Hi, my name is Brian and I was a final candidate in the 2021 Connecticut's Kid Governor Election. I'm now a member of the Kid Governor's Cabinet working with 2022 Kid Governor Makhi!
I ran on a platform of Physical Activity in Schools. I chose this platform because kids don't go outside often enough when they are at home, and I have noticed that when kids are more active, they drink more water, feel better, and focus more in class. COVID-19 has made it hard for kids to stay active and healthy, and sometimes videogames are an easier choice than going outside to play at home. I want to increase physical activity in schools because school makes getting outdoors safe and fun and gives you a chance to play with friends. My three point platform is:
1. Ask local boards of education to increase the length of recess and require physical education at least twice a week.
2. Ask the teachers to put more movement breaks into the school day.
3. Plan a school fitness night to teach kids about the importance of daily physical activity.
I would love to hear about how you are making a difference around Physical Activity in Schools in your own community. Email Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org to tell me all about it you can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/Cabinet2022 to read about the other members of the Kid Governor's Cabinet.
Brian Wright
2022 Kid Governor Cabinet Casimir Pulaski Elementary School
During the election, I ran on a platform that focused on Kids and Anxiety. I chose this issue because I am someone who suffers from anxiety and I wanted to help kids who have struggled with bouts of anxiety themselves.
My three-point platform to help support kids with anxiety includes:
1. Creating a monthly YouTube video to help students learn about anxiety, and the different ways to combat it including people sharing their coping strategies,
2. Making “calm down” boxes in each classroom filled with stress balls, “pop-its”, and “feeling” journals to help kids let go of their anxious thoughts and fears, and
3. Creating positivity rock gardens made of rocks with positive messages painted by students across the state.
Since the election, I’ve worked with a group of students on a project that brings awareness to anxiety. We put together a puppet show that highlighted examples of anxiety and what to do when you are faced with it. This project was presented to our entire school and we even had teachers from other area schools in attendance! I will continue to work hard on my platform by helping spread awareness about kids and anxiety by following through on my three-point plan.
If you would like to help my platform, you can simply start by spreading awareness about kids and anxiety to your community, and also by talking to an adult to ask for help if you feel like you are struggling with anxiety. You could also help my platform by being more compassionate to others who suffer from anxiety and learning about ways they may be able to better cope or calm down.
I would also love to hear about how YOU are making a difference with kids and anxiety in your own community! Please email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org and tell me all about what you are doing to make a difference! You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/cabinet2022 to read all about the other members of the 2022 Kids Governor Cabinet.
Thanks for reading!!
Madelyn Sweet
2022 Kid Governor Cabinet Dr. Thomas S. O’Connell School
Hi, my name is Olivia, and I was a final candidate in the 2021 Kid Governor election and I'm now a Cabinet member working with 2022 Kid Governor, Makhi! I am proud represent southeastern CT and specifically my hometown of New London!
My platform is Child Food Insecurity which is when a child has inconsistent access to affordable, nutritious foods . I chose this issue because during Covid-19 I noticed some of the students in our school were experiencing food insecurity and were embarrassed to ask for help or didn't have access to resources for help. My three-point platform includes:
1. I will raise money and encourage food donations to food banks and shelters.
2. I will raise awareness for Child Food Insecurity, so more resources are made available to Connecticut families in need.
3. I will start a social media campaign all about Child Food Insecurity and call it #fillthefridge to expand my audience beyond our state.
Since the statewide election I have been talking to teachers and my class about Child Food Insecurity and have told them places they can donate to in our community. For example, the Shiloh Baptist Church Food Drive and The United Way and Gemma E. Moran food pantry. I plan to start my social media campaign in the distant future and will start to make posters around my school with facts about Child Food Insecurity. I am also developing a plan to have a food drive at my school.
If you would like to support my platform, you can talk to your friends and classmates about Child Food Insecurity, making them aware of the issue and more open to helping someone who is food insecure. If you would like to help in another way, you can also volunteer your time at your local food bank/pantry serving food, sorting, and doing dishes etc.!
