For any of you who would like to take up John's offer, I'm hosting the next Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conference in Chicago on November 18 and 19. Part of this conference will be a symposium built off of needs assessment survey's we've done in previous conference that tell us the most important needs of tutor/mentor programs are people and dollars. In the symposium we'll set up 2-3 hour meetings where people will share their own experience and where we'll try to do a SWAT analysis of strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities to the "tutor/mentor movement". As we brainstorm opportunities, our goal is that individual programs, or groups of programs will act on those ideas to create solutions. I'll be linking the face to face part of the conference with an internet portal where people who attend the Chicago conference, and who cannot come to Chicago for the conference, can add their own ideas and network with others around specific topics.
I'll also be linking to the WiAOC online conference which will connect the T/MC with people from around the world. I'm hoping to do a workshop in that conference that links participants in WiAOC with the participants of the T/MC. The ULR for the WiAOC is at: http://www.vancestevens.com/papers/evonline2002/convergence2005.htm I feel that a digital learning, communications and collaboration strategy should be integrated into any volunteer-based tutor/mentor program, thus many of those organizations with a technology mission may already linked into the DDN and its discussions of collaboration, elearning and capacity building. I provide many links on my web site to enable a crossover from T/MC site visitors to DDN and its network. Thus, if any of you would like to take a role in presenting information, or facilitating discussions in the T/MC portal, please volunteer. At the same time, if any of you are organizing an on-line forum such as John has suggested, during this same time frame, I encourage you to link to the T/MC Conference, and to other conferences on the same topic, such as WiAOC. You can find more information on the Tutor/Mentor Conference at http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com Daniel F. Bassill Tutor/Mentor Connection http://www.tutormentorconnection.org > as on 9/19/05 7:33 AM, John Hibbs at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> This group has sooooo much to offer, and operates on budgets that >> ranking government and corporate officers would scoff at --- because >> it is so tiny. There are many examples of how bright ideas and a few >> dimes would do so much -- Taran's "van in a box" is as good as any. >> FEMA would spend more on the documentation than Taran would spend to >> have these in place in FEMA and other facilities across the country. >> >> So how do we acquire the resources that can ensure that the Tarand's >> and the Carvin's and the Shapiro's and the Abrhamsen's and the >> Pruitt's need in order to continue their extraordinary work? >> >> I say it is to hold, at least once a year, a 24 hour conference - >> held virtually of course - with at least as much effort to ensure an >> audience in the tens of thousands (at minimum) - either in real time >> or by way of community radio station broadcasts. You guys have the >> tools to do this. You have the brainpower to hold roundtable >> conversations that would be interesting to listen to over >> conventional radio - the NPR's of the world. >> >> Among the topics for consideration would be how to acquire funding so >> those with the skills could get funded. Another topic would be how to >> attract large audiences, not from the choir, but from the >> congregation we seek. >> >> >> >> >> >> At 2:16 AM -0500 9/19/05, Taran Rampersad wrote: >>> Snipped out a few things and hopping in... Full agreement with Dan and >>> Bonnie, and going from Michael's post... >>> >>> Michael Maranda wrote: >>> >>>> So, to shape our field, we need to educate ourselves and educate the >>>> philanthropic community as to what is best for the field qua field and >>>> movement, and seek a new form of philanthropy. >>>> >>>> The other day I attended the Chicago "Asian Giving Circle" event "The Art >>>> of >>>> Asian Giving" at the Art Institute of Chicago. While not concerned about >>>> getting into details here, one important aspect was a diverse donor base >>>> and >>>> each donor at the $250 annual level having a vote in how the fund would >>>> benefit the community. >>>> >>>> >>> One problem. The people with $250 are people with $250 to spend, which >>> means that people below that amount don't get that vote. The diversity >>> counts, but still... I know people working in NGOs who have never put a >>> foot in the neighborhoods that they are supposed to be helping. $250 is >>> one week's pay, before taxes, of someone that makes $6.25 an hour. Bear >>> with me, this goes both ways. >>> >>> On the flip side, I've met people like Peter Abrahamsen who is doing >>> work on getting internet access to the people at the center of Lake >>> Nicaragua. He left Nicaragua a few months ago so he could earn more >>> money so he could continue his work in Nicaragua. Peter, last I heard, >>> was on this list and I apologize if I make him uncomfortable but I'm >>> trying to make a point here. He's doing this completely on his own, at >>> least the last