Students Demand Action took part in Advocacy Day at the Topeka Capitol on Feb. 5 where activism groups, including SDA, met with state legislators about gun control legislation. The event included speeches from Gov. Laura Kelly, State Rep. Linda Featherston and State Sen. Cindy Holscher. Free State was the only SDA branch in Kansas that attended.
Junior Maddie Scoular, a first-year member of SDA, gave a speech at the event. Scoular said she is grateful to have the opportunity to speak her mind through SDA, but wishes SDA didn’t have to be formed.
“Children shouldn’t have to be the voices of reason,” she said.
Scoular said she hopes Advocacy Day gives adults and legislators an idea into how gun violence affects youth, and inspires more students.
“It will show more students that it is okay to speak up, and you shouldn’t have to be afraid of wanting to care about people and wanting to care about their safety,” Scoular said.
Sophomore Nina Wilson, a member of SDA who attended Advocacy Day last year, said that having people advocating in person makes a big difference. Last year’s Advocacy Day was hosted online due to inclement weather.
Wilson said that Advocacy Day is especially effective because lawmakers are able to see “real people” care about gun safety and want change. She said that it’s important lawmakers hear students’ opinions, no matter what results from Advocacy Day in the future.
“We, especially as young people, need to make our voices heard more, because we’re going to be inheriting that government and the country that current lawmakers are setting up for us,” Wilson said.
SDA advisor Sarah Podrasky said she started being the advisor to take action on situations that negatively impacted students, and that Advocacy Day is a great opportunity for students to meet legislators and members of the community in person that influence the laws that affect them or try to advocate for changes that protect students.
“It has more of a lasting impact when you’re there in real life,” Podrasky said.
Podrasky said her main goal for Advocacy Day was to let students experience the environment of Advocacy Day and give students the opportunity to meet their state legislators. She said students taking part in advocacy can build proactive people who create positive social change, and having a group of students who advocate for the safety of members of the school is important for the Free State community.
“Students are involved in this because they care, they’re empathetic, and they want to see change. They’re frustrated about the state of things and want to have an active role in whatever capacity that is,” Podrasky said. “Other students can be inspired by seeing what we do out in the community.”
