Making Maps Guide

I hosted a 38th Tutor/Mentor Leadership & Networking Conference in Chicago this week. As with every conference I showcased some of the maps that Tutor/Mentor Connection created in past years. This image shows the home page of a Map Gallery that Mike Trakan created to shows maps he created from 2008 through March 2011 while we had the money to have him as part of the T/MC paid staff.

This PDF shows how Chicago area volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring programs can add or update their information in the Program Locator.

This PDF shows how youth and volunteers, or development officers in non profits, can create their own maps and embed them in blogs or grant requests.

This PDF describes how youth interns and volunteers can use maps to build greater public attention and more consistent support for tutor/mentor programs.

Maps and What's Possible

A couple of years ago the Social Edge forum hosted a discussion titled "Maps and What's Possible" featuring the Tutor/Mentor Connection's uses of maps. That's not the first time our use of maps have received attention.

 This is the front page of a 1999 story in the URISA Newsletter (see pdf). In 2004 our use of maps was nominated for a Global Innovation Award, as described in this pdf.

 In 1995 our strategy was described as a "Master plan for saving youth" in this Chicago Tribune article.

 Our mapping strategy is outlined in this wiki and I'm looking for partners, volunteers, investors and benefactors to help us develop this strategy so it can be applied in big cities all over the world, as well as in other social benefit sectors.

 Can you help us find these resources?

SunTimes series focuses on neighborhood of NBA Star

For the past week feature articles in the Chicago SunTimes have focused on the gangs and violence in the Englewood area of Chicago, near where Chicago Bulls Star Derrick Rose grew up. This was one article.

In the Tutor/Mentor Blog I used this same map, and pointed to a parallel story from Maywood, where a teen was killed while sleeping as a result of a run-away car that crashed into her home. The drive of that car had been shot.

In another set of articles I've been writing about sports and teamwork and showing how athletes could be "coaching" fans to support the growth of a wide range of youth serving organizations in different neighborhoods of Chicago and other cities.

The map at the right is one that was signed by nearly a dozen high profile athletes almost 15 years ago, showing their interest in an "adopt a neighborhood" concept that I have been trying to build support for. I'd like to find a sports writer who would want to champion this and other Tutor/Mentor Institute ideas. I can't carry this ball all by myself.

I also can't continue to host this map-resource without finding a sponsor/partner or benefactor to provide at least $50k a year to staff the project and support the continued upgrade of the technology and the data. Just one NBA or NFL star who wants to have a career beyond playing days is all this needs to become a beacon of hope for youth throughout every NBA city.

If you're interested why not come to the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference in Chicago on Friday, Nov. 4. See details at http://www.tutormentorconference.org

Mapping since 1994

This story appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times in 1994 when I was first launching the Tutor/Mentor Connection. It's one of many stories that have been written since then. See an archive on the Tutor/Mentor Institute web site.

Here's a couple of places where the mapping strategies have been described.

Story of Tutor/Mentor Connection – MapTogether

Social Edge Maps and What's Possible, June-July 2009

Many of the media stories were the result of the conferences I've hosted every six months since 1994. The next is November 4 and will be held at the Metcalfe Federal Building. I hope you can attend and I hope you or others will write about this so we can create new stories and new interest and investment in this strategy.

Mapping the ideas around the maps

This is a map I created today using Debategraph.

This is a way to connect the ideas I share on blogs, and other web sites I manage with a vast world of other people who share concern about the same issues.

Maybe you can find a use for this tool, too.

London Riots - Use of Maps

For the past few days disaffected youth in London and other UK cities have been rioting. This map shows the correlation between poverty and these incidents.

This is the first interactive poverty map that I've found for London. The map was posted in this blog. Here's the full-size interactive version. This map is created on a platform called MapTube, which is a product of the work undertaken by the Geographic Virtual Urban Environments (GeoVUE) team based at University College London's Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA).

I'm not sure the creators have the same goal for their maps as we do with the maps we have crated at the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, but I'd like to connect to see if there are ways we might collaborate.

Note: On the Social Edge forum Charles Cameron shared these links that he posted on UK blogs to encourage readers to take a look at the Tutor/Mentor Institute's map strategies.

post on "This is London" article
poston zenpundit.com