Agenda - May 29 and 30, 2008 Conference. Thank you for participating.
Below is the schedule for the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference which was held at the Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL. All speakers were volunteers who shared their time and talent. We thank you all.
Review detailed descriptions of workshops here.
May 29, 2008
Registration - 7:30 to 9:00 am
Keynote and welcome: 9 am - Children & Family Justice Center, Northwestern University School of Law
.
First workshops: 9:40 am to 10:50 am -
Panel of Tutor/Mentor Program Leaders, share strategies, challenges of different programs
Network and learn from each other what are the successes and obstacles
in leading tutoring/mentoring programs. How can we as a community
of tutoring/mentoring programs learn from each other? This
workshop is intended for program leaders, coordinators and
administrators to share ideas and collaborate. How to recruit
volunteers to become leaders in your program. How to retain
students/volunteers. What works and what doesn't in working with
students and volunteers.
Stretching Your Creativity, presented by Sporty King, President, R. King & Associates, http://www.sportyking.com
There' a story/poem/speech inside each of us, though not necessarily a
story teller, poet, writer or speaker. A fun, interactive workshop for
writers and thinkers at all stages... to get students writing and
thinking.... So bring blank sheets of paper, it's guaranteed to help
you Stretch Your Creativity.
Model-Coach-Fade; How to Teach Anything, presented by Joshua Fulcher, Education Programs Coordinator for Erie Neighborhood House's Youth Options Unlimited Program, http://www.www.eriehouse.org
This session is designed for Tutors, Mentors, and Tutor/Mentor
Coordinators. This session trains participants in a teaching
methodology designed to increase the understanding of the students they
mentor and tutor. This method teaches students to not only complete
their homework, but to utilize sustainable strategies, principles, and
knowledge. In this way, they can be successful on the tests and quizzes
that many of our students struggle with.
Scholarships for Teens Networking Session, hosted by Mark Duhon, Executive Director, Highsight, http://www.highsight.org
Several organizations in Chicago raise money to provide scholarships to
private high schools for inner city youth. Some provide extensive
levels of tutoring and college and career counseling to go along with
this. This session offers and opportunity for organizations in
Chicago and other cities who provide scholarships for high school to
meet and share ideas, while it also offers tutor/mentor program leaders
an opportunity to learn about these resources for their students.
Issues affecting Non Citizen Youth, presented by Anita Ortiz Maddali, Children & Family Justice Center, Northwestern University School of Law
Issues to be addressed: non citizen youth in trouble with the law, the
Illinois Dream Act and applying for financial aid, mixed status
households (i.e. children could be citizens but parents are
undocumented), unaccompanied minors fleeing violence in their home
countries.
.
Second workshops: 11:00 am to 12:15 pm
Mentoring Pregnant and Parenting Teens, presented
by Mark Gesner, Youth Development and Evaluation Director at the Center
for Community Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin at
Parkside. http://www.mentorkr.org
How effective is mentoring for pregnant and parenting
teens? This workshop reviews a research study conducted in
Racine, Wisconsin that addressed this question by performing a
literature review and by interviewing pregnant teens, former teen moms,
and program staff. Once the research is reviewed, workshop
participants will be asked to respond to the research and discuss the
unique challenges and opportunities in mentoring this population.
Measuring the Success of your Tutor/Mentor Program, presented by Debra Natenshon, CEO, The Center for What Works, http://www.whatworks.org
Participants will experience a short overview of performance
measurement and then be guided through the process of attaching
outcomes and indicators to their current strategies. Participants
are encouraged to introduce their latest strategic plan, theory of
change, and/or logic model during the session. The session will serve
as a hands-on, practical workshop in which participants will leave with
a specific set of metrics they can begin to actualize within their
organization.
Tutoring/Mentoring Networking and Collaboration in South-Southwest Suburbs of Chicago, hosted
by Genevieve Boesen, Executive Director, South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium, http://www.SouthMetroEd.org
There are growing areas of high poverty in the suburbs of Chicago and
other major cities, but few resources to support the growth of
volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in this area. This session
serves as a follow up to the November T/MC Conference, held in Olympia
Fields and is aimed to draw community, business, faith and university
leaders, as well as tutor/mentor program leaders, together for
networking, relationship building, and idea-sharing. If you're
from this area, or from another suburb looking to develop a range of
tutor/mentor programs, we encourage you to attend.
