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As an older sister who worked with her younger peers throughout high school, being a mentor is “second nature” for McKenzie Griffith. At SU, she started out as J.U.M.P. Nation’s co-mentoring chair and now, as president, leads the organization in its effort to connect SU with the Syracuse community.

“I knew, being here, that I wanted to give back to the surrounding community and not necessarily just do things within the university, but immerse myself more in the greater Syracuse area,” Griffith said. “J.U.M.P. came about and it was kind of the perfect opportunity.”

J.U.M.P. Nation is a mentorship program that connects Syracuse University with Syracuse middle schools. The organization’s name stands for Juvenile Urban Multicultural Program, and it sends SU students to mentor students in the community during their lunch periods or after school several days a week.

Since last year, the organization has partnered with Brighton Academy Middle School and Syracuse STEM at Blodgett Middle School to host weekly “Real Talk” events. At the events, students discuss topics like bullying or personal issues they don’t feel comfortable sharing with a parent or teacher, Griffith said. The events draw more than 50 middle school-age participants.

Divina Fernandez, one of J.U.M.P.’s co-fundraising chairs, said every time she does a “Real Talk” mentoring event at the middle schools, she sees the students become “happier and happier and happier.” The events build trust and honesty between the mentors and students, providing an outlet they may not have otherwise, she said.

The organization is a way for students to leave campus and be “community citizens, not university citizens,” Griffith said.

“It’s very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day things of what’s happening here, like the problems we have on campus,” Griffith said. “It’s a good reminder that Syracuse University is not all of the city of Syracuse.”

J.U.M.P. Nation’s main project this semester is their upcoming Annual Leadership Summit in April. During the summit, SU mentees are brought to SU’s campus for a day of activities centered around personal growth and building relationships.

Last year, the middle school participants in the Leadership Summit experimented with SU’s sound labs, played games in the Barnes Center at the Arch and participated in one-on-one tours and activities with their mentor. The event created a foundation for long-lasting relationships, said J.U.M.P.’s public relations chair, Catherine Holguin.

This year, they are hoping to appeal to the participants’ interests with a larger club tabling event featuring more student organizations than in years past, Fernandez said. They plan to include more cultural organizations as well to show students they can be themselves on campus in the future.

“While we have them for the day, (we want to) remind them that college is fun and school is fun and it’s not all class all the time,” Griffith said. “Just showing them there’s so many more opportunities in college to explore your interests and become the person you want to become.”

For Fernandez, who grew up in the Bronx, NY, J.U.M.P. is a chance to give back to a community similar to her own. In the Bronx, 27.6% of people live in poverty while in Syracuse, 29.6% of people do. The organization has broadened her perspectives and helped her find her passion for the future.

“Now we’re part of the Syracuse community – and coming from a community itself that’s similar (to) Syracuse itself – it’s important to connect and build these relationships with students,” Fernandez said. “What a lot of people our age don’t know is how impactful we could be to each other.”

Beyond connecting SU students with the local community, J.U.M.P. brings together its own members. With more than 70 mentors, the club has a large team, but activities such as movie nights at 119 Euclid and fundraisers throughout the semester bring them closer together, Griffith said.

“Not only are we building relationships with the students but as mentors, it’s important that we build relationships together,” Fernandez said. “We’re trying to make change together and that could only happen with unity.”

Griffith said J.U.M.P. has made her a holistically better person. Leading a group of SU students and working with children is not what she expected to do during college, but the work has made a big difference in her life.

“(J.U.M.P. has) definitely helped me grow as a person in a lot of different ways,” Griffith said. “I feel more connected to the Syracuse community … and it’s definitely been a big, big impact to who I am on this campus and just as a person as a whole.”

Published on February 12, 2024 at 11:11 pm