Hello, I am Liliana and I am a part of the 2023 Kid Governor's Cabinet! My platform is about literacy and improving access to books. I would like to update you on what I have been doing with my second point of my platform, which is to collect used books from kids to donate to various Connecticut charities!
Throughout the year, I have been collecting book donations from my school and other community members as part of my Read Enjoy And Donate (R.E.A.D.) campaign. The next step was to decide where to donate the books.
When creating my platforms 3 points, I wanted to help kids in our state. So, I decided to donate them to a local organization called New Haven Reads. New Haven Reads is a non-profit organization that does a lot to help families. One thing they do is give away free books for children to take home and keep! I thought it was a great fit for my platform.
When I got there to drop off my book donation, I saw employees tutoring other children and also people taking out books. Everyone there was so kind and took all of the books that had been donated. It was really cool!
In conclusion, donating those books to New Haven Reads was an incredible experience! I know that those books we collected will go to great families who need them. Thank you to everyone who helped me collect and donate these books!
If you are working to improve literacy in your community, tell me about it! You can email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org. Thanks for reading!
Hello, my name is Maxence and I am a member of the 2023 Kid Governor's Cabinet! My platform addresses cyberbullying. I've been doing a lot of work on this community issue, and I wanted to provide you with an update on my progress since the last time I wrote on the blog.
First, I had a virtual meeting with Internet safety specialist Scott Driscoll to help me with my 10-step action plan and how to improve it. Thanks to his expertise, I was able to complete my 10-step action plan for what to do if you notice cyberbullying!
The 10 steps are:
Do not wait for things to get worse! You are not making things up. If you feel upset, then there is something wrong and you should try to solve the problem.
Communicate with a trusted adult to help you. Don’t be scared to talk with someone else about the problem. They are there to help!
Shut your computer and walk away from it. Continuing to be online might make you feel worse.
Take time to control your emotions. Problem-solving is easier when you are in the right headspace.
Do not respond to the bully. The only thing the bully wants is a response. If you do not answer, the bully may stop.
Block the cyberbully. This could help prevent future incidents. If you do not know how to block someone, ask an adult for help.
Save evidence of cyberbullying. This can include methods like screen capture. Having examples will help you talk about the problem with adults.
Speak out, don’t stay alone! Get help from a trusted adult or an online resource.
Talk about preventative steps. You and your family should plan ahead in case something like this happens to you.
Help others. If you see friends or other people getting cyberbullied, talk to them about it and try to help them by speaking with an adult.
Second, I have worked with fellow Cabinet Member Jacob Garay, whose topic is also about bullying, to create a wonderful slideshow called "How to Host an Anti-Bullying Day." This presentation teaches about this community issue and gives kids tips on how to host Anti-Bullying Days at their schools!
From June 2 through June 5, I had the opportunity to present this slideshow to my whole school through our morning announcements. Every day, after our principal greeted our school and gave key messages, I was able to share one of the slides in our presentation! Finally, at the end of the week on June 5, I organized an Anti-Cyberbullying Day at my school. We had a wacky-tacky spirit day and wore mismatched clothes, we changed tables and seats at lunch to make new friends, and I shared my 10-step action plan with the school! I am happy I was able to reach my goals.
I hope you can also make a difference on this community issue! If you have any questions or things you want to tell me, you can email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org.
Hello, my name is Liliana and I am a member of the 2023 Kid Governor's Cabinet with the platform of Literacy For All. I've been working on my platform this Spring and I'd like to update you on some of the things I've done!
First, I have had so much fun creating Little Free Libraries in schools throughout Milford! I did this by collecting children's books as part of my R.E.A.D. (Read Enjoy And Donate) Campaign! I also went around my school with our mascot, Cooper. We collected donations from students throughout my school. Then, I used the books that people donated to make the libraries!
In my school, I created a Little Library by my media center. We have a bookshelf full of awesome books and a whiteboard so students can write down books that they really enjoyed! I'd like to give special shout-outs to my Principal, Mrs. Krois and my teacher, Ms. Aliberti. They helped me organize everything and I couldn't have done this project without them!
Also this spring, I was invited by RJ Julia Booksellers to host a virtual literacy event with the author Katherine Applegate! Schools from across Connecticut came on a virtual meet to talk about Katherine Applegate's book, Wishtree. There was also a Q&A portion where students got to ask questions to Ms. Applegate. On the day of the event, I went to the RJ Julia and I asked Katherine Applegate questions that students submitted from across Connecticut! It was an especially cool event because ALL students got copies of Wishtree!
