tutormentor

@tutormentor

I collect & share ideas others can use to fight poverty & inequality & help volunteer-based tutor, mentor & learning orgs reach K-12 youth in more places. Piloted since 1993 in Chicago. I have posted on social media since mid 2000s.

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tutormentor@tutormentor· 14d

Most people never saw the newsletters I created between 1993 and 2003. Now you can. Read danielbassill319958.substack.com/p/if-you-did... I was focused on issues that are still with us in 2026. Why not use AI to create your own versions, focused on your city.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 15d

Here's an activity that could engage youth & volunteers in #tutor #mentor programs. Create your own pin-buttons. Read tutormentor.blogspot.com/2026/07/crea... Thanks to Algot Runeman of my #clmooc network.

This is a pin-button created by Algot Runeman, a retired educator. It says "I look forward to living ... TODAY". It's part of an article on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC blog that encourages tutor/mentor programs to add this as an activity for youth and volunteers and as a public awareness and recruitment tool.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 15d

This is from the first newsletter sent by Cabrini Connections in 1993, just a few months after myself and six other volunteers formed the organization. Our first kids programs were launched in January of that year. See this newsletter at tutormentor.blogspot.com/2023/12/thes...

tutormentor@tutormentor· 20d

This is me in the late 70s encourage volunteers to do more to help the kids in our #tutor #mentor program move safely through school. I've shared such ideas for decades, with a "What if?" call to action. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2026/07/turn...

This is Dan Bassill, founder of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present). The photo is from the late 70s as Dan was speaking at a year-end event for volunteers who were part of the volunteer-based tutor/mentor program he led from 1975 to 1992.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 20d

This week I learned that a relative of one of my former students was killed in Mississippi. She was 12. These are among things I fear. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2025/06/stil...

This graphic shows students in the 1974-75 Montgomery Ward-Cabrini Green Tutoring Program. I've stayed connected with a few of them through 2026.

The graphic says "Things I Fear" and starts with "sons and daughters of former students being shot just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time"

tutormentor@tutormentor· 21d

I created this graphic more than a decade ago to show the role of the Tutor/Mentor library in on-going innovation and problem solving. Take a look. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2022/10/role...

This graphic shows the role of information libraries in on-going innovation and problem solving. The carrot represents a "good idea/practice". If shared publicly it attracts early users (the rabbit) who is then followed by other innovators (the first dog), who then are followed by others. Adding new information to the library (carrots) is an on-going part of the process.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 22d

View my July #Tutor #Mentor newsletter at tutormentorexchange.net/2026-newslet... See how I draw attention to youth orgs in #Chicago. Do the same! Many need to be doing this. Not just in Chicago.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 25d

Do you have someone taking this #intermediary role in your community? Share their website. See what's involved. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2020/10/role... Because I host a list of #Chicago youth orgs anyone can shop that list to find programs to support or learn from.

This graphic shows a strategy piloted in Chicago since 1993 by Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present). The blue box in the middle represents the information hosted our its website, which includes lists of youth-serving programs and maps showing areas where extra help is needed.

The list on the left shows all the people who could be using this information to find ways to help youth, and youth programs, grow throughout the city.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 27d

This is one of the most important concepts that I share. Unless we influence what donors, business, media, policy-makers, etc. do, we’ll never have the comprehensive birth-to-work support systems needed in every high poverty area of the USA. danielbassill319958.substack.com/p/influence-...

This is part of an article on Substack.com that breaks down a graphic that shows the role business, philanthropy, government and others need to take to make comprehensive, long-term, mentor-rich programs available to K-12 youth in every high poverty neighborhood.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 27d

I saw a post on FB that showed a former student w his mentor. He actually had 3 over 3 years. The photos came from the yearbooks I created. If you want to view these go to drive.google.com/drive/folder...

This is the front page of the 1982-83 yearbook of the Montgomery Ward/Cabrini-Green Tutoring Program, showing some of the kids and volunteers who were part of that year's program.

tutormentor@tutormentor· 28d

I've added new links to the #Tutor #Mentor library each week for more than 20 years. I show new links added in 2026 at tutormentorexchange.net/links-added-... Scroll the list. You can click directly to the website. Or you can go the the lists I added it to, and see all the other related links.

This is a page on the www.tutormentorexchange.net website where I show new links added to the library in 2026. You can click directly to the links I added, or you can go the the page where I host the link. There you can find dozens of similar links added over the past 30 years.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 11

My library has grown for over 30 years. Anyone can use it to find ideas for helping kids & families in high poverty areas. I don't try to collect "everything". Instead, I point to other sites that are also libraries. See example at tutormentor.blogspot.com/2026/07/syst... #SystemsThinking #DataViz

This is an article on the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC blog that shares links to Systems Thinking Case Studies. The one shown is from the SCiO (Systems and Complexity Organization) website.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 10

Getting extra adults into the lives of kids via organized, volunteer-based #tutor #mentor programs is my focus. However, I do that to increase how many are looking at other problems that need to be addressed at the same time. How would you visualize this? tutormentor.blogspot.com/2024/11/i-st...

