View my concept maps

Below is one of the first concept maps that I created, back in 2005, to visualize the ideas I was sharing in my blog articles, e-Mail newsletters and website.

I wrote about these in a series of articles posted on this blog in 2015.  

I use cMapTools to create my concept maps.  It's easy. It's free.  Each map has nodes that are connected by lines and arrows, so you can "read" the map to understand what it is offering. 

At the bottom of each node are two small boxes.  The one on the left has links to external websites.  The one on the right has links to additional concept maps.  Thus, you have layers of connected ideas.

A few years ago I created a page on my main website where you could see, and open, all of my concept maps.  That site has been down for repairs for a few days so I decided to add lists of cMaps to the concept map shown below.

At the lower left you can see how a single node might include several maps.  I encourage you to make a visit and just open the links in each node, to learn what types of maps are available.  Later you can dig deeper into any single map that interests you.

In my concept maps I embed many geographic maps showing areas of high poverty in Chicago where volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs are most needed, and where current programs are located.

These maps intend to draw volunteers, donors, media, youth, parents and others to programs throughout the city, not just one or two high profile programs.  They also are intended to support a planning process that identifies where more programs, or specific types of programs, are needed, and who could be helping such programs grow.

I encourage people from other places to use my maps and blog articles as a starting point for creating a similar collection, focused on their own city/state.  Then share your maps in blog articles and on social media like I do.  

Together we might draw more attention to this information than each of us can by ourselves.

That leads me to this post on the Tutor/Mentor blog.  It features an article by Vu Le, titled "Funders, here's the blueprint for saving democracy."   

I urge you to read it.  Then, you could create a concept map that visualizes the steps he writes about, and share this in your own blog article with philanthropic and business leaders in your own area.

Share your articles on social media and I'll boost them as I see them.  

Thanks for reading. I look forward to connecting with you.

Why I've Blogged Since 2005

I started the Tutor/Mentor blog in April 2005, almost 20 years ago.  This Mapping blog was started in 2008 and I've been posting articles on it since 2011.

In late February a few of my #clmooc friends created posts showing why they blog and invited me to add my own history.  I invite you to read posts by Kevin, Sarah and Sheri to see where I'm getting my inspiration.

I created this image, showing me in 1997 with former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, for my "Reflections on Why I Blog" articles. You can find the first one here.   I hope you'll take a look.

Helping others understand - using AI

Below is a podcast discussing strategies of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), created using Google NotebookLM's artificial intelligence.  Click here to open and listen.

Over the past few months I've posted three articles on the Tutor/Mentor blog showing how an educator friend from Kentucky has used Google NotebookLM.  This prompted me to try it out last week and one of the three articles shows my own work.

One thing I like about this tool is that a podcast is created, with two people talking about the source material I provided, which was past articles on the Tutor/Mentor blog and pages on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC website.  I've shared links to this information for over 20 years with the goal that this type of discussion would be taking place in communities all over the world.

The way this works is that I upload content, which could be a PDF, a website address, or video. In this case I provided three blog articles and two pages from the website.  Below is a summary created by NotebookLM.  

The (1, 2, etc.) numbers in the text refer to the different blog posts I provided.

Summary
This document details a comprehensive, long-term strategy developed by the Tutor/Mentor Institute (TMI) and the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) to create sustainable, volunteer-based tutoring and mentoring programs, especially in high-poverty areas of Chicago. The core strategy involves a four-part cyclical process: first, data collection and mapping to identify needs; second, targeted public awareness campaigns to garner support; third, facilitation of understanding and application of the gathered information; and fourth, resource mobilization to improve existing programs and build new ones. The approach leverages a robust online resource library, concept maps, and visualizations to effectively communicate the need for and benefits of these programs, ultimately aiming to build a self-sustaining network supporting youth from elementary school through their careers.

