Introduction to Tutor/Mentor Connection

[Daniel Bassill]

Thanks for setting up this group and inviting others to join it. I am located in Chicago, but have been connected to eLearning networks in Australia for more than 10 years and find your country to be a model of many great ideas that could be duplicated in other places. I've also connected with the mentoring network in Australia and have hosted a couple of visitors when they came to the US ... after first meeting on-line.

I lead a non profit called Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. The Cabrini Connections is a small, volunteer-based tutor/mentor program in Chicago. The T/MC is an intermediary and knowledge network, intended to help programs like CC operate in many high poverty neighborhoods, and constantly improve their impact on kids and the volunteers who join these programs.

This map is one of many maps the you will find in the blog and map gallery that my organizations uses to mobilize volunteers, donors, business and faith leaders, with a goal of helping comprehensive, career-focused, volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring programs grow in all high poverty parts of the Chicago region.

Below is another map, using the free CMAP application, to illustrate how we're using our web site, and forums like this, to draw people from different perspectives, and different places, to common information that we can all use to support understanding of poverty, and support decision making that leads to more consistent actions that reach kids in poor neighborhoods and stay connected to them until those kids are starting jobs/careers.

The link to this is here.


While the focus of our tutoring/mentoring is to help kids finish school and prepare for careers, much of the focus of our elearning is on reaching adults who need to do more to help make this possible. We've just launched a new portal for our students and volunteers, using Moodle, and I hope to learn more from you all the ways you are using this and the ways we might connect in sharing information and educating youth and adults to solve serious social , economic and environmental problems facing our world.