the urgency for programs that offer students one-on-one attention. Based on the data, students obviously need extra academic help they are not currently receiving in the classroom. But in addition to one-on-one tutoring, they also need people to offer them support, to model career opportunities they might not otherwise know about, and to believe in them as both a student and as a person. This blend of academic support and life coaching is what makes a one-on-one tutor/mentor relationship an ideal way to tackle the above statistics on the individual student level.

One of the interesting statistic to me is the difference between African American and white males in their likelihood of being placed in Advanced Placement (AP) math and science classrooms. The other statistics like differences between reading levels amongst white and African American males, can certainly explain at least a portion of this disparity. However, I think it is also an issue of access. Even Evanston Township High School District 202, located in an affluent and mostly white part of the Chicago suburb, Evanston, recently voted to eliminate its honors humanities courses for freshman. How much less access do kids from low income neighborhoods have to opportunities to be in these types of advanced classrooms where high expectations and high success rates are the standard?

The issues of unequal access are certainly relevant to tutor/mentor programs, too. The opportunity for students to receive this extra help is often limited by location, transportation issues, and even the ability to travel within safe neighborhoods. I have spoken to parents before who don’t want to send their kids to tutoring/mentoring programs in their own neighborhoods, because they simply worry about the safety of their sons or daughters.

These problems are tied up in range of complex societal issues such as inequality, poverty, and segregation. But we can’t afford to merely feel defeated at these statistics. On an individual level, there are ways to become involved in tutoring/mentoring programs as a volunteer, donor, or advocate. On a broader level, we as citizens need to hold our politicians and leaders accountable to getting more resources and programs—like tutoring and mentoring programs—in all parts of Chicago.

As the Schott Foundation says regarding their maps displaying this information: “This new, interactive tool is designed to provide compelling graphic information that can be used to spark action and hold policymakers accountable for implementing the systemic changes needed to provide Black male students the opportunity to learn and succeed.”

Just as the Schott Foundation has made interactive maps to help educate people and “spark action,” Tutor/Mentor Connection is dedicated to using maps as a resource to guide the decisions of leaders and the voting public.

Read the Mapping for Justice blog article to see Mike Trakan's explanation of how maps can help point politicians to places in the city where tutor/mentor programs are needed and also to assets like churches and businesses within those communities that have a vested interest in helping youth in that neighborhood succeed.