I spoke to him. >>> >>> I wish I had a solution. I don't. But I think part of the solution is >>> communicating what I see, and listening/reading what other people see. >>> >>> The people with money controlling the flow of money is what we consider >>> to be the natural order of things. In capitalism, it is - and I'm not >>> going to ding capitalism because I practice it as well. But the point >>> here is that the value of people who freely volunteer their time and >>> their energy for nothing more than a plane ticket have no say, and >>> continue to have no say, because funding agencies choose where money >>> goes to. It's fair to say that philanthropists do this as well, and >>> while we can say what good has been done by philanthropy, I also think >>> it's fair to say that philanthropy has been inadequate to the task. >>> >>> While I'm talking about this... well, I lean more toward Peter's side of >>> the fence, something which has made me both friends and enemies. But >>> there should be a middle ground. There should be a way for people who >>> put in sweat equity to have more of a voice. >>> >>> I'm at a hospital in Guyana now, finishing up one stage of some >>> volunteer work. This hospital gets donations all the time, and is >>> grateful for them. They don't look gift horses in the mouth. But I can't >>> help but notice the new wing, which was donated, but was donated with >>> the understanding that no local people or materials could be used. In a >>> few years, that wing becomes a liability for the hospital in costs. Why? >>> Because the people with the money, who selflessly give it, selfishly >>> decide where it goes a lot of the time. I'm sorry, I don't mean to >>> offend, but that's what I see. >>> >>> On the flip side, not every person or organization who walks in can be >>> trusted with money even in small amounts. Consider that at this same >>> hospital, there were quotations for $1 million Guyanese dollars ($50,000 >>> US, but it caught your attention) to network the same hospital. On one >>> Saturday, with a cost of lunch ($3,000 Guyanese; $15 US) for the 1 lady >>> and 3 gentlemen involved, plus the cost of the cable, connectors and >>> switches, the hospital got the start of a functioning network. Why? >>> Because they finally unleased their IT department. By looking at quotes >>> for $50K US, they thought it had to be difficult and perhaps beyond the >>> level of their department. They couldn't believe it was that simple. And >>> most of the time, many of these problems can be fixed with small doses >>> of appropriate funding. >>> >>> So much more could be done that way. But, you see, the level of >>> bureaucracy to obtain funding increases the cost of the funding so >>> significantly that it becomes expensive. Bloated. >>> >>>> I realize "educating the philanthropic community" can sounds a bit >>>> presumptuous, however, that's what we we're doing when we make the case >>>> individually as organizations through proposals or other solicitations. >>>> >>>> >>> I also think we need to stop depending on the philanthropic community so >>> much. >>> >>>> I'm suggesting we do so with some coordination for our field. >>>> >>>> -Michael Maranda >>>> >>>> >>> Maybe we need to get people to shift the focus from money to the focus >>> of solving problems. When I hear a government spent so many b/million >>> dollars, I don't care, but generally other people do. What I look for >>> are results. Solutions. In disasters such as the tsunami, and Katrina, >>> and even man made disasters such as September 11th, the assets of >>> communities sprang forth so fast that people amazed themselves. Why? >>> Because passion tore down a few walls of bureaucracy. Nevermind, they >>> get built right back afterwards, it seems. >>> >>> Though we can walk past a person in our own neighborhoods who just needs >>> a few bucks, we will empty our wallets for someone on another part of >>> the planet. Why? We're desensitized to what we see every day. We accept >>> it as normal. And maybe we trust large organizations to use the money >>> better in another part of the world than the person we see every day. >>> >>> Trust. Isn't that what this boils down to? It's not really about >>> funding. It's about trust, on many different levels. People with $250 >>> votes basically trust themselves to vote the way they think that they >>> should vote. People without $250 vote with their sweat. And in areas >>> like this community, they mix. So like Michael says, coordination - but >>> I also advocate more mixing as well. >>> >>> -- >>> Taran Rampersad >>> Presently in: Georgetown, Guyana >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> >>> http://www.knowprose.com >>> http://www.easylum.net >>> http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/Taran >>> >>> "Criticize by creating." - Michelangelo >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list >>> DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org >>> http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in >>> the body of the message. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list >> DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org >> http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide >> To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with >> the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
