By Karen Phan, Staff Writer
In light of the many mass shootings in modern day America, student activism and political involvement has increased. Students of Orange County have come together to establish Students of Orange County for Change (SOC4 Change) to encourage youth activism and advocate for change in the community.
SOC4 Change is a student led, non-profit organization based in South Orange County that seeks to create change by increasing student political involvement. As of now, the focus of the movement is to combat gun violence.
“We are calling for Congress to institute universal, comprehensive background checks, increase budget allocation for school safety, fund the Center for Disease Control’s research into gun violence and implement a ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in order to address the issue of gun violence in our America,” said SOC4 Change student organizer Kate Finman.
To increase political awareness in schools, SOC4 Change is organizing voter registration drives in schools and pre-registering students to vote. They also encourage students to contact their Congress people and share their opinions.
SOC4 Change is also hosting their first event at Bill Barber Memorial Park in Irvine today at 11 am. The park is near CA-45 Representative Mimi Walters’ office because she is a supporter of the National Rifle Association (NRA). The purpose of the rally, dubbed as the Rally for Change, is to demonstrate that students are serious about gun reform.
“We hope to send a clear message to our representatives in Congress: the time for change is now. Stop taking money from the NRA and start advocating for common sense gun legislation. If you don’t, we are coming for your seats this election at the polling places,” said Finman.
SOC4 Change’s next major project is launching a candidate forum in the 49th Congressional District to help students make educated votes when they qualify as voters. According to Finman, political awareness and involvement is key to demanding for change.
“Students have as much responsibility as everyone else. The lowest turnout in every election is the people who are 18 to 24, and they are statistically the biggest advocates of change. We need to show up, vote, and advocate for change because it is the only way that change can happen,” said Finman.
For more information about SOC4 Change and the Rally for Change, visit their website here.