These projects have been really fun, but there's still more work to do! The next point of my platform is to create a YouTube channel with lots of read-aloud videos, so kids that can't physically read have access to books! I plan to start my YouTube channel over the summer. I hope that you will subscribe when it's published!
I am so happy that my platform and the Little Libraries have been a good resource for kids in my town, Milford, and across Connecticut. If you are working to improve literacy in your community, tell me about it! You can email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org. Thanks for reading!
Hello! My name is Scarlet Beaulieu, and I am a member of the 2023 Kid Governor's Cabinet. I am here to tell you about what I have been doing over the past few months! Let's get started!
On April 11th, Kid Governor Ellie and I went to a meeting of the Governor's Council on Women and Girls (CoWaG). We spoke about our platforms and the work we've done so far during our terms, which was awesome! You can watch a recording of our presentation here. We also got to meet Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz and Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes from the Department of Children and Families. It was an amazing experience!
Next, I worked to accomplish one of the points of my platform: organize a Trash Walk Day for schools and communities! I reached out to other nominees from the 2022 Statewide Election, like Santi from Duffy Elementary School, Connor from Highland Elementary School, and Demetri from Highcrest Elementary School. They had platforms about helping the environment, too. I asked them if they would like to host Trash Walk Days at their schools, and they said yes! So I created a presentation called "How to Organize a Trash Walk" to help them with the steps.
The week leading up to Earth Day, I helped my school organize Trash Walks for each grade! That whole week, my class even got to help with the announcements each morning to talk about Earth Day and the Trash Walks. My class also made posters about Earth Day and created a slide presentation to introduce my school to a program called "GotSneakers." GotSneakers motivates people to donate sneakers to be reused or recycled! The sneaker donations get sent to GotSneakers and are recycled or reused to keep a circular economy going. On Friday that week, my 5th-grade classmates and I had our own Trash Walk and ran an assembly to educate students at our school all about Earth Day and GotSneakers!
The very next day was Earth Day. I worked with my town's Beautification Committee to organize a community litter clean-up! We collected 14 bags of trash! It was such a fun day.
Have you made a difference in your community? Tell me about it! You can reach me via email, Cabinet@CTKidGovernor.org. You can also learn more about my platform and the other Cabinet Members' platforms by visiting CT.KidGovernor.org/cabinet2023. Thanks for reading!
Hello! My name is Shaan Patel, and I am a member of the 2023 Kid Governor's Cabinet. I work with Kid Governor Ellie Mendez and the other Cabinet Members to make a difference in Connecticut. It may seem impossible, since we are kids, but if I believe that if anyone puts their mind to it, they can get anything done!
Lately, I’ve been working on my platform, Valuing the Elderly. I’ve done 2 of my 3 points so far!
First, my school has made holiday cards for the elderly, including Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and Valentine's Day. It was really fun making these cards and we hope the elderly felt happy and valued after receiving them.
Second, recently, 5th graders at my school hosted an event called "Readers Cafe." For the Readers Cafe, 5th graders brought grandparents or other special guests into school to read with them. It was a blast! I was so excited to see all the grandparents and special guests have a fun time! As a special treat, we also did a raffle for a gift card to a local business in my town.
Third, I made a presentation and a video with ideas for making cards for elders in your community. The link to the presentation is here: How To Make Cards For Elders.
As you can see, I've been working hard since Inauguration Day in January! If you want to help me make the elderly feel more valued, email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org. I can help you think of ideas, make a plan, and figure out what you want to do! Thank you.
Hello! My name is Shaan Patel. I am a member of the 2023 Kid Governor's Cabinet. I live in Southbury and I go to Pomperaug Elementary School. I am so excited to work with Kid Governor Ellie Mendez and the other Cabinet Members during our one-year term to help make Connecticut a better place!
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I love to play soccer! I’ve been playing soccer since I was 3 years old and I want to play professionally when I am older. I want to play for Manchester United. Also, I love to play with my puppies. I have two puppies and their names are Storm and Stella. My favorite subject in school is math and my favorite food is blueberries. My leadership qualities include being fair, being kind, being helpful, and being organized.
I was inspired to run for office by Governor Ned Lamont. He helps so many people in our state and I want to be just like him. My platform I chose is Valuing The Elderly. I chose this platform for lots of reasons. One reason I chose this platform was because my great-grandma passed away recently and I thought many times that I didn’t spend a lot of time with her. I wish I had spent more time with her so she knew how much people cared about her, like me. Second, I noticed that people don’t always do things to show that they value the elderly. It is not what people think about every day. Finally, I thought it was a strong platform because I love the idea of helping others.
