$10,000 Grant to Lutheran Campus Ministry’s Mentoring Program; Students Being Recruited

A new program through the Council for Lutheran Campus Ministry in Syracuse will recruit college students interested in mentoring young refugees in the community.

The “Success Saturdays” project gives college students the opportunity to work with high school and middle school students from the Burmese Karen refugee community whose parents are not literate in English. This two-semester program will run on Saturday mornings from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with the first hour devoted to homework help and the second hour devoted to college preparation skills.

The Success Saturdays project will be recruiting college students through the month of September and then conducting training, says Hendricks Chapel Lutheran Chaplain Rev. Gail V. Riina. Those interested can contact Riina at 443.2439 or lutheran@syr.edu.

Tutoring teams will be set up to build strong relationships and peer-to-peer learning. Each week, a different tutor will tell about his/her educational and vocational journey to show opportunities and promote trust. Monthly field trips will also be planned.

The program is benefiting from a $10,000 two-year grant from Wheat Ridge Ministries, of Itasca, Illinois. The grant was one of five Emerging Leader Grants awarded in support of a human care ministry project led by young adult leaders in the Lutheran community.

In addition to the grant, participants also receive additional funds for capacity building or professional development expenses; an invitation to attend an annual convening of young adult leaders, hosted and paid for by Wheat Ridge Ministries; professional program development consultation from Wheat Ridge staff; and promotion and networking within the Wheat Ridge community.