We started this discussion following the announcement that the DDN was not raising enough money to pay for a very valuable staff member. My suggestions are focused on educating the people who we need to provide funds for intermediaries like the DDN and strategies that might be deployed to achieve this goal. These are adults, business leaders, foundation leaders, voters, not children.
The challenges of how we educate kids and what's working or not working are another discussion which needs to be fully explored using the Internet as a meeting place. I don't think we've solved the problem that we started the discussion with. If we can get adults to do more of the things that need to be done in this world, I'm sure we'll also find better ways to help educate all kids. Dan Bassill Tutor/Mentor Connection on 10/5/05 1:53 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Dan's points are well spoken and the area in which he is focusing his > energies is critical but he needs to step up and ask for funds to do what > they can do best- educate students- not prepare students to enter the main > stream education system which is broken > > First, there is a program in the United States where there is a conscious > effort to blend students by economics, poor with middle class and well off. > The results have been far better than any other scheme for improving the > learning performance of students. > > Another study has shown that when those with poor educational backgrounds > are placed in a learning situation where they are "forced" by the > environment, to learn the skills that the better educated and well off > individuals have acquired that they rise to the level of the community. > > Helping students who are lagging to come up to a certain level and then > placing them back into a non-challenging environment is a ticket to > failure, for most. > > This, of course, is the reason for the push in the US for private schools > where academic and social standards are agreed upon at some high level and > expectations are geared to that level of performance. > > It is also the rationale for many virtual schools and home schools emerging > (separate from any religious issues) > > The e-learning effort, if it can raise skills, should keep its community > and carry them forward rather than returning them back to the sink or swim > problems of public schools. > > tom abeles > Original Message: > ----------------- > From: Dan Bassill [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Wed, 05 Oct 2005 09:00:07 -0600 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [DDN] Educating the philanthropic community > > > I think Social Edge is one place to meet with a few donors, but I also think > we need to think in much broader terms. Every day we are bombarded with > media messages educating us on some new drug, some phone company or > financial service, or some food product or new car model. > > This works. Advertising changes habits and purchasing decisions. > > Thus, I feel that social service organizations need to find ways to > "advertise" what they do, why they do it, where they do it, what works, and > what they need on a consistent basis, reaching millions of potential donors, > and voters, for many years. > > I think the Internet offers ways to do this that are within the reach of > small and medium size non profits. We just need to figure out message points > that can be delivered by individual organizations and their supporters, and > that create a check list of responses (cash, workplace funding, bequest, > grant, etc.). > > Such a campaign needs to point people to information hubs such as the DDN > web site, or the www.tutormentorexchange.net web site, where they can learn > more about a social issue, and where they can find contact information for > specific organizations, in specific zip codes, who provide services related > to that issue. > > We ought to be able to use meeting places such as Social Edge, Omidyar.net, > DDN, and other on-line portals to meet and determine what these message > points are. > > On Nov. 17 and 18 I'll be hosting a conference in Chicago with this goal in > mind. The conference topic will be: > The Role of Volunteer-Based, Non-School Tutor/Mentor Programs in School > Reform Policy > How do volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs impact college and career > readiness? What are the challenges that keep such programs from being in > more locations? > > If any of you would like to take part, either in the face-to-face version, > or in an Internet version, I'd like to have your help. I plan to host part > of the conference at the T/MC web portal which is at: > http://msg.uc.iupui.edu/TMC/html/index.php > > However, I'd like to see parallel threads hosted on the DDN site, in > LearningTimes.org and other forums. For instance, in DDN, the question > might be "What is the role of Technology in non-school tutor/mentor > programs, or social service agencies". In Learning Times it might be, "how > can we use technology to prepare kids to come to school better prepared to > learn?" > > In all cases, the focus should be a) how do create a better distribution of > programs in all places where they are needed; b) how to improve staffing and > the quality of such programs; c) how to improve funding consistency; and d) > how to fund intermediaries who help bring people and resources together. > > There probably would be other issues to focus on and that's why we need some > groups to be hosting a forum that focuses on "What are the questions?" > > Daniel F. Bassill > Tutor/Mentor Connection > Cabrini Connections > Chicago > > PS: I'm also a commissioner for the Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and > Community Service. Thus, the process I pilot in strengthening > volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs is a process that I hope strengthens > all forms of volunteer-based community service. > > n 10/4/05 2:48 PM, Pamela McLean at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> Ref educating the philanthropic community (see below fromRe: [DDN] Cedar >> Pruitt's departure from DDN.) >> Social Edge is an excellent forum for discussion between philanthropists >> and "people who want to change the world" >> http://www.socialedge.org/index.html >> Pam >> >> Pamela McLean >> CAWDnet convenor >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> www.cawd.info >> >> Michael Maranda wrote: >> >>> Dan wrote- In a message dated 9/15/05 7:46:24 PM, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> writes:I think there is a larger issue that we might collaborate on. > Funders >>> do not seem to value the role of intermediaries and of knowledge >>> brokers. >>> >>> >>> MM wrote - Very true...! >>> >>> 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. >>> .... I realize "educating the philanthropic community" can sounds a bit >>> presumptuous, however, that¹s what we we're doing when we make the case >>> individually as organizations through proposals or other solicitations. >>> >>> I'm suggesting we do so with some coordination for our field. >>> >>> -Michael Maranda >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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. > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > mail2web - Check your email from the web at > http://mail2web.com/ . > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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.