The author's involvement began in 1973, when he started as a volunteer tutor/mentor while also starting a retail advertising job with the Montgomery Ward headquarters in Chicago [1, 2]. In 1975, he became the leader of the volunteer program [2, 3]. He continued to lead a single site-based tutor/mentor program until 2011 [2]. Simultaneously, he began reaching out to other programs in Chicago for ideas, which laid the foundation for the Tutor/Mentor Library [2, 3]. In 1976, he started inviting programs to gather for lunch to share ideas, which eventually led to joint volunteer training events [2]. These early collaborations were the roots of forming the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 [2, 3], while also forming a new program to serve teens in the Cabrini-Green area of Chicago [3].  

Tutor/Mentor Programs: A Sustainable Support System
The Tutor/Mentor Institute (TMI) and the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) have established a comprehensive system to support youth through volunteer-based tutoring and mentoring programs. This system is designed to address the core reasons for these programs, identify where they are most needed, and ensure their long-term sustainability [1, 2].

Why Tutor/Mentor Programs Are Needed:

• Addressing Inequality and Poverty: These programs specifically target areas with high poverty rates, aiming to provide opportunities for youth who may not have access to strong support networks [2]. The goal is to have programs available in all high-poverty areas, particularly in Chicago [3, 4].

• Providing Long-Term Support: The focus is on offering continuous support to youth, from their elementary school years through high school and into adulthood, including career preparation and job placement [2, 5]. These programs are intended to help young people successfully navigate their educational journey and transition into adult life [2].

• Expanding Support Networks: The programs connect youth with a diverse range of adult mentors and learning opportunities, helping to make up for the limited networks that are often a result of living in high poverty areas [2, 5].

• Filling Gaps in Non-School Hours: The T/MC and TMI focus on non-school, volunteer-based programs, recognizing the importance of support outside of regular school hours [2].

Where Tutor/Mentor Programs Are Needed Most:

• Mapping Areas of Need: The T/MC utilizes maps to visualize the locations of existing programs and to highlight areas where more programs are needed, particularly in high-poverty neighborhoods [2]. These maps are tools for volunteers, donors, and leaders to help them decide where to invest their resources [2].

• Focus on Chicago: While the resources are designed to be applicable in any location, much of the library's focus is on the Chicago area [4]. However, the T/MI advocates for the duplication of this library model in other urban areas [4].

• Data-Driven Approach: The strategy involves collecting data and indicators of need to help direct resources to the areas that are most in need [2].

The Resource Library:

• Comprehensive Sections: The library is divided into four main sections, each with numerous sub-sections [6]. This library is part of the Tutor/Mentor Learning Network, created in 1993 [1].

• Wide Range of Topics: The library covers a variety of subjects, including [7-9]:
◦ Justice, inequality, poverty, and law
◦ Homework help
◦ Research links related to education and tutoring/mentoring
◦ Philanthropy and fundraising
◦ Training and learning resources for tutors, mentors, parents, program leaders, and educators
◦ Arts, climate, health, and STEM
◦ Literacy and alternative youth programs
◦ Afterschool networks and resources
◦ Political action and progressive issues
◦ Technology and the digital divide
◦ Collaboration, knowledge management, and process improvement
◦ Chicago government and public schools
◦ College and career links
◦ Business involvement links
◦ Blogs on education, network building, and fundraising
◦ Social entrepreneurs ◦ Suggested books
◦ Volunteer administration networks
◦ T/MC and T/MI history, blogs, and websites

• Dynamic and Growing: The library is continuously updated with new links and resources [6]. New links are added to the library each year [7].

• Archived Resources: The original Tutor/Mentor Library is available at an archive location, beginning in January 2022 [10].

T/MC Blog Topics:

• Extensive List of Topics: The blog covers a wide array of subjects [11-13]:
◦ Leadership ◦ Learning ◦ Network Building ◦ Collaboration ◦ Concept Mapping ◦ Strategy ◦ Mentoring ◦ Public Awareness ◦ Volunteer Recruitment ◦ Maps and Visualization ◦ Philanthropy ◦ Poverty ◦ Social Justice ◦ Youth Leadership ◦ The Four Part Strategy

• Long-Term Perspective: The blog archive demonstrates an ongoing dedication to the ideas and strategies. The blog includes articles from 2005 to 2025 [14-20].

