What T/MC set out to do
The Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) was formed in 1993 to help volunteer-based tutoring and mentoring programs grow in every high-poverty neighborhood of Chicago, so that more young people would have caring adults helping them through school and toward jobs and careers.
T/MC did not run those programs itself. Its sister program, Cabrini Connections, served teens from the Cabrini-Green area. T/MC worked to make the whole city’s network of programs stronger: helping people find programs, helping programs learn from each other, and helping volunteers, money and ideas reach programs in every part of the city.
The work began with the Montgomery Ward/Cabrini-Green Tutoring Program, which company employees started in 1965 and Daniel Bassill led from 1975. After 2011 it continued through the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC.
How it worked
- Information and maps. The Program Locator listed Chicago-area programs, and T/MC’s maps showed where programs were and where they were missing, set against poverty, schools and violence. See Programs and Maps.
- Public awareness. Tutor/Mentor Week, volunteer recruitment campaigns and media work drew attention to tutoring and mentoring. See News.
- Events and learning. Leadership and Networking Conferences, held each spring and fall, let program leaders share what worked. See Workshops.
- Resource building. T/MC asked businesses, congregations, hospitals, universities and public officials to support programs in the areas they serve. See Partners.
- Research, training and technology. Surveys, a resource library and online tools helped programs improve. See Library and Timeline.
These areas follow the goals T/MC used to file each activity in its own log, OHATS.