I have a three-point plan to support my platform. My three-point plan is:
1) Have special elder days in towns, schools, and communities. These days can include storytime, lunch, and fun activities. I think this allows us to get to know the elders and show them how we care about them so much!
2) Become pen pals with our elders so we can write to each other and stay in touch. This will help them know that we don’t forget about them!
3) Make cards for our elders to show them how much we care about them. We can do this on holidays, occasions, and special days. This will make them feel loved!
My class and some other classes at my school have already started making cards for the elders! The first cards we made were holiday cards. This included Christmas, Hanukkah, Three Kings Day, Kwanzaa, and New Years. We put a lot of hard work into these cards and delivered them to the Senior Center next to our school so they could feel loved during this holiday. Below is a picture of me, my brother, and my friend Michael holding the cards in front of the Senior Center.
We also made Valentine's Day cards for the elders! I helped kids in the library make them, and other kids also made them in their classrooms. Then, we delivered them to the Senior Center. I think they really enjoyed reading their cards! Up next, from March to the end of the school year, my school is going to bring back something called Reader's Cafe. Before, it was when our parents or family members came in and read and had snacks. But this time, because of my platform, we are going to have elders come in and read and have snacks! I am looking forward to this special event.
I've also been working with Kid Governor Ellie and the other Cabinet Members! During our first Cabinet Meeting in February, we did a scavenger hunt around Connecticut's Old State House to learn about the history of the building and other cool things. We got to know everyone a little more and talked about everything we will be doing in our one-year term. I can’t wait to work on my platform this year!
I've been a Cabinet Member for about a month, but there are already so many people I want to thank!
Mr. Mendez - Mr.Mendez brought us Munchkins during our first Cabinet Meeting. Thank you so much Mr. Mendez.
Ms. Pitruzzello - Thank you for helping us during our first Kid Governor meeting.
Mrs. Mastropietro - Thank you for helping me get this far.
My Classmates - Thank you for supporting me and helping me to help make the elderly feel more valued.
I am also hoping other schools will help me with my platform this year! If you are working to help the elderly feel more valued in your community, tell me all about it! You can email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org. Thank you!
Hi, My name is Maxence Clementine and I’m a member of the 2023 Kid Governor’s Cabinet working with Kid Governor Ellie Mendez! I go to Long Meadow Elementary School in Middlebury. I love sports, especially soccer, and I am a Star Wars fan. At school, my favorite subjects are social studies and math! Fun fact: I am totally fluent in French.
In this blog post, I would like to tell you a bit more about my community issue and what I intend to do this year. I will also tell you about Inauguration Day and our 1st Cabinet Meeting!
My platform addresses Cyberbullying. I chose this issue because many people in fifth grade and up use the internet and, unfortunately, we don’t seem to be protected enough. According to DoSomething.org, “six out of ten young people have witnessed cyberbullying." It really hurts my feelings knowing that people feel bad and sad because of cyberbullying. This is why I want to make a difference on this matter. I want to help kids know that they are not alone and how to react if they get cyberbullied.
My three-point platform is:
1) Spread awareness of cyberbullying with the support of a short video and other online resources.
2) Create a 10-step action plan about how to react if you are cyberbullied.
3) Create an Anti-Cyberbullying Day where teachers and students talk about this issue.
I began my term of office at Inauguration Day back in January. It was amazing! I felt so excited to be introduced to so many important people like Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, and many others! It was also incredible to take my Oath of Office in front of all my classmates. This day was really intense and interesting, and I will remember it forever.
We also had our 1st Cabinet Meeting in February, and It was good to share with the other Cabinet Members about our respective platforms. We also received a portfolio binder and some business cards. I felt very professional! But the meeting was fun, too, as we did a scavenger hunt all around Connecticut's Old State House!
Finally, I want to tell you about the work I've done so far on my platform. I am still at the beginning of the process, but I will soon be working with Scott Driscoll, President of Internet Safety Concepts! I am sure he will be a great resource, especially for drafting my 10-step action plan. I’ll tell you more about it soon!
I would love to hear about how you are making a difference around Cyberbullying in your own community, or if you have been cyberbullied and want to share what helped you. Email me at Cabinet@CT.KidGovernor.org to tell me about it!
I feel so happy to be part of this journey and I will share more about it with you!
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