This concept map shows the 30 year goal of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present). At the left is a birth-to-work staircase showing programs needed at different age levels as kids move through school to adult lives. At the right is a map showing many barriers that all kids face, but kids in high poverty areas have fewer resources to overcome. It also shows some challenge that kids in affluent areas don't face.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 8

Are you and #Intermediary, bringing people together to solve problems? How do you track participation? I created this page to show a new way to do that. Use the FREE open source tool created by #IVMOOC students from @IndianaUniv tutormentorexchange.net/mapping-part...

This is a page on the www.tutormentorexchange.net website that features an event mapping tool created by students in an information visualization MOOC at Indiana University. It shows how participation from 20 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conferences held every six months from May 1994 to May 2015 is shown on a Kumu.io map.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 6

New article shows my 30 year history of using #GIS #maps. danielbassill319958.substack.com/p/my-30-year... #dataviz The goal is that many others do the same, based out of universities and/or business and nonprofits.

This is a Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) article on Substack.com. It shows a history of using GIS maps, dating to late 1992, to show where volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in Chicago were located, where more were needed, who could be helping, and to draw resources to each program.

The maps shown were created in 1995 as part of a "Rest of the Story" strategy intended to draw resources to areas where media reported "bad news" such as "Gang gunfire kills girl, 15")

The maps show the location of this incident, any tutor/mentor programs in the area, and business, faith groups, etc. who could be helping programs grow.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 5

As we start the 2nd half of 2026 I renew my efforts to help kids in high poverty areas get extra support to move through school. What am I doing? Read tutormentor.blogspot.com/2019/01/what...

The 1990s photo at the upper left shows teens who were part of a tutor/mentor program Dan Bassill led in Chicago. One of those teens is shown at the right, when she was a speaker at the 2010 year-end dinner.

The graphic shows how some people are "pushing" kids to do their best while business and others need to be using their talent, jobs, dollars and influence to "pull" kids through school.

There are three time frames when kids can be reached. Kids in areas of highly concentrated poverty may need continuous extra support from pre school through post high school and into the workplace.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 4

I posted this #July4th article two years ago. Still relevant. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2024/07/what...

I've been posting articles around July 4th for many years. Below is what I posted in 2022, with a few updates.

Today millions of Americans are celebrating the founding of this country, while millions also are wondering when freedom and full rights of this country are available to them. Even more are fearing that freedoms that have been gained are now being taken away.
Many are sharing the quote from Benjamin Franklin, who said something like "It's a democracy, if you can keep it."

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 3

I've pointed to this "demand action" message from the October 1992 Chicago @Suntimes every year since then. Yet, too few have kept focus on this issue, long enough to make a difference. See it in this 2012 article. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2012/10/ive-...

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 3

Why have these "urgent calls to action" failed? I posted this in July 2005. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2005/07/urge...

This is a July 2006 Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) blog article titled "An Urgent Call to Action". It starts by saying, "As we celebrate freedom this weekend and honor the men and women fighting overseas, I hope we'll also honor those who are fighting poverty and terror in America's inner-city neighborhoods."

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jul 2

Who uses Scribd.com or Slideshare.com? They eliminated bots from visit counts last month. My traffic count was greatly reduced. View visual essays I've posted there since 2012. www.scribd.com/user/2029707...

This is Daniel Bassill's account on Scribd.com. He "started Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC in 2011 to innovate new ways to support networks of people working on complex problems, such as making volunteer-based youth tutor/mentor programs available in more high poverty areas of Chicago and other places.

It shows six out of nearly 60 visual essays that have been uploaded since 2012.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 29

I'm seeing many posts about building networks & connecting ecosystems. I shared 2 visual essays that show what I've been doing since 1993. danielbassill319958.substack.com/p/what-does-...

This is a slide from a visual essay that describes what a Tutor/Mentor Learning Network looks like. It's based on work done since 1993 by a small organization in Chicago to connect the ecosystem of youth development, workforce development, education, volunteer-based tutor, mentor and learning programs, funders, policy-makers, etc.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 28

What if #Chicago leaders had used #maps this way for the past 30 years? This article shows a page from a 1990s newsletter that shows how maps could be used. See at mappingforjustice.blogspot.com/2024/04/what...

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 25

I started building lists on Twitter around 2010 to be able to see posts from people I was not able to follow due to limits they placed. Over the past 15 years these have grown. They've been my go-to source of ideas. So far I've not found the same groups here on BlueSky.

