Service Trip to Jamaica Leaves Lasting Cultural Impact on Student Volunteers

St. John Fisher University students had the opportunity to travel to Jamaica this summer to volunteer with the Jamaica Advantage thru Sports for Youth (JASY) Camp. JASY is a non-profit organization that hosts sports camps for underprivileged children living in inner-city Kingston communities. Fisher is the bi-annual volunteer sponsor of the JASY Camp, with 180 total students, faculty, staff, and alumni having volunteered with the program following the completion of the 2024 trip.

Volunteers host a five-day sports camp for approximately 120 children who have demonstrated a commitment to their education. JASY uses sports training as a means to promote self-esteem, physical well-being, teamwork, shared values, and cross-cultural learning.

Leilani Monegro, a sophomore athletic performance major, volunteered as a swim coach at JASY Camp, teaching skills like treading water, front crawl, back crawl, and trust exercises. “What really made it special to me [were] the children who just could not wait to see me each day, and who were able to learn a lot from me because of the relationships we built,” Monegro said.

Monegro described how going on the trip brought life to what she had been learning in the classroom. “In Jamaica, I got to truly see what it was like for others to live in poverty worse than my own situation, and it helped me to understand how many injustices really exist. Not only that they exist but also how injustices can affect the lives and health of whole communities.”

Kessan VanGronigen, a senior media and communication and sociology double major, also found real-life applications from the classroom while on the trip. “As a college student, I often hear my professors discuss how the world works, especially when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” she said. “This trip felt like an extension of those conversations, providing a tangible experience for everyone to see firsthand what life is like for different people.”

VanGronigen volunteered in leading students in Caribbean games, hosting activities such as basketball, netball, dance parties, “as well as teaching them a game I grew up playing called ‘steal the bacon,’ which we call ‘dog and bone’ in my culture.”

Both Monegro and VanGronigen emphasized the importance of immersing oneself in a culture in order to better understand it.

“I wanted to attend the JASY trip because I didn't have any volunteer experience and it was a place to start - to do something for a community I felt connected to,” VanGronigen, who is originally from the West Indies, said. “It helped give back to a culture that felt like home. Being a Caribbean woman at a PWI [Predominantly White Institution], where there are no people who are familiar with my culture or how people live in the Caribbean, made me feel like my experience would be valuable [to] add to the team.”

The JASY Camp not only offers students the opportunity to gain volunteer experience, but to build connections with people they would likely not have the chance to meet otherwise and learn about their daily life. VanGronigen stated that while there is always room for improvement on the volunteer’s side, JASY Camp’s mission does make a difference in the lives of the students who participate. “The Jamaican volunteers who come and participate are also significantly affected, especially since some of them were once JASY campers themselves. I’m grateful to have met such wonderful people and to have formed lasting friendships,” she said.

Monegro agreed.

“I got to see [the] daily life and the norms [there] which would be unusual to us here, like someone cleaning the bus windshield in the middle of traffic,” she said. “The island is [also] really something to look at. Where we were staying and when we visited the beach at Ocho Rios; I just could not stop looking at nature and the people around me.”

For VanGronigen, the trip underscored concepts of gratitude, privilege, and service to others.

“It highlighted how something that seems insignificant to us might hold deep meaning for others,” she said. “It made me appreciate the life I live, recognizing that not everyone has the same opportunities. This disparity isn't their fault; some of us are just more privileged. It's crucial that we understand this and instead of treating others differently, offer help and support wherever we can.” 

The University’s next trip to Jamaica for JASY Camp will be in May 2026. Volunteers do not need to be enrolled as students in order to attend. Anyone interested can reach out to Christopher Keyes, a member of the Alumni Board of Directors and defensive coordinator for the Fisher football team, at ckeyes@sjf.edu.

This article was written by Brooke Eastman, a senior media and communication major. Eastman currently serves as a public relations writing intern with the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fisher for the fall 2024 semester.