Ongoing, Long-Term Process:

• Cycle of Improvement: The TMI promotes a cycle of continuous improvement with a four-part strategy that repeats annually [2, 5].

• Emphasis on Sustainability: The focus is on building systems and infrastructure to support programs over the long term [1, 2].

• Resource Mobilization: The T/MI is dedicated to assisting individual programs and communities of programs in developing business plans for obtaining the resources to fuel innovation and process improvement [2, 21]. The T/MC seeks to increase the amount of attention and resources that are drawn to tutor/mentor programs [21].

• Building Public Will: The TMI also focuses on building public support for this type of work [5]. 

• Four-Part Strategy: Several blog articles focus on the 4-part strategy, developed since 1993. See more details about this below:

• Annual Event Calendar: The T/MC has developed an annual event and marketing plan that repeats from year to year [21]. The annual event calendar features four key events [23, 24]:

• Volunteer Recruitment starts in August, aiming to increase the number of people who volunteer their time, skills, or financial support at tutor/mentor programs [22, 24].

• Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference in November, designed to bring together leaders, volunteers, and supporters, and to encourage year-end donations [24].

• Feb/March Motivation/Recruitment event to energize volunteers and recruit replacements [24].

• Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference in May/June, intended to celebrate the accomplishments of volunteers, students, and programs while sharing best practices [24].

The T/MC and TMI framework is about addressing systemic issues that affect youth in high-poverty areas, not just about tutoring or mentoring or building a program [2, 25]. The goal is to create a sustainable support system that helps young people move successfully through school and into adult lives and careers [2, 5].

The four-part strategy is:

• Step 1: Information Collection and Mapping
The first step focuses on gathering and organizing information about existing tutor/mentor programs, their locations, and the needs of the communities they serve [3]. This includes creating maps to visualize where programs are located, where they are needed, and what resources are available [1, 3]. The aim is to provide volunteers, donors, and leaders with data to make informed decisions about where to get involved and where to invest resources [3]. This step also involves building a large library of resources with articles about why these programs are needed and how to make them stronger. The library includes links to youth-serving organizations nationwide, as well as articles on fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and training [3]. Concept maps provide greater detail, and point to relevant sections of the web library [3].

• Step 2: Public Awareness and Communication
This step focuses on creating a daily flow of stories about tutoring and mentoring, aiming to draw people to the web library and encourage them to support programs [3]. This involves using various communication channels, such as social media and newsletters, to highlight the need for tutoring and mentoring and to promote events [1, 3]. The strategy uses a calendar of events timed to the rhythm of tutor/mentor programs [1]. For example, August focuses on volunteer and student recruitment, November on year-end giving, and May/June celebrates the work done and focuses on planning [1, 4]. The goal is to generate media coverage of events and to use the visibility of leaders to draw attention to the cause [1].

• Step 3: Information Facilitation and Understanding
This step is designed to help people understand and apply the information gathered in Step 1 [3]. It involves providing resources and support to help volunteers, leaders, and other stakeholders make sense of the information and use it to improve their programs [3]. This is achieved by sharing examples of how to apply the information, hosting conferences to bring people together to learn from each other, and using social media to share information and draw attention to programs [3]. The goal is to create a network of leaders who can help facilitate understanding of the information [3].

• Step 4: Resource Mobilization and Program Improvement
The final step focuses on translating increased awareness and understanding into action [3]. This involves encouraging people to seek out tutor/mentor programs in their communities and offer their time, talent, and money [3]. The maps and visualizations created in Step 1 play a key role here, by showing where the needs are greatest [3]. The goal is to support programs so that they constantly improve, helping kids connect with volunteers and learning opportunities [3]. This step is not a one time thing, and repeats each year to help programs grow [3]. 