Using Thinkfinity for Tutoring/Mentoring, presented by Debbie Potts, State Coordinator for Thinkfinity, Verizon Foundation, http://www.ioes.org/thinkfinity.cfm
This workshop will provide an overview of the free resources available
to teachers/tutors/mentors to assist student learning using the
internet. Participants will be introduced to the over 50,000
resources available free from the Thinkfinity portal and how they can
be used to tutor or mentor students.
Lunch &
Networking - 12: 15 pm - 1:30 pm
12:50pm to 1:15 pm - Keynote Speaker TBD
Mapping Collaborative Strategies. An
overview of the way Tutor/Mentor Connection uses maps to draw
volunteers and donors to tutor/mentor programs in specific zip codes of
the Chicago region. Presented by Daniel Bassill, President of Tutor/Mentor Connection (http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com).
(NOTE: Ms. Pritzker, Chair of the Zohar Education Project Incorporated and President and Founder of WomenOnCall.org, http://www.womenoncall.org, our originally scheduled speaker, has had to cancell and will be part of a future Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference.)
.
First Afternoon workshops: 1:45 to 3:00pm -
One Community's Efforts to Build a Mentoring Movement, presented by Mark Gesner, Youth
Development and Evaluation Director at the Center for Community
Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside.
http://www.mentorkr.org
This workshop is appropriate for any mentoring program leader or
community member interested in raising the profile of mentoring in
his/her community. The workshop will be of particular interest to
mentoring program leaders who would like to objectively assess the
functioning of their program. The certification assessment tool
provided offers guidance about best practices in general organizational
well-being, program design and planning, program management and
operations, and program evaluation.
This workshop is intended to present some of the common issues and strategies for beginning a tutoring/mentoring program. Lessons learned from the Community Building Tutors experience will be presented, along with process evaluation strategies and collaborative methods to build ongoing relationships in a variety of settings.
Building a Better Friendship: Using a Structured Journal to Improve Mentoring Relationships, presented by Sarah Kremer, Program Director, Friends for Youth's Mentoring Institute, http://www.friendsforyouth.org
Research shows that successful youth-adult mentoring relationships are influenced by perceived levels of closeness and meaningful activities. Mentors can use therapeutic techniques and creative activities in order to build the relationship successfully. This workshop explores a new Mentoring Journal that combines these concepts in a structured, fun, and engaging tool.
An overview of the grant guidelines for the Lawyers Lend A Hand to Youth Program and information for programs seeking to nominate lawyers for the My Hero Awards, presented by Karina Ayala-Bermejo, Executive Director, Lawyers Lend-A-Hand Program, http://www.lawyerslendahand.org
.
Second Afternoon workshops: 3:15:pm to 4:30pm
Engaging Athletes and Celebrities as Advocates for Volunteer Based Tutor/Mentor Programs, panel discussion
Many athletes have had mentors and coaches who helped them build their
skills, stay in school, and become successful. Some have gained
great fame in professional sports. Some have escaped poverty
through the college and career opportunities sports provided. In
this panel discussion current and former college and professional
athletes will lead a discussion of ways athletes can draw attention and
support to charities, and ways that they might work together to
build more consistent year-round support of all tutor/mentor programs
in their host city. College and professional athletes and
coaches are encouraged to attend. Panel includes:
- Kurt Kittner, University of Illinois and NFL quarterback
- El Da'Sheon Nix, Northwestern University and current Admninistrative Coordinator of Cabrini Connections
- Steven Miller, President of Legacy Mortgage (panel moderator)
Starting A School Age Program That Works, presented by Vivian Taylor, Executive Director, Southside Educational Center, Chicago, Il.
Learn effective techniques on how to motivate and inspire youth while
providing a unique afterschool environment. This workshop is
intended to serve leaders, volunteers, parents, youth and individuals
who are planning to start a youth program. One lesson participants will
take away is how to implement a three component program. Another lesson
will be a better understanding of how to effectively work with youth.
How to Plan a Successful Training Event about Preparing for College Life, presented by Tracey Stuckey Mickell and Willie R. Mickell Jr. http://www.worthyonepromotions.com
The purpose of this session is to introduce attendees to the planning
and preparation activities involved with developing a College
Preparation Workshop in their community. Attendees will participate in
interactive lectures and hands-on activities (such as brainstorming and
role-play) designed to help them to:
1) Define the need and market for a College Preparation Workshop,
2) Find necessary resources through building a network of professionals, community members, and parents, and
3) Determine appropriate programming/activities for the event.
