Shaylah Nichols remembers when her mentorship workshop group asked a group of eighth graders whether they knew someone who died from gang violence.

Every child raised their hand.

Nichols, a sophomore biology major at Syracuse University, did mentorship work in the Syracuse City School District and is now the campaign manager for the Syracuse Youth Development Council, a group of student organizations dedicated to helping youth in the city of Syracuse. Nichols said she wants to use the university to raise awareness and she does not want the next generation to be telling stories like this.

“I want to try and get as many people on campus involved as actively as possible,” she said.

The SYDC is partnering with the Residence Hall Association to host “Youth Violence: Voices of the Syracuse City School District” on Friday at 5 p.m. in the Maxwell Auditorium. The event will begin with a speech from SU student Nieshia Hill, a graduate of the city schools, about her experiences with violence.

“Living in Syracuse, or any other inner city for that matter, is like a battle zone for its youth. From deaths to sexual assault, random morning searches and the added pressures of adolescenthood, students face these struggles and the repercussions associated with them,” Hill said in an email.

The event will also include a panel discussion comprised of teachers in the SCSD. Neha Rauf, co-president of the SYDC and a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, played a role in getting the teachers to the event.

“We decided who better to talk about youth violence than people from the community, especially the counselors and administrators,” Rauf said.

There will be five teachers serving on the panel, and a vice principal may also be present, Rauf said. After the panel, there will be a discussion about what role college students can play in creating solutions for youth violence.

Student organizations such as Merging Expression and Scholarship through High Schools (MESH), Project G.R.IN.D., Straighten Your Crown and JUMP Nation, along with other student groups, will be present at the event, said Rachel Brown-Weinstock, co-president of the SYDC. Each student organization under the umbrella of the council will have the opportunity to speak to attendees, Weinstock said.

“We want to get the most people together that want to improve youth lives to provide this cohesive effort,” she added.

At the end of the event, students will have the opportunity to sign up as mentors in the city schools. College students are easier to relate to because they bring a different perspective from the teachers who work with the kids, Weinstock said.

“Sometimes it’s harder to relate to that hierarchy status of ‘I’m an adult and you’re a child,’” Weinstock said.

The event is aimed at kicking off a yearlong campaign on youth violence in the Syracuse community. Later this year, members of the council will go into residence halls and talk about youth violence, and on Nov. 19, the council will show a documentary of its work in the community.

The documentary will include interviews with students at Syracuse’s Expeditionary Learning Middle School’s Peace Day and the CEO of the Good Life Philanthropic Youth Foundation, which provides mentors for youth who are at risk of being incarcerated, Weinstock said.

Weinstock said as mentors, SU students could help represent what college could offer them because college students have a unique perspective to inspire kids.

“We are not experts on youth violence, but we are experts in our own experiences as college students and the pathway to get to college,” she said.

Nichols, the campaign manager for SYDC, said both SU students and children in the city schools benefit from the volunteerism.

“It’s very inspiring to watch these kids grow and know that you are playing a part in that,” she said.

Fota Sall, vice president of the SYDC, said she hopes the event makes students realize they can change a child’s life, and get students involved in the community.

“I hope that they are able to realize that this issue is real, not just something that you hear about,” Sall said.

Published on October 14, 2015 at 8:00 pm

Contact Rob: rromano@syr.edu