Maps are a critical tool within this strategy [3].
They are intended to show where existing programs are located, making it easier for volunteers, parents, donors, and the media to find them [1, 3]. At the same time, these maps highlight areas where new programs are needed, particularly in high-poverty neighborhoods [3]. The goal is to have effective, constantly improving programs in every high-poverty area, reaching youth of all ages [3]. By building and maintaining a comprehensive list of programs, the strategy encourages each program to learn from each other [3]. The T/MC hosted conferences every six months from May 1994 to May 2015 to facilitate this [3, 4]. Connecting with each other via online platforms is also strongly encouraged, creating a continuous learning network [3]. 

Concept maps and visualizations are central to the T/MC and TMI strategy [2, 3].
They are used to share complex ideas in an easy-to-understand format [2, 3]. Some of the concept maps and visualizations mentioned include:

• Concept maps that break down the four-part strategy into its component parts. These maps show how each step is connected and how they work together to achieve the overall goal [3].
• Visualizations of the 12 years it takes for youth to move through school and the additional years it takes to get into a career. This graphic is meant to emphasize the need for long-term support [1].
• Graphics depicting the elements of "Total Quality Mentoring" [2].
• Concept maps showing the various supports kids need, from elementary school to high school and beyond [2].
• Visualizations showing how to build public and private sector support for programs [2].

The four-part strategy was developed in 1994, and refined by 1995 [3]. The author's goal is to provide a library of information and ideas that volunteers could draw from, and to help programs build a talent pool of veteran volunteers and staff who could provide answers to a wide range of questions [2]. The resources provided are intended to help others understand the need for strong tutor/mentor programs and to take action to support them. The author notes that he does not have all the answers, but he believes that the information and resources he has gathered can help people to solve complex problems [2]. The overall goal is to build and sustain public and private support for hundreds of separate programs and for the intermediaries who support the entire system [2].

The T/MC was formed in 1993 [3, 5]. In 2011, the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC was created to continue the T/MC’s work and expand its reach [3, 6]. The author now seeks leaders in universities, businesses, and other institutions to take ownership of this work, adapt it, and carry it forward [3]. This involves adopting the four-part strategy, building their own directories of local programs, and creating their own maps and visualizations [3]. The strategy is designed to be decentralized [3, 5]. The information library and ideas shared on the blog and website are meant to inspire the thinking and actions of others [3, 5].

At the left is a 1994 Chicago SunTimes article about me leaving my advertising career with Montgomery Ward to support tutor/mentor programs in Chicago. 

One lesson I learned from this deep dive using Google NotebookLM is to NOT use too many sources.  The summary above draws from six sources of information.  

This MappingforJustice blog was created in 2008 and has been used since then to primarily show the uses of GIS maps.  The paragraphs above show how important this is.

I've posted all of this information multiple times on this blog and the Tutor/Mentor blog. What Google Notebook LM does is provide a different summary, and more importantly, the podcast.  It makes the information more understandable and demonstrates the type of conversations these resources are intended to inspire.   

However, one caution with the podcast is that they often exaggerate and add in information not in the source materials. Since last week I've created 6-8 podcasts, but only two am I able to share, such as the one above.  I've not yet learned how to fine tune the podcast.

I hope you value this review. It's a new year and as we fear what the new President will do, we need to emphasize what individuals can do.  You can create your own interpretations of any of my resources, focusing on  helping volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow in high poverty areas across the world.

Or you can apply the four-part strategy to creating an information base that focuses on other problems that need to be solved. As you do that, the NotebookLM tool adds another way to help people find and understand the information you're sharing.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to connecting with you. I show social media links on this page. 

I depend on a small group of supporters for financial support.  Please visit this page and contribute if you can. 

Help me help others

 

Throughout the year I share examples of how maps can be used to draw attention and resources to youth serving tutor, mentor and learning programs in high poverty areas of Chicago.  

I point to articles on this blog, and the Tutor/Mentor blog, which I started in 2005.

I point to the library and list of Chicago tutor/mentor programs that I host at http://www.tutormentorexchange.net. 

