Visit http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com to view a map showing locations of organizations who participated in the May 29 and 30 conference which was held in Chicago. While the conference is over, the issues we focus on are not yet solved. There are not enough volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in high poverty areas, and the infrastructure to support programs is weak. The map reinforces this and can is intended to encourage volunteers and donors to contact the various programs who participated in the conference to offer time, talent and dollars.

You can learn more about the May conference agenda at http://www.tutormentorconference.org/descriptions.asp .  You can browse the attendee list to see who registered, and to contact people  who you'd like to network with.  Hopefully this helps more people working to support tutoring/mentoring in different locations stay connected, and find ways to help each other.

We're now beginning to look forward to the August/September Volunteer Recruitment Campaign and a November networking event and conference.  If you would like to share information about your tutor/mentor strategy, or share expertise in fund raising, marketing, evaluation, collaboration, etc. use the presenter form on the conference site to submit your workshop proposal so you can be part of a future conference.

We have more than 1400 links on this web site, to people and organizations whose knowledge we value, and share so others can learn from you.  The conference is an oppportunity for some of these organizations to meet face-to-face, share what they do via workshops, and expand the network of people who work together to help kids move from poverty, through school, and into jobs and careers.  The conference is a grass roots, collaboration, of many different organizations who share the same ultimate goal.  We hope you'll make time to join us in online forums or upcoming events.

"This is the best conference I've attended. It's awesome!" That was what one participant at the November 15 and 16, 2007 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference had to say. Check out the agenda at http://www.tutormentorconference.org

A few photose from the conference are posted at http://tutormentor.blogspot.com . More will be posted on the conference web site.

While we're already planning the next conference, which will be May 29 and 30, 2008. there's lots of work we can do in the next six months to make more and better tutor/mentor programs available to inner city kids.  Join us in this web site's discussion forums or on Facebook, and other networking  forums to share your ideas and find ways to collaborate.

Many of the current and past volunteers of Cabrini Connections have attended graduate business schools at Northwestern, University of Chicago or other institutions.  Some of these volunteers have helped us launch the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Others now serve on our board of directors.

For many years I've attempted to connect volunteers and leaders of different tutor/mentor programs in a network that shares ideas and applies their talents to building and sustaining programs like Cabrini Connections in high poverty neighborhoods throughout Chicago.  While we'd like to connect lawyers, accountants, engineers, etc. with each other, connecting business school students and alumni creates a marketing and advertising resource that is missing in most non profit tutor/mentor programs.

Since 1998 the T/MC has been using the Internet to share information and recruit partners, thus, our goal has expanded to connecting business school students and alumni from other cities, and even other countries.

Up until now we've not had anyone to take on this vision, and make it a reality. That has changed.

In January 2007 a Net Impact Fellow, Nithya Rajan, joined us from the University of Chicago Graduate Business School, to take a lead on this project.  I encourage you to read her  introduction and then review the vision of the Business School Connection.

I encourage you to share Nithya's introduction with friends, family and alumni who are currently attending a graduate business school. Help draw others into this project. Help Nithya make this project a reality.

During a Public Policy Forum hosted in Chicago on 1/24/07, maps were  used to show the changing population trends and their implications for future services.  The research was created by the Chapin Hall Center for Children.  The T/MC has used maps for many years to show poverty demographics and locations of poorly performing schools as an indicator of need for tutor/mentor programs. The T/MC Program Locator includes a Map Gallery, and a searchable database that visitors can use to shop for programs in different parts of the Chicago region.

However, we've also built a GIS links library, with links to different organizations in the Chicago region and nationally who are using maps to create a better understanding of poverty as the root cause of many other social issues.  During the meeting today I invited the 300-plus participants to use the GIS links on our web site as a resource in their own planning and networking. In addition, I invited them to add additional links, showning other sites that use maps to provide a spatial understanding of important social issues.  I also invited people to tell share information about forums where people are using maps to share information, network and collaborate, so that all children in the Chicago region have equal opportunities for an education and a life out of poverty.

Finally, if you know of people who blog the issues that were discussed in today's forum, add your link to the T/MC links library or introduce this resource in the comments section of the Tutor/Mentor Blog.