Chicago Tutor/Mentor Conference Draws Reinforcements to Volunteer-Based Tutor/Mentor Programs Working in High Poverty Neighborhoods

White House Conference draws attention to needs of youth living in poverty. Chicago Tutor/Mentor Conference draws reinforcements to volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs already working in high poverty neighborhoods.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 2, 2005 -- On October 27th the White House hosted a conference focusing on the needs of At Risk Youth. On Nov. 17 and 18, the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC), will host a Chicago follow up intended to help existing volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs get the ideas, volunteers and dollars needed to help at-risk youth stay in school and move to jobs and careers. This will be the 24th T/MC Conference held in Chicago since May 1994.

The T/MC and many of the volunteer based tutor/mentor programs that participate in the Conferences, focus their services on youth living in extreme poverty. We know that connecting volunteers and youth in long-term mentoring and in a variety of learning and enrichment activities can have a profound affect, not only on the youth, but on the adult volunteer.

However, there are not enough of these programs and they are poorly distributed in most high poverty neighborhoods. While billions of dollars are spent on No Child Left Behind tutoring, it seems that a strategy to support a city-wide system of comprehensive, long-term mentor-rich programs is not even on the radar of school reform leaders. There does not seem to be any plan to distribute resources consistently to volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in poverty neighborhoods, as there is to distribute funds to schools in these same neighborhoods.

This is the focus of the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conferences.

Media, business, faith and community leaders are encouraged to attend the conference. Summaries of panel discussions, as well as written information provided by conference participants, will be submitted to the Mentoring Task Force of the Illinois State Legislature, which is holding hearings on one-on-one mentoring and is to report to the Legislature in January 2006. Scheduled speakers include Dr. Edward Gordon, author of The 2010 Meltdown, Philip Jackson, President of the Black Star Project, and Avery Austin, Vice President of the National Tutoring Association.

The conference will also offer workshops that show program leaders how to recruit and train volunteers, evaluate their effectiveness, and raise money to fund their programs.

The conference will be held on Nov. 17 and 18 at St. Joseph's School at 1065 N. Orleans in Chicago. The full agenda and registration information can be found at http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com.

There is still time to register for the conference. Group Rates, Discounts and Scholarships are Available. Call 312-492-9614, or email tutormentor2@earthlink.net to discuss your participation options.

HISTORY - The Tutor/Mentor Connection, formed in 1993, maintains a comprehensive database of Chicago area tutor/mentor programs, a web based resource library, and organizes events such as the conferences to connect tutor/mentor programs with each other, and with volunteers, donors, business partners and media.

Learn more at www.tutormentorconnection.org and www.tutormentorexchange.net or call 312-492-9614. Read the Tutor/Mentor Blog at http://tutormentor.blogspot.com

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