I would love to hear about how you are making a difference around Child Food Insecurity in your community. Email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org to tell me about it. You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/cabinet2022 to read about other members in the Kid Governor's Cabinet.
Olivia Campbell
2022 Kid Governor Cabinet Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School
Hi, my name is Satvik and I was a final candidate in the 2021 Connecticut’s Kid Governor Election. I am now a member of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet working with 2022 Kid Governor Makhi!
I ran on a platform of Climate Change. I chose this issue because our planet is getting hotter each day at a rapid rate, mainly due to human activities. In fact, the amount of emissions of greenhouse gases, which are gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, have increased by about 90% since 1970, and they are increasing more by the day. Climate change is causing raging wild forest fires, droughts, and severe weather like hurricanes and tornadoes that cause much destruction to humans and animals alike. If the Earth keeps getting hotter, we might not even be able to live on it anymore!
My three-point platform is:
1. I will develop a checklist of eco-friendly habits that will help reduce the amount of energy we waste.
2. I will organize a run for the kids to increase awareness about the impact of food on climate and raise funds for this cause.
3. I plan to start eco-friendly clubs at schools to inform and educate kids about climate change and why it’s important.
Since the Statewide Election, I have created a poster to educate kids about climate change and why they should care about this important issue. Click HERE to download it! At the bottom of the poster, I made several tear-offs. On each of them, I wrote a different eco-friendly habit that kids and their families can adopt to reduce energy wastage. I also collaborated with my classmates and created a slideshow about how climate change affects us and how we can combat it, which we presented in our morning announcements. I will continue to work on my platform by distributing my poster to other schools so more kids can develop these habits.
If you would like to support my platform, you can print my poster out from the Kid Governor website and spread the word about ways that you and your community can help prevent climate change.
I would love to hear about how you are making a difference around ways to curb climate change in your community. Email Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org to tell me all about it! You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/Cabinet2022 to read about the other members of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet.
Hi, my name is Samantha, and I was a final candidate in the 2021 Connecticut Kid Governor Election. I’m now a member of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet working with 2022 Kid Governor Makhi!
I ran on a platform of creating A Cleaner Connecticut. I chose this issue because I care about our State. My three-point platform is:
1. Put recycling bins in every school,
2. Go on field trips to the beach to clean it, and
3. Host an engineering design contest.
Since the Statewide Election, I have invited my school's Director of School Maintenance to speak to my class about how we can implement a school-wide recycling program with his help. Next, we interviewed our middle school science teacher to see how she has helped these efforts in the past with her Environmental Club, which was an after-school enrichment program. She explained how the club members collected the recyclables, cashed them in, and then chose worthwhile charities to donate their proceeds to. We ended up doing the same thing in our school! We made an announcement at my school, and my class started collecting returnables. Now we have some glitches to iron out, which will include getting more recycling containers or making some for the classes who do not have one. I will continue to work on my platform by recording our adventures in order to inspire others to join my mission. I am looking forward to my Science and Engineering Fair this spring, and the opening of our STREAM Center at Greenwich Catholic School in the Fall. Finally this spring my class is looking forward to taking a field trip on a research vessel with Project Oceanology where we will be trained to use real oceanographic instruments. At the end, our class team will report back and share, and we’ll talk about how the living and nonliving parts of the Long Island Sound ecosystem are related to creating A Cleaner Connecticut.
We also have invited members of my family and friends to recycle and use materials that are sustainable, and we did it in a very special way. During Christmas we gave our family and friends items made from bamboo.
If you would like to support my platform, you can clean your little corner of Connecticut. Reduce the amount of garbage you produce, recycle as much as you can and educate yourself and others about how you can do more!
I would love to hear about how you are making a difference around creating a cleaner Connecticut in your community. Email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org to tell me all about it. You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/cabinet2022 to learn more about my platform and what my fellow Cabinet members are doing.
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