Meet Your SA SRC Representatives: Sofiya Karimov
Get to know your 2023 SA SRC Representatives in this series!
What school project/campaign group are you in? What’s your group working on at the moment?
The campaign group I am part of within the SASRC is diversity and inclusion. As a group we are working on multiple different projects including campaigns surrounding racism, cancel culture, sexual health and identity. We are hoping to create a space for young people to freely ask questions and receive informed answers opposed to young people educating themselves using social media or unreliable online resources. At school I am part of the year 12 leadership group and our aim is to ensure students are aware of the world around them and to provide more interconnectedness between students and other schools in the area.
What was your favourite thing about SA SRC Summit?
My favourite thing about the SA SRC Summit was talking to other members. It surprised me how different we were but at the same time we shared the same passion and drive to change issues in our community. It makes me feel really optimistic about what we are trying to achieve.
What’s an experience you’ve gained through SA SRC?
An experience I gained from the SA SRC was meeting several Ministers at the SA SRC workshop, it was such a unique experience! It also felt very empowering to talk to those directly in power and to see that they’re open to working with us in the future.
What’s your favourite place to visit in SA?
My favourite place to visit in SA is a park with a creek near my house. It’s an amazing spot and I often go there to clear my head, write some poetry or just take a break from life (we all need that sometimes :) ). I also go there with my family, so it holds many good memories for me!
What’s an issue you’ve felt empowered to raise through SA SRC?
I have felt empowered to raise the issue of cancel culture through the SASRC. I have researched and discussed this at SASRC meetings and have found that many kids are scared to speak out or even ask questions surrounding controversial topics due to the fear of being called out or ostracised from classmates and friends. I think this issue is detrimental as how are we supposed to learn and grow if we are too scared to speak out?
Top three items on your bucket list?
Travel independently for at least 2 weeks.
Learn to speak Uzbek fluently.
Volunteer abroad.