I don't charge a fee for using the resources I share. I encourage others to duplicate them and apply the ideas to helping kids in every city and state.  

While I operated the Tutor/Mentor Connection under a 501-c-3 nonprofit status from 1993 to 2011, I've supported it through the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC since 2011.  I've used my own savings and I depend on contributions from a small group of supporters to help keep these on-line.  

Please visit this page and make a contribution if you're able to help me. 

Thank you. 

After the election the work continues

11-6-2024 update - the election was not the result I and millions of others wanted. Yet, what I wrote last week is still true.

The US election next week will be a tipping point. Which way do we go as a democracy?  I voted for Kamala Harris and hope she wins.  But I realize that is just a step in the work we need to be doing to solve the complex problems facing the US and the world.

I've used this blog since 2008 to share uses of GIS maps to show where people need extra help, and to show where help is being delivered.  In one set of links in the Tutor/Mentor library I point to many websites showing uses of GIS maps.

I've posted several articles over the past 20 years showing why I've built a library and how I hope people will use it.  

Below is what I wrote on the Tutor/Mentor blog in November 2022.

Below is a post I saw on Twitter, showing a "Social Change Ecosystem Framework" developed by Deepa Iyer, of the SolidarityIs and Building Movement Project.  

.@aliciasanchez: This #SocialChangeMap ecosystem reduces hierarchy, but also shows how roles can be racialized & gendered: "Is it always women of color who are caregivers in your life? Is it always white folks who are considered visionaries? What's the power dynamic around that?" pic.twitter.com/cWLHqRfRdL

— Building Movement Project (@BldingMovement) November 16, 2022

Here's an article by Deepa Iyer that describes a use of this Social Change Map.  I love the "hub and spoke" design she uses and how this shows the range of people and networks who need to be part of any problem-solving ecosystem.  

I've used similar visualizations for more than 20 years.

You can see these in hundreds of articles on this blog.  I've posted several dozen articles since 2005 that I've tagged "complex problems".  And many more tagged "network building".  Plus a few more tagged "ecosystem". 

Below is a concept map created more than 10 years ago that shows the range of talents and networks that need to be involved in solving any complex problem.

All of these emphasize that no single person can solve the many complex problems we face locally and globally.  If you scroll through the articles tagged complex problems you'll find many visualizations showing complexity. 

I found another on my LinkedIn feed this week.

This graphic by Christian Sarkar can be viewed in an article titled "The Ecosystem of Wicked Problems".  

One of the features of this graphic is that it shows relationships and how the problems are inter-related to each other.  

What would have made it better (in my opinion) would have been links from each node, to web libraries with information about each problem.

For instance, here's my concept map showing the research section of the Tutor/Mentor Library.  At the bottom of each node is a link to a specific collection of websites.

Linking to libraries like this would expand the information anyone has to understand a problem, to connect with others who are also trying to solve the problem, and to find work being done in some places to solve the problem that might stimulate innovation and/or duplication in many other places.

The challenge, of course, is building and maintaining such libraries, and attracting people to use the information.  And, finding consistent funding to pay for the work.  I was never able to do that. 

I hypothesize that every link I point to from my library represents an ecosystem of many people working for that organization and an even greater number who that organization and its employees connect with.  

Looking at the graphics by Christian Sarkar and Deepa Iyer, imagine people from each of these nodes connecting with each other in on-going learning, innovation, resource development and problem solving.

Who are all of those people? Who are all of the organizations working in each category? 

Someone who's been doing some deep thinking about part of this is Greg Bloom, Founder of Open Referral. He was the speaker at the November 15, 2022 ChiHackNight event.  

I encourage you to view the short video on the home page of the Open Referral website to understand the important work they are doing and the problems they are addressing. 

Greg's group has been bringing people together since 2012 to talk about the challenges of building and maintaining information directories and to "create a common set of data standards, that define and structure information, so that it can be readily transferred between systems".  Read through the FAQ questions and answers on the Open Referral website to understand this better. 

