Joseph Kreul's Blog (12)

Here is my final project for my internship, that breifly demonstrates what I have learned from my experience with Tutor/Mentor Connection.  This is a brief synopsis of what I learned and in what ways I feel that this project can impact the future.  I am greatful for the time I was involved with T/MC and hope to remain connected to it in the future.  The ideas are simple, yet go against the way in what I feel most people think about in terms of how non profits operate and how to address…

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Throughout my internship at T/MC, I have been struggling with the idea of how universities can become actively involved in the nonprofit sector and with tutor/mentor programs, and even provide a source of constant revenue.  One idea is simply to have students involved in the school go out and become volunteers with different organizations, providing the tutor/mentor programs with a constant stream of tutors and mentors, however this would probably only last for a short time (6 months…

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***This post was created a few weeks ago, but was "saved to draft" and was never published...I'm new to blogging...don't judge***

 

On May 19 and 20, Tutor/Mentor Connections hosted its bi-annual conference in Matteson, IL.  Leading up to the conference, I did not know what to expect or how it would look like, but I was optimistic about a good turnout.  I was not disappointed.  The conference itself was much larger than I had anticipated, and everyone I met during those two…

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During my research last week, I came across a study that dealt with mentor volunteer retention and recruitment, specifically looking at the gap between male and female mentors.  This is an important subject to tackle as the authors cite studies that show that mentees who are connected with the same mentor for 2 years show the most significant positive change, whereas the mentees who are paired with the…

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While waiting for call backs from various individuals, I did some research regarding tutor/mentor programs, fundraising, and volunteer training/retention methods that may have a proven track record.  Through my searches, I recalled a website that I was introduced to in my Community Psych class, and within it, there is a host of information regarding any and all community related topics.  While reading through much of it, I was… Continue

The other night I came across a link to this article from the Opinion Page of the New York Times.  In the article, Dave Eggers compares the way policies address the educational system and the way in which we address the military, with the teachers being equated to the soldiers on the front line.  He writes that if a military operation is not going as efficiently as hoped, that the soldiers are never blamed,…

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I finally feel as though I pretty solid grasp on what this program can do for people, and I had a revelation on how to graphically represent it.  Whenever I think about the Cabrini Connections or even the Tutormentor Connection organization, I find myself thinking of a Jenga block tower, in which some children have many pieces missing due to  lacking in educational…

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This is a post a long time in coming, but due to illness and other academic related stresses, I have not been able to make mention of the fund-raising team that I am on.  My team is comprised of both staff and volunteers, and it is a part of the Cabrini Madness fund-raising event.  It's one of many fun ways that the staff and volunteers here…

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This morning in my Community Psychology class, one thing occurred to me: if I am to make a presentation regarding university involvement to actual universities, I will need to present it in an academic manner for it to be taken seriously.  The presentation would be much more effective if empirically supported, and if I could utilize the empirical data in a concise, powerful, yet user-friendly manner, the material would reach far more viewers.  After spending two hours in the Adler School…

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During the blizzard of 2011, I was unable to come to the site in person, but that did offer me time to read over many articles on the Tutor/Mentor Connection website regarding the influence of university leaders and how they can impact an organization such as this one.  They also made me realize how much it makes sense for university involvement in programs that aid disadvantaged children through the school system, especially colleges that focus on social justice.  By assisting a child not…

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This is the middle of my third week here at the Tutor/Mentor Connection, and the learning curve I'm experiencing is feeling like it's beginning to smooth out some, and with some light at the end of this tunnel, I feel as though I'm approaching a new understanding of what not only this site is trying to accomplish, but of how they aim to do it, and of how they aim to prove that they are doing it.  Meeting fellow staff here has been a great help to me in this regard, and many thanks to Matt…

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As the title of this post indicates, this is my first week with T/MC, and as such, I will begin my blog posts with an introduction to who I am as well as the networks that I am currently involved with.  For starters, I am an intern from the Adler School of Professional Psychology where I am a first year student in the Marriage and Family Therapy program.  This program emphasizes a systematic way of thinking, and to identify problems not just individually, but to be able to look at them on a…

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