President's Message.  

Since launching the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993, I've built an extensive library with research articles and blogs where writers show the cost of poverty, the skills gaps, the drop out crisis, etc. Instead of creating this research myself my goal has been to re-circulate articles written by people with far more skills and research talent than myself.   Motivating more people to read these articles and become personally involved in providing resources to support solutions has been my goal. You can find this library at  http://tinyurl.com/TMC-Library  

I've created dozens of illustrated essays to share my own ideas.  http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/library 

With each graphic you can find a link to a web page or blog article showing how the graphic is used to communicate an idea or strategy. I'd like to see youth, volunteers and leaders from many places use these graphics to communicate their own strategies for helping build citywide support systems for at-risk youth.

I'm writing this newsletter as a result of first becoming a volunteer tutor/mentor in 1973.  

I've led a program since 1975.  Recently I added a page on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC site about network building and social capital. I think that until more of us are spending time every day trying to increase the number of people from different backgrounds who are connected to each other and looking at this information, we won't have the numbers we need to change how volunteer-based youth mentoring, tutoring, arts and technology organizations are supported. Thus, there will be too few of these programs in places where they are needed.  You can find this page at  http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/sna

In addition to a library of graphics and links, I started building a directory of Chicago tutor/mentor programs in 1993.  This was put on the Internet, starting in 1998. Now it's a map-based directory that is intended to help connect volunteers, donors, media, community leaders, etc. (those who can help) directly with volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs who need a constant flow of operating resources, talent, ideas and technology to build and sustain long-term supportive relationships with youth. This directory can be seen at  http://www.tutormentorprogramlocator.net. It needs updating --- but I cannot do that without your help.

Thank you for reading and sharing these articles for the past year. Best wishes to all of you for a healthy and happy 2013.

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Tutor/Mentor Connection, http://www.tutormentorconnection.org

Tutor/Mentor Conference - http://www.tutormentorconference.org

Tutor/Mentor Forum - http://www.tutormentorconnection.ning.com

On Twitter @tutormentorteam
Join us on Facebook 
Join Linkedin Network