Building a network that helps youth in poverty areas move through school

Network Growth: Making
Ideas a Reality
This article shows how one person’s
idea can grow into a movement of many
thousands of people. The examples are
taken from the 1975-2023 experiences of
Daniel F. Bassill, who led volunteer-based
tutor/mentor programs in Chicago for 35
consecutive years and is founder and
leader of the Tutor/Mentor Connection
(1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute,
LLC (2011-present).
IDEA
Individual
Open
Space
Invite others
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Grows
OVER TIME
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net
As a result of the collective effort of
many people more youth living in high
poverty neighborhoods will be
connected to networks of adult tutors,
mentors, coaches, friends and
advocates who help them through
school and into jobs and careers.

Network
Grows
OVER TIME
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Grows
OVER TIME
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Grows
OVER TIME
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Over time, network grows to include more people, from more places.
IDEA
One Person
Dan Bassill
1994
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net Pg. 2
1994-2015

This Idea will only reach more people
when a few others adopt it as their own.
Anyone who has had their life transformed because of the
involvement of a mentor, should be interested in taking this
role so others have the same opportunity.
IDEA
Individual
Network
Grows
OVER TIME
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
The involvement of a few key people
is critical to the successful growth of
a network.
Open
Space
Invite others
Friends
IWU
Alumni
Co-worker
Pg. 3
Dan Bassill, Chicago SunTimes, 1994

MY IDEA- Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Information-based strategy designed to help volunteer-based tutor/mentor
programs, similar to the one I led from 1975 to 1992, grow in all high poverty
neighborhoods of Chicago by helping programs get resources needed to
constantly improve products and services.
Chicago
1990s
IDEA
Individual
The Cabrini Connections program, which we formed in Nov. 1992,
at the same time as we made a commitment to build the
Tutor/Mentor Connection, is one of the programs we helped grow.
I led it until July 2011.

War on Poverty – Complex System!
Goal
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Goal
?
In order to have well-trained troops in places where the enemy is concentrated the military has a sophisticated
planning process that extends to mobilizing public support for expensive war efforts. We need the same thinking to
have tutor/mentor programs and adult learning support in all high poverty neighborhoods.
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net Pg 5
The Tutor/Mentor
Connection strategy
borrowed from how
companies support
multiple stores in many
locations, as well as from
how generals win wars.

Tutor/Mentor Institute Goals
• Fill all high poverty zip codes, and non-school hours, with
mentor-rich, K-12 programs
• Help each program have resources to constantly improve ways
they keep youth and adults involved
• Enlist leadership and financial involvement from every
business, professional, faith, university
• Define strategy as workforce development and business
benefit, not as philanthropy
• Duplicate in every city in the US and the world
• Increase the network size from year to year
• Sustain the effort for decades

Create web platform to support involvement of leaders from any sector.
The Tutor/Mentor Connection
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC,
focuses on four on-going
strategies
Research
Pg 7
Public
Awareness
Resource
Generation
Collaboration,
shared learning
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net
This is the home page of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
Browse each section quickly to
know what’s on the site.

1. Collect and
share information
2. Create
map/databases 3. draw
attention to
this
information
4. Create
learning
circles
5. Motivate
volunteers,
donors, to
“shop and buy
6. Map the
growth of
networks,
7. Map annual
growth and
distribution of
programs
8. Document
what people
are doing to
achieve these
goals
9. Track long-
term
connections of
youth,
volunteers and
programs
10. Constant
learning and
process
improvement
Strategy
View T/MC 4 part strategy - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-4-Part-Strategy
Network Building – on-going actions

Strategy
1. Collect and share information related to this issue, drawing from thought leaders
around the world;
2. Create portals that host map/databases of network of organizations needed to help
youth to careers, like Tutor/Mentor Program Locator – view archive at
https://tinyurl.com/ProgramLocatorMap-archive;
3. Innovate new ways to draw attention to this information every day, the way the
Super Bowl and TV shows draw viewers to their shows;
4. Create learning circles in thousands of places, where people who are familiar with
the information help other people learn to use it, so they can then teach others who
are unfamiliar with it;
5. Create events at key times each year that motivate volunteers, donors, to “shop
and buy”, choosing from all of the programs in a city, and supporting programs in
zip codes throughout a city;
6. Use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, etc to share ideas
from library and connect and learn from others;
7. Create tools that map the growth of networks, showing how the number of people
and organizations involved grows from year to year;
8. Create maps and visualization tools that help show the increased year-to- year
growth and distribution of needed programs in all poverty areas;
9. Use documentation portals to collect information that shows what people are doing
to achieve these goals, and to give recognition to those who do this work well.

Concepts to Understand
• Talent Map * Network Map * Village Map
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Documentation Systems
• Concept maps; systems thinking
IDEA
Individual
Open
Space
Invite others
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Grows
OVER TIME
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
We need tools to show growth of network
from one person to many people so more
investors will value/support this role.
Pg. 10
View concept map library at https://tutormentorexchange.net/conceptmaps

Network Building – An Intentional Process
As we teach people to map their network, we need to also teach them how to
expand their network, and how to focus members of the network on the
group/project that we are focused on.

