The Harlem's Childrens Zone in New York City is a model that is receiving much attention and now many cities are looking for ways to duplicate it. Here are resources that you might use to build your own understanding of the work in New York, and emerging strategies for Chicago.

Whatever it Takes. Written by New York Times editor Paul Tough, "Whatever It Takes," is a compelling, in-depth look at the ground-breaking work of the Harlem Children's Zone and its leader, Geoffrey Canada.

Chicago's Promise.  A Policy Report on Reinventing the Promise Zone in Chicago

Promise Zones in different cities (T/MC Links library)

Catalyst Chicago discussion of Promise Zones

Baltimore Children's Zone. Article in Baltimore paper.

Tutor/Mentor Connection resources that Promise Zone planners might include in their research

Tutor/Mentor Institute articles - library

Tutor/Mentor Chicago Program Locator and Chicago Programs Links Library

Tutor/Mentor Blog articles

We feel that the first step in creating a community of promise is to identify the existing organizations and launch a marketing communications strategy that helps people know about these groups, share ideas, and at the same time draws critically needed resources directly to each otrganization.  When an intermediary group proves that his goal is to help everyone else in the neighborhood get the resources they need, that group builds trust that can lead to more organizations working together for common goals. Such strategies must be sustained for many years, and never waver from the commitment to uplift all of theneighborhood organizations.  If it is seen as only benefiting itself, or a select group of organizations, it will have more difficulty building the type of participation needed to help a community raise all of its kids.

What are your ideas? Can you add additional links to research? Can you volunteer time to help people understand these ideas, or to help donors find existing tutor/mentor programs in Chicago?

This article shows how students from the University of Chicago did the research and brainstorming that led to the Chicago Promise policy report.

This link points to a class at DePaul University where students were using Tutor/Mentor Connection maps, and database, to creat an understanding of the demographics and different levels of tutor/mentor programs in the city.

This link points to a ning page where interns from different universities are working with the Tutor/Mentor Connection to help collect and share ideas about tutoring/mentoring.

Imagine if this were happening at every university in Chicago on an on-going basis, and that students at each school were interacting and learning from the work of students at each other school? Could this build the support needed for Promise Communities to grow and thrive?

This article about the Northside Achievement Zone in Minneapolis shows how another city is build a neighborhood based support system, but without the type of funding available to Harlem Children's Zone.

This Wall Street Journal article describes how the economic meltdown is having a negative impact on Harlem Children's Zone, which was heavily funded by Wall Street philanthropy.