Networking Session for Programs working with Latino Youth. Connect on-line at http://chicacobraziltmconnection.ning.com/
This is a networking session for programs serving Hispanic youth in
Chicago and other cities and is the result of a month long series of
interviews done to profile organizations in Chicago offering
support to Latino youth. This information is being shared, via
the Internet with people in Brazil and other South American countries.
Come and learn what others are doing and become part of a
year-round network connected via the Internet and common purposes.
May 30, 2008
Registration - 7:30 to 9:00 am
Welcome and Conference Overview: 8:45 am
May 30, 2008 - 9:00 am to 9:20 am - Keynote Speaker
Marilyn King, Two-Time Olympic Pentathlete and founder of Beyond Sports, http://www.waybeyondsports.com
Topic: Accessing the Olympian In You
Most
extraordinary things in the world are done by ordinary people who have
three things in common. In this presentation you will be introduced to
the most important mental practice common to all high achievers that
aligns these key elements and sets the stage for exceptional human
performance.
.
First workshops: 9:40 am to 10:50 am -
Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Strategies: Panel of Tutor/Mentor
Program Leaders
Bring your
own recruitment and volunteer support strategies and share with
others. Tutor/Mentor program leaders are encouraged to bring
handouts
to share with others. If you are thinking of starting a
tutor/mentor program, your first step should be to learn how
others operate and how they have structured their programs. This
workshop is an opportunity for leaders to connect and learn from others
in the field.
School Based Mentoring: Leveraging Community and School Resources to Foster Positive Partnerships. Presented
by, David Ginsburg, Chief Academic Officer, and Bob Szybist,
After-School Director, Community Education Alliance of West
Philadelphia, http://www.cea-philly.org
In this discussion based workshop, participants will be introduced to
the "mentoring landscape" in Philadelphia as well as strategies for
forming partnerships with community organizations. Also discussed
will be collaboration strategies for school based mentoring that allow
the mentor/mentee relationship to receive the greatest support and
resources.
Discussion of Mentoring and Tutoring Strategies within a YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, or Youth Center, led by Mary Jon Girard, Director of Project SOAR, McGaw YMCA, Evanston, Il., http://www.mcgawymca.org
This workshop is intended to be a networking session for leaders and
volunteers who operate programs within the structure of a larger youth
and adult services organization, such as a YMCA. The speaker will share
some of the strategies that are being used in Project SOAR, and will
encourage workshop participants to share their own program strategies,
as well as challenges and possible solutions. We hope YMCA and
Boys & Girls Club leaders from Milwaukee, Rockford, Gary,
Indianapolis and other cities will attend.
Double Session Workshop: 9:40 am to 12:15 pm -
Where's the Evidence? A Practical Guide to Using Evaluation to Improve Program Quality, presented by Dr. David DuBois, School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, http://www.cade.uic.edu/sphapps/faculty_profile/facultyprofile.asp?i=dldubois
This workshop will take place over the two morning sessions. In the
first portion of the workshop, participants will learn a set of steps
for evidence-based decision-making that can be used to ask and answer
questions about the effectiveness and efficiency of program
practices. In the second half, participants will work in small
groups to practice applying the steps to both hypothetical scenarios
and examples from their own programs.
.
Second workshops: 11:00 am to 12:15 pm
Olympian Thinking™ for Everyday Life, presented by Marilyn King, Two-Time Olympic Pentathlete and founder of Beyond Sports, http://www.waybeyondsports.com
We all have moments when we tap into a higher level of performance. High achievers have daily mental and physical practices that become habits. Apply the Olympian Thinking™ framework to your own life and engage with tools to assist those you work with in making their dreams come true.
The School as a Mentoring Agent: Changing the Culture, presented
by Michael McGrone, Sr., Dean of Students at Ace Tech Charter
High School and the President of MTL Educational Consulting, Inc. http://www.mentoringleaders.info/
This workshop will focus on a mentoring program that was first
introduced at a charter school this past year with a multicultural
population. It will deal with how a school culture can be a catalyst
for change through the engagement of teachers, staff, parents, the
community surrounding the school, street organizations and the students
themselves.