Network Building Year-round
This is a year-round process that can involved anyone who is concerned about the
issues the group focuses on. It involves using your communications tools to point
people to information and connect them to each other. It involves inviting people to
come together at certain times each year. It involves a constant “call to action”,
e.g. “be a volunteer, be a donor”, etc.
View in article at http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2009/09/violence-is-just-on-other-side-of.html

Talent Map
Without the right mix of talent in a working group it is less likely that a project will be successful or
that a movement will grow. This talent map shows a range of skills that are needed in the
Tutor/Mentor Connection. A SNA tool could be created to show the members involved in this talent
network, and the growth of membership over a period of years.
http://tinyurl.com/TMCSupportNet
http://

Network Map Includes Key Sectors
Without representation from
important civic leaders,
businesses, civic and social
networks, a talented group will
still be without access to the
leadership and philanthropic
capital it needs to grow.
This “network” map shows a
range of organizations that are
needed in the Tutor/Mentor
Connection. A SNA tool could be
created to show the members
involved in this talent network
and what sector they represent
Maps should show the growth of
membership within each sector
over a period of years.
View this at http://tinyurl.com/TMI-NetworkMap

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
Leaders from every sector need to be strategically involved supporting tutor/mentor programs and
birth-to-work activities in every zip code. This leadership needs to be sustained for many years,
assuring that youth born today are in the workforce in 25 years. It will take innovative
communications and leadership strategies to build and sustain such a network of leaders for that
many years.
View “birth-to-work challenges” concept map at https://tinyurl.com/ChallengesFacingYouth-TMI

Strategic Use of Maps
It is essential that communities
and leaders learn to use maps
the way Generals and
business marketing managers
use them.
Maps show where kids need
more help and they show
where existing services are
available. They can be used to
plan marketing campaigns to
distribute needed resources.
They can be used by leaders
to help fill in gaps where no
programs exist.
See our vision for uses of maps at
http://tutormentorexchange.net/mapping-the-programs
http://www.tutormentorprogramlocator.net/mapgallery.html
2021 - The Chicago
Tutor/Mentor Program
Locator, created between
2004 and 2008, is now an
archive only.

Current Chicago Programs Map
View in article at
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2020/02/help-youth-tutor-mentor-learning.html

This network-growth needs to be
happening in every industry, in every city.
Meet on these sites to discuss:
http://tutormentorconnection.ning.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/TutorMentorInstitute
http://www.twitter.com/tutormentorteam
IDEA
Individual
Network
Grows
OVER TIME
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
Network
Vol.
Donor
Co-
worker
The involvement of a few key people
is critical to the successful growth of
a network.
Open
Space
Invite others
Friends
Alumni
Co-worker

Accountability. Who Does What?
It’s fashionable to call on educators and non-profit leaders to be accountable. However, until people beyond poverty
hold themselves equally accountable, not much will change for young people attending poorly performing schools or
living in high poverty neighborhoods.
Collaboration portals need to engage a growing number of people in idea sharing, reflection, innovation and actions
that draw resources to programs and help programs constantly improve impact on kids. Documentation systems can
show what people BEYOND the NON PROFIT SECTOR are doing to make sure the information, awareness,
learning and resource flow is happening in their own community.
See video describing OHATS. https://youtu.be/fpqpveo9rro
View archive of site at https://tinyurl.com/TMC-OHATS-archive

If we can grow the network…
We can do much to change the
future for youth living in poverty.
Growth has continued through 2023

HELP WANTED
I have had the help of many different people and organizations since 1993 but never
consistent funding at a high enough level to do all we wanted to do. Since forming the
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC in 2011 there has been even less funding to build an
organizational structure to do this work.
As we look beyond 2023 I seek institutional investors (of time, talent and dollars) who will
take ownership of the Tutor/Mentor Connection, rebuild platforms like the Tutor/Mentor
Program Locator, and events like the Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conferences, then spread
the entire strategy to multiple cities. We need to do that now so that it is able to continue
in future years, even if I’m no longer able to be involved. Please help me find such
partners.
I can be reached at tutormentor2@earthlink.net and on
many social media platforms.
I welcome ZOOM meetings.

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC sites:
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net
http://tutormentorexchange.net/conceptmaps
https://tutormentorexchange.net/social-media
http://tutormentorconnection.ning.com
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com
http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com
http://www.scribd.com/daniel-f-bassill-7291
Visit these web sites to learn
more about the Tutor/Mentor
Institute, LLC and
Tutor/Mentor Connection
Pg 20

Building a network that helps youth in poverty areas move through school

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Building a network that helps youth in poverty areas move through school

Similar to Building a network that helps youth in poverty areas move through school (20)

More from Daniel Bassill

More from Daniel Bassill (13)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Building a network that helps youth in poverty areas move through school