View Greg's Nov 15 presentation to ChiHackNight.  click here

That means many distributed directories could be connected in larger directories, making more information available to more people.

The Tutor/Mentor Connection, which I and a few others created in 1993 and launched in 1994, has been collecting information about Chicago area volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs for 30 years, along with building a library that represents the ecosystem of research, resources, funding, businesses and everyone else who needs to be involved in helping kids in poverty move more safely from birth-to-work.

We published our first printed directory of Chicago tutor and mentor programs, and the ecosystem of those who support them, in 1994 and updated it annually through 2003. After that all of our information was put on-line. 

We had others ask us to share the data, but who never offered to help pay the costs of collecting and maintaining it.  I never did this for fear of the larger organization eliminating the need for our work, and then at some point in the future, ceasing operation, so none of the data we had been collecting would remain available. 

Furthermore, if our data was owned by a national organization, the people who managed it would not have local passion, or local purpose, to use the data regularly to help existing programs constantly improve, nor to help new programs form where data analysis showed more were needed. 

That was why we were collecting the information in the first place!

Thus, I proposed there be a decentralized collection of data that was shared in a system similar to what Greg has been working on. Back in the 1990s the technology, or motivation, to do this was not available.

Thus, I fully understand the challenges Greg describes. For the past 10 years I've been a one-person army trying to maintain the library, share it, and get people to talk to myself, and each other.  If you read though this blog you can find hundreds of articles that relate to this.

Bringing people together.

When we were planning the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 and talking about building a directory our PR partner from Public Communications, Inc. in Chicago, said "You've got to host a conference!".  

Using the contact information from organizations we learned about through our survey and our networking, we hosted a first Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference in May 1994 and hosted one every six months after that until May 2015, at which time I had to stop due to lack of money.

In this article you can see a map showing participation over 20 years.  Here's a presentation showing how universities hosted these conferences and how I reached out to them for many years.  Between 1996 and 2002 attendance ranged from over 150 to over 300. Our mailing list grew from 400 to 14,000. This represented quite a large ecosystem, yet, it was not attracting business, philanthropy, government or university participants.   Thus, there were always too few of "the right people" to fully build the Tutor/Mentor Connection to what I hoped it would accomplish.

Since forming the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC in 2011 the range of people I've been reaching dramatically declined and conference participation dropped to around 100 per event. 

So let me sum up.

1) the world is dealing with complex problems and some people are creating great visualizations showing this complexity;

2) some people recognize the difficulty of collecting and sharing social service information and are trying to innovate new solutions;

3) knowing "who" should be included in a directory, or in an "invitation list" is part of the problem in a big city like Chicago;  getting them to come to "your event" or into "your conversation" is a huge challenge if you're not well-connected, or have a reputation that draws people to you.  Getting into "their conversations" and "being heard" is just as difficult.

4) I find very few people creating visualizations of who should be connected, or who they are bringing together via their events.

5) even if you have a list of "who" unless you do some sort of network analysis of event participation and/or social media conversations, you don't really know how well your network is connecting.

I'm sure readers might list more problems. I'd love to hear from you.

This has already been a long article, but if you've made it this far I encourage you to go one article further.  Review the 4-part strategy described in this concept map.

The "information collection" described in this article is just STEP 1. Getting people to look at the information (step 2) and helping them understand it (step 3) and use it (step 4) also need to be funded and supported as part of any problem-solving process.

---- end 2022 article ----

Last week I posted another "after the election" article on the Tutor/Mentor blog. Click here to read it.  Having libraries like mine can help people innovate solutions to problems based on how others may already be trying to solve them, and can help find others to help with the work.  

Electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz blunts the regressive policies being promoted by the ultra conservatives but does not fix the problems that we face. Those who are funding Trump will still be trying to change the face of America in 2025 and beyond.  

It will take an ecosystem of people to build and sustain an America that creates hope and opportunity for everyone and dims the passions of the fanatics. I hope the next administration helps such systems grow and that my resources will be useful. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you'll share this.  I'll be 78 on December 19th and I keep looking for people/institutions who will take ownership of my archives, the library and this vision of supporting problem solving with extensive libraries like mine.

