Cabinet Meetings and Commercials

Hey everyone!

I have had a great couple of weeks! First of all, I got to have another Cabinet meeting! Melody, Hayden, Eva, and Reilly were able to join me. It was so amazing to catch up with everyone and hear how their platforms are going. You can read more about them in their own blog posts (Reilly's, Hayden's, Eva's)!

Me with Cabinet members Melody, Hayden, Eva, and Reilly. 

At the Cabinet meeting, we did something very special. We chose the top thirteen finalists for my statewide poster contest! The poster contest was held in cooperation with the State Department of Children and Families as part of their 2019 CT Family Day. The final winner will be selected from those top thirteen and then will be used to promote CT Family Day and helping to find forever homes for children who need them. We had about 80 entries and I'll tel you a little secret: they were all amazing! All of them were so colorful, happy, and cheerful! It took us such a long time to choose just the top 40! I am really proud of all of the people who participated in the contest. You can see the top designs on Facebook HERE.

We also had an Open House at Connecticut's Old State House. The Old State House was open to the public and people could come in, walk around, and learn all about Connecticut's government. The Kid Governor's Cabinet and I were there to greet visitors. It was a lot of fun getting to meet all of you and to hear your stories. I also want to thank all of the people who donated to our collection drive to benefit East Hartford and Hartford food pantries, Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation, and the Winifred House. Oh, and those who signed Hayden's Screen Time Pledge! 

Along with all of that, I shot a special commercial for the CT Sun Pride Night game. I got to meet professional basketball players and I had a really nice time. On July 12th, I will be attending Pride Night for the CT Sun women's basket ball game at Mohegan Sun. I hope a lot of people will come to the game! If you do go, feel welcome to stop me and say "hi!". I would love to meet every single one of you. 

How can you show love today? Think before you speak. Make sure the words you are saying are positive and kind. 

Love you all!

Your Kid Governor, 

My First Meeting with my Cabinet!

Hey everyone!

We had our first cabinet meeting this week and it was so much fun! The Kid Governor Cabinet includes the six other finalists from the Statewide Election back in November. The members of the cabinet are Eva, Hayden, Jason, Madison, Melody, and Reilly. They are all such nice people and it is an honor to be able to work with them.

At the meeting, we got to know each other a bit more by completing a scavenger hunt that was set all over Connecticut's Old State House. We had to solve clues to bring us to our next location and then take selfies with an iPad to prove that we had solved the clue! One of the clues brought us to the downstairs costume room and we all had to dress up in fun costumes. I dressed up as a 90s rock star, Eva was a lion, Jason was a basketball player, and Melody and Reilly were circus performers! We all had a great time.

After the scavenger hunt, we shared a pizza dinner together and then it was time to get down to business. We held our meeting in the Kid Governor's Office (which was once the Grown Up Governor's office). The first thing we discussed was how we were all doing with working on our own individual platforms. I updated the Cabinet on my progress with the guide I am writing to start GSAs in schools, the teacher webinar that I am working on to train educators on LGBTQ issues, and the poster contest I'd like to run to help advocate for foster homes for LGBTQ youth.

Eva mentioned how she had run a toiletry drive at her school to help get needed supplies for families who may not be able to afford them. Reilly did a blanket and pillow collection at her school to donate to local foster homes. Melody has been organizing food drives at her school to benefit local food pantries. Jason is building a Little Library in his community. Hayden is running a screen-free week with a screen-free pledge. We all brainstormed ideas about what we can do to help each other achieve the goals we set during our campaigns. We then went into a Facebook Live video where we answered questions from our constituents. If you go to the CT's Kid Governor Facebook page, you can watch the video!

Overall, it was an amazing experience to get to know and work with such a passionate group of students who obviously care a lot about their causes. I can't wait until our next meeting!

How can we all show love today? You can work hard in school to always be a role model for others by being kind not only to other students but also the adults in the building. Your teachers love you, make sure to show your love back!

Love you all!

Your Kid Governor,

A message from your friends at the Connecticut Democracy Center...

Stay tuned for upcoming guest blog posts from the six cabinet members to learn all about the incredible work that they are each doing in their communities!