Conference part of on-going strategy

[Daniel Bassill]

This map shows where poverty is concentrated in Chicago, which is where we are trying to help volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow. The map also shows locations who had representatives at the May 2008 conference. Look here for maps for the Nov. 08 conference. And here to learn how maps can be used to build networks of support for tutor/mentor programs in different parts of Chicago.

The aim of this planning group is to encourage people who attended past conference to return for future conferences, and to share what they have learned as a result of this networking, and the work they do in their own organizations.

At the same time, the goal is to encourage participation of Executive Directors, Development Managers, volunteer leaders, etc. from these,
and from many other programs. The map created after the May 2009
conference should show dots in all poverty neighborhoods, not just a
few on the West and North parts of the city.

We also have a national version of this map, showing that people come
from other cities where they need the same type of infrastructure and
networking to support tutor/mentor programs in their own area.

As leaders plan the Chicago conference it's important to keep in mind that ideas can come from many places, and that when we do workshops focused on Chicago we need to help people understand how they can apply what we do in Chicago to what they do in other cities.

That's the purpose of the Ning site. We cannot stay connected to each other without using the Internet and we cannot connect with partners and good ideas beyond Chicago without using the Internet.

Thus, I hope more people will include this group as part of their role in planning the May 2009 and future conferences, and as part of their own work in building great tutoring/mentoring in their own organizations.

[Daniel Bassill]

While I'd like to see the group gathering here at the Tutor/Mentor Connection grow, so more people are helping us plan the conferences and make the strategies of the T/MC work in Chicago and elsewhere, I also want to encourage the growth of this same discussion in many other places. For instance, I've launched this discussion on Fireside learning.

I also talk about the conference on twitter and on Facebook.

I cannot be everywhere to open and facilitate these discussions. However, people who share the T/MC goals and who are involved in tutor/mentor programs can be in many more places, sharing the same message, and attracting new ideas and new resources to every tutor/mentor program in the world.

[Daniel Bassill]

Nicole White was with the Tutor/Mentor Connection for the past three yeas, and was the lead organizer for the conferences during that period. Here are some tips she left for future conference planners.

[Daniel Bassill]

Since we will be introducing new leadership into the T/MC and the conference, it is a good time to review some history, so we expand our understanding and vision for what the Tutor/Mentor Conference is, and how it fits into the overall strategy.

Here's a post I made leading into the Nov. 10 conference. It's still of value.

While people who are only connected to us via the internet can't go through the files in the T/MC Chicago office, those working at the T/MC or living in Chicago can. We've hosted conferences since May 1994 so there are 17 years of files with the ideas of previous organizers. Spend time running your fingers through those files to read how the previous conferences ere organized. Share relevant document on this forum.