Two weeks ago, on January 10, a city council meeting was held at the Buena Park City Hall. However, this was no ordinary council meeting. This was the day where YLOC (Young Leaders of Orange County) was approved and confirmed as a volunteer organization by the Buena Park City Council members. After a long hour of city issues being discussed, president of the group, Sophomore Stephanie Yun of Sonora High School, made a short speech and introduced the members of the YLOC group. Afterward, she said, “I saw many students who had a hard time adjusting to problems that came along with school. Through this program, I hope we as tutors can at least help those students a little bit in adjusting to learning subjects such as math.”
According to a recent research paper written by Professor Julie Park in the American Educational Research Journal (AERJ), 46.7% of families with annual incomes of $25,000 or less sent their children to academies. Despite the economic downfall, parents are still sending their children to academies and having private tutors to provide the most helpful support they can. Parents are now attending SAT/college prep conferences like never before to attain information for their own children. This is a main catalyst to why the YLOC voluntary group was made. With the growing number of entrees in academies, the YLOC group is aimed to give parents the opportunity to save their money while finding help for their children, instead of having to spend their money in this economic turmoil.
The YLOC group has already gained a lot of interest, even from the Buena Park City Council. Council Member Miller Oh is one of the surprise supporters of this group, and said, “With these high school students doing such a kind and thoughtful act here, I decided to help them. These students can earn a Mayor’s Award, President’s Award, and also a letter of recommendation for college. I am going to do everything I can that is in my hands.” YLOC provides tutoring help on Saturday afternoons, and consists of around 10 students ranging from 9th to 12th grade. They tutor other students ranging from 3rd to 8th grade in math at the Buena Park City Hall.
Overall, this group of voluntary tutors are looking to provide the best educational opportunity for others. As future leaders, these young high school students are willing to sacrifice time out of their lives in order to provide helpful community service and dedication towards others. Parent Joshua Shin said, “I really think this is a wonderful program, and it is so nice to see more and more high school students like these providing such amazing community services. Even the smallest services available, like tutoring, can make a big difference to those who are receiving the help.”