Volunteer Involvement in a Tutoring and/or Mentoring Program, presented by Jenne Meyers, Executive Director of Working in the Schools (WITS). http://www.witsontheweb.org
Volunteers are priceless – treat them as such. Learn about
Working In The Schools (WITS) a 16 year old tutoring and mentoring
organization that has recruited and managed thousands of volunteers and
continues to find ways to recruit, train and cultivate dedicated
community members. From individuals to corporate volunteers each person
that gives of their time does so to make an impact. Find ways to be
more resourceful and how to provide a meaningful experience for your
volunteer.
Gateway to Quality Career & Workforce Information, presented by LaMarr Johnson, Labor Market Outreach Specialist, IL Dept. of Employment Security
The
Illinois Department of Employment Security's (IDES) Career Information
System is for anyone searching for in-depth career information
including programs of study, financial aid, job search and tips on
writing a resume. The workshop consists of a live internet
demonstration of how to navigate the website and highlight major
features.
Beyond the Background Check: Incorporating SAFE Practices into Your Program, presented by Sarah Kremer, Program Director, Friends for Youth's Mentoring Institute, http://www.friendsforyouth.org
You know about risks involved in placing adult volunteers with youth
and you have a process, but do you know if you're assessing information
appropriately to screen out potential child molesters? This workshop
covers recommended tools, red flags, and monitoring processes to
increase the safety of youth in your program.
Lunch &
Networking - 12: 15 pm - 1:30 pm
12:50pm to 1:15 pm - Keynote Speaker
Glen "Max" McGee, Ph.D., President, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, http://www.imsa.edu
.
Friday Afternoon workshops: 1:45 to 3:00pm -
Collaboration of National Service Volunteers, a discussion facilitated by AmeriCorps Volunteers serving in programs such as, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Working In the Schools http://www.witsontheweb.org, and City Year
This workshop is intended to bring together national service volunteers from different tutoring and/or mentoring programs in Chicago and other cities so that we can collaborate and discuss efficient ways to reach our goals. The session will be an opportunity for service volunteers to see what tasks each service volunteer is doing and gives service volunteers an opportunity to unite and discuss different strategies to generate and promote the message of community involvement.
What Brains Do When They Learn: Reach Them to Teach Them, presented by Sara Sawtelle, Ph.D., Director of Scientific Affairs, Learning Enhancement Corporation and Betsy Hill, President & COO, Learning Enhancement Corporation, http://www.MyBrainWare.com
This highly interactive seminar covers the latest learning regarding the functioning of the brain and converts that into practical strategies to propel engagement and learning. Included in the presentation will be approaches to developing underlying cognitive skills (attention, memory, thinking, etc.) to build learning capacity.
Handouts and reference materials are provided. In addition, attendees will receive a complimentary copy of BrainWare Safari, the revolutionary software program that develops cognitive skills in an engaging video-game format, and three free user accounts.
Creating a Program Website Using Free Online Tools, presented by Dan Hogan, Mentoring Program Coordinator at Circle Urban Ministries in the Austin community, http://circlerockmentoring.googlepages.com
Do you want to create a website for your program but lack the software, budget, and technical expertise to make it a reality? This workshop is intended to serve tutor/mentor program leaders who desire to begin developing a program website but lack either the money to pay a web designer and/or hosting fees or the technical expertise to know where to begin.
Engaging Talent Volunteers from the Business Community. Panel of Tutor/Mentor Program Leaders will describe ways they use volunteers in non tutoring/mentoring roles.
On February 13, 2008 a CEO Summit was held in New York City, with a goal of unleashing $1 billion in pro bono talent from the business community, in support of the non profit sector. Read about this at the Tutor/Mentor Connection web site. This workshop is intended to showcase ways some tutor/mentor programs engage the talent of business volunteers. It is intended for volunteer managers in business and professional groups as well as the volunteer recruitment managers in volunteer-based non profits.
Conference closing networking - 3:15:pm to 4:00pm
Workshop Tracks:
There will be 4 to 5 workshops available during each time slot with time between each for networking and information sharing among participants. The T/MC invites participants to think of the conference as a meeting place where they can bring a group who are interested in creating more tutor/mentor programs in a specific area, or in a specific focus area, such as health careers, technology, arts, etc. Thus, if you'd like to organize a single workshop, or a conference within the conference, please contact us online or call 312-492-9614
