Learn how leadership and volunteerism supported by technology tools can catalyze regional workforce development and accelerate education to careers. A post by Daniel F. Bassill, Founder, The Tutor/Mentor Connection.
The graphic above can be put on your web site to demonstrate the regional goal of advancing youth to careers, and shows steps you will take weekly for the next ten years to help this goal be achieved.
Repeat After Me, Word For Word:
“My goal is that all youth born or living in poverty in my city will be starting jobs and careers by age 25, after college or vocational education. I achieve this goal by encouraging the involvement of volunteers from many industries, with many different skills, who meet with youth in well organized, site-based tutoring, mentoring and learning programs, that operate in different high poverty neighborhoods of my city. Through my example I encourage other leaders to get involved, and adopt the same commitment.”
“My goal is that all youth born or living in poverty in my city will be starting jobs and careers by age 25, after college or vocational education. I achieve this goal by encouraging the involvement of volunteers from many industries, with many different skills, who meet with youth in well organized, site-based tutoring, mentoring and learning programs, that operate in different high poverty neighborhoods of my city. Through my example I encourage other leaders to get involved, and adopt the same commitment.”
Why is it so difficult for leaders of business, politics, philanthropy as well as non profits and education institutions to say these words?
To provide the consistent, on-going, leadership that gets others involved, so that youth in every high poverty neighborhood of Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Houston and other big cities have the support systems they need to move more successfully through school and into jobs and careers.
To provide the consistent, on-going, leadership that gets others involved, so that youth in every high poverty neighborhood of Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Houston and other big cities have the support systems they need to move more successfully through school and into jobs and careers.
Goal NO. 1: Ignite Volunteerism At A Systems Level
Imagine how much greater a city's impact on violence prevention, education, workforce development and other complex problems might be if leaders from every sector were making this same commitment, using exactly these same words.
The graphic above was created using a free Cmap tool. Open the strategy map link with a click/tap (above) and follow the lines down the left and right site, and the middle.
Goal No. 2: Support Connected Leadership With Technology
Leaders and volunteers in individual schools and tutor/mentor programs assure that every neighborhood has great programs and great resource providers who each use a version of this map to signal a shared commitment and a shared set of actions.
Here's another version of the Strategy Map (above), created by interns from South Korea, working with another intern from Northwestern University (below).
How To Explore The Map Below: It's an animation! Listen to the narration by running your mouse over each circle on the map. When you open the nodes in each box and you go deeper and deeper into a set of maps, strategies and information that leaders in a city can use become evident. Click/tap the image to explore this interactive tool on the Internet.
Here's another version of the Strategy Map (above), created by interns from South Korea, working with another intern from Northwestern University (below).
How To Explore The Map Below: It's an animation! Listen to the narration by running your mouse over each circle on the map. When you open the nodes in each box and you go deeper and deeper into a set of maps, strategies and information that leaders in a city can use become evident. Click/tap the image to explore this interactive tool on the Internet.
Goal No. 3: Communicate and Collaborate
This Could Be YOU, Delivering This Message.
Anyone can put this concept map, and idea, into a new presentation, using video, power point, animation, blogs, media stories and even Presidential debates. You're only limited by your creativity.
Visit the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website here to see how interns from South Korea, Hong Kong and Chicago area universities have been doing this during short internships in Chicago.
Hundreds of versions of these presentations could be created over and over by youth in high schools, colleges, non-school programs, faith based organizations throughout cities and suburbs, supported by volunteers who help them learn exciting ways to express and communicate ideas.
See my entire collection of concept maps here.
Anyone can put this concept map, and idea, into a new presentation, using video, power point, animation, blogs, media stories and even Presidential debates. You're only limited by your creativity.
Visit the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website here to see how interns from South Korea, Hong Kong and Chicago area universities have been doing this during short internships in Chicago.
Hundreds of versions of these presentations could be created over and over by youth in high schools, colleges, non-school programs, faith based organizations throughout cities and suburbs, supported by volunteers who help them learn exciting ways to express and communicate ideas.
See my entire collection of concept maps here.
Many Voices. One Song. Year-After-Year.
In Chicago thousands of people get together every December to sing Handel’s masterpiece, The Messiah.
If thousand of people are voicing the words – and making the same commitment--- shown on this strategy map, cities throughout the US and the world can make harmony and music and give new life to strategies to help kids in high poverty, economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, have access to age-appropriate resources that help them grow up safely and be part of the social and economic fabric of our communities.
Now, repeat after me.....
In Chicago thousands of people get together every December to sing Handel’s masterpiece, The Messiah.
If thousand of people are voicing the words – and making the same commitment--- shown on this strategy map, cities throughout the US and the world can make harmony and music and give new life to strategies to help kids in high poverty, economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, have access to age-appropriate resources that help them grow up safely and be part of the social and economic fabric of our communities.
Now, repeat after me.....
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Author, Daniel F. Bassill, D.H.L., President & Founder, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, has been leading a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program in Chicago since 1974. Today's article focuses on the questions he has been asking in his own on-going efforts to help Chicago youth benefit from well-organized, long-term, tutoring/mentoring programs.
Learn about Tutor/Mentor Institute HERE. Subscribe to Tutor/Mentor Institute weekly blog articles HERE. |
More About The Tutor/Mentor Connection: The Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) was created in 1993 to help volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow in high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago. It's growth was born out of learning over the previous 18 year, from leading a single volunteer-based tutor/mentor program, from networking with leaders of other programs, and from a full time job building retail advertising for the giant Montgomery Ward retail store corporation in Chicago. T/MC operated as part of a local-global strategy of a non profit tutor/mentor program, also started in 1993. In 2011 I created the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC to continue to support the T/MC in Chicago after the board of the founding organization voted to discontinue support for the strategy.
Over the past 20 year's I've often met with people who wanted to build programs to help youth in their neighborhoods. After guiding some through the many sections of the Tutor/Mentor Connection web sites, some would exclaim “That's exactly what I've been trying to say!” I then would say, “As you read some of my ideas, try crossing out my name, and put in your name. Cross out Chicago, and put in your neighborhood. See if it fits. If it does, use it. Don't try to reinvent the wheel.”
Thus, as I share this “strategy graphic” and other ideas I encourage you to voice the words; use the graphic in your own communication and leadership. See if it fits. As you do this, you'll begin to find ways to improve upon it, using the talents and resources available to you and your own network.
Over the past 20 year's I've often met with people who wanted to build programs to help youth in their neighborhoods. After guiding some through the many sections of the Tutor/Mentor Connection web sites, some would exclaim “That's exactly what I've been trying to say!” I then would say, “As you read some of my ideas, try crossing out my name, and put in your name. Cross out Chicago, and put in your neighborhood. See if it fits. If it does, use it. Don't try to reinvent the wheel.”
Thus, as I share this “strategy graphic” and other ideas I encourage you to voice the words; use the graphic in your own communication and leadership. See if it fits. As you do this, you'll begin to find ways to improve upon it, using the talents and resources available to you and your own network.
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