This is a view of lists that Dan Bassill (tutormentor) hosts on Twitter. Each group focuses on a specific area of interest. Some, like the collective impact group, have over 1600 members. Others, like the ChicagoTM list, only include non-school, volunteer-based, tutor, mentor and learning programs that operate in the Chicago region.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 23

This was posted on Facebook by an alum of the #tutor #mentor program I led in #Chicago. She was part of the program in the 1990s. We've stayed connected since then. I hope to see similar posts from many who were part of organized programs. #YouthDevelopment

This is a post on Facebook by a former student in the tutor/mentor programs Dan Bassill led from 1975 to 2011. She was responding to the Logic Model graphic that I had posted earlier.

Her post starts out saying "This post resonates deeply with me because I wasn't just connected to the Tutor/Mentor movement, I was impacted by it."

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 22

I don't use the honorific often, but I've been "Dr. Bassill" since Sept 2001 when Illinois Wesleyan awarded me an honorary degree for the work I had been doing to help Chicago kids.

This is the degree from Illinois Wesleyan awarding an honorary PhD to Daniel F. Bassill.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 22

I share the Summer 2026 report from the UCLA Center on Mental Health in Schools in my article at tutormentor.blogspot.com/2026/06/focu... Share in your network. #clmooc #etmooc

This is a Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) blog article. The title is: "Focus on conditions that affect student performance - new UCLA Center report"

The text starts with:
Today I read a new article from the UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools, titled "Disregarding Inequities Fuels Victim Blaming". It focuses on how "far too little attention is focused on the role that societal and school inequalities play in shaping both student difficulties and school performance outcomes." I encourage you to open this PDF and read the article.

This is not new information to me. I've been collecting articles like this for over 30 years and sharing them in my library and via posts like this.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 17

I've been sharing some ideas on LinkedIn about how students could take roles that share research more widely and draw resources to community organization who are trying to use the research in solving problems. Take a look. danielbassill319958.substack.com/p/students-a...

This is the first page of a visual essay created in the 1990s to show a strategy that engages youth from many schools in on-going activities that draw attention and resources to high poverty areas of cities like Chicago. It asks, "How do we keep attention focused on social organizations long enough for them to have an impact? What roles might youth and interns take?"

The graphic at the left shows the 12 years it takes for a youth to go from 1st grade to 12th grade and a range of age appropriate learning activities that they might participate in. The graphic at the right includes a map of Chicago, showing areas of high poverty and locations of volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs. The YOU indicates a role anyone can take to draw people in their network to the map, and to the programs.

In the middle is an example of youth activism, which in this case was a video created by students in a tutor/mentor program.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 12

I've been following posts on LinkedIn that show expanded roles universities should take to have more impact from their research. I pointed to one in this #tutor #mentor article. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2026/06/chan...

This is from a Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) blog article. The two concept maps were created in 2007 to show the challenges facing nonprofit organizations and how leaders in business, universities, etc might change that. The text in the first paragraph reads: "Those who lead small non profits, or are struggling to get social benefit ideas launched, may relate to this One-To-Many graphic. We're constantly reaching out in many different directions, trying to find the help we need. We're like fish in a bowl, competing with thousands of others for a limited amount of dollars and volunteers. Unless you've got a powerful marketing machine, or are well connected in donor circles, you succeed some of the time, but not most of the time, and you spend tremendous amounts of emotional capital and energy all of the time."

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 9

This is part of a #tutor #mentor blog article that points to a "web evangelism" article from the mid 2000s. This has driven much of my Internet use. Find the link at tutormentor.blogspot.com/2020/12/deep...

This is part of a Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) and Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) blog article. The images are a map of Chicago showing high poverty areas, and hands gathered in prayer. The text reads:

When I was a retail advertising manager (1973-1990) for the Montgomery Ward headquarters based in Chicago I learned that more competition in a market created more advertising and led more customers to want the products we were selling. Those customers usually shopped at a store near where they lived or worked. I've piloted the uses of maps since 1993 to show where tutor/mentor programs are needed and to help potential customers locate programs in different parts of the city.

I've borrowed ideas from others for more than 40 years. My background studying history in college, and spending three years in US Army Intelligence, taught me to look for ideas applied by others and to borrow those ideas to improve my own efforts.

One of the web sites I found nearly 15 years ago was one that is called Internet Evangelism Day. This article suggests that the old way of standing on street corners to pass out religious tracts is replaced by using websites to express ideas. The people who find your websites are already interested in what you offer, thus will spend more time trying to understand your message.

tutormentor@tutormentor· Jun 6

This "Unleashing Influence of Business School Students" article shows how students can demonstrate what they are learning through campaigns that draw attention and resources to every tutor/mentor program in the city where they are located. tutormentor.blogspot.com/2026/06/unle...