I'm on Twitter, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook and Mastodon. (see links here).  Let's connect.

If you appreciate these articles please visit my FundT/MI page and send a small contribution. 

Governor Tim Walz - a 'GIS Nerd' - ESRI Blog

There are many reasons to like the selection of Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota as the Vice President candidate of the Democratic Party.  One that's close to my heart is shown in this ESRI 2024 blog article, titled "Why Governor Tim Walz is a 'GIS Nerd' and What that Means for the US".

I encourage you to read the ESRI article, then go to the Minnesota Executive Map Portfolio and view each collection.  Open the collection under "Minnesota Children, Youth and Families" and you'll see the page I show below.

Click on any of the maps and it opens to an interactive map where you can enlarge and look closely at any part of the state.  The example I show below is from the "Children in Poverty" map. I've zoomed into the Minneapolis - St. Paul area.

The more you enlarge the map, or zoom into a specific area, the greater the level of detail you'll see.  Notice that if you click on the map a pop up will show the number of children under age 18 that live below the poverty line and what percent of children this represents for that census tract.

I've added a link to the ESRI article and the Minnesota Executive Map Portfolio in this section of the Tutor/Mentor library.  

In my April 2024 article I shared this page from a 1997 Tutor/Mentor newsletter and asked "What if Leaders had used maps like this?" 

Maybe they are.  I can't tell from the maps I'm viewing on the Minnesota site.   The maps are great, as far as they go.  

What I don't see (maybe it is someplace else) is a set of maps answering the questions of "How many tutor/mentor programs are needed?"  and "What programs already exist?", sorted by type of program, age group served and location".  

Nor do I see a section of blogs where writers have created images like I show above, and embedded them in articles, like I'm doing here.  As a teacher, maybe Governor Walz was teaching youth to create map stories.  Does anyone have a link to a collection of blogs that show this? 

Browse past articles on this blog, and the Tutor/Mentor blog and you can see how I've been trying to use maps.  If you're familiar with the Minnesota maps, of similar collections from other states, do you see information showing maps being used for the same purposes that I've been trying to use them?  

Below is an example.   This is a page from a PDF essay that I first created in 2011, then updated in 2018.

It shows community areas of Chicago, and the number of high poverty youth, age 6-17, in that area. It also shows what percent this represents.  The green stars on the map are known volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in this area.  The platform I used to create this was the Chicago Tutor/Mentor Program Locator, launched in 2004 and updated in 2008, which was also interactive.  

As you can see from this image, you could sort my maps for programs in specific zip codes, and that provide different forms of volunteer-based tutoring and/or mentoring services to different age groups.

If you look at the Minnesota map above, it shows this information in a much better format.  It just does not include information about service providers.  Thus, it cannot be used by the Governor or any other group to draw attention, volunteers and donors to the providers, or to determine where more programs are needed.

I wish I'd connected with Governor Walz in the late 2000s when I first launched the Program Locator and in the 2015-17 period when i ran out of money to keep it active.  Now it's an archive, which you can read about on this page. 

This is the type of image I'd like to find on the website of political and business leaders in every state.  It's me, in the mid 1990s, with a Chicago Tribune article on the screen behind me saying "City Kids at Risk". 

Kids in every city and state have been at risk for more than 30 years but I've not found any leader who has the same history as I have, trying to create an information base people could use, then trying to build on-going visibility so more people use the information to help programs grow that help kids in high poverty areas move through school and into jobs and adult lives free of poverty.

It sounds like Governor Tim Walz may have been doing much of this.  Too bad we've never met.

Until now.  I know he's busy with the election, but if you know him, share this article and my blogs. Hopefully we'll connect after he's elected Vice President of the United States and  he can champion this strategy in every city and state. 

Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Mastodon and other platforms. See links here. 

Please send a contribution to help me keep sharing these stories. Visit this page.