1 00:00:20,340 --> 00:00:23,880 Jane: This is But Why: a Podcast for Curious Kids from Vermont 2 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,165 Public I'm Jane Lindholm. On this show, we take questions 3 00:00:27,165 --> 00:00:30,465 from curious kids just like you, and we find interesting people 4 00:00:30,465 --> 00:00:33,825 to answer them. A lot of the time those experts are adults, 5 00:00:34,125 --> 00:00:37,245 but as we've learned in the 10 years we've been making But Why, 6 00:00:37,425 --> 00:00:43,065 you all are experts in your own rights. Our guests today are 7 00:00:43,125 --> 00:00:46,185 governors. They're finding ways to learn about civics and 8 00:00:46,185 --> 00:00:50,010 government and make their home states better places all while 9 00:00:50,010 --> 00:00:51,570 they're in the fifth grade. 10 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,980 Now in the United States, voters in each state elect a governor 11 00:00:55,980 --> 00:00:59,640 who then serves a two or four year term as the top government 12 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,360 official in that state, governors get to approve or veto 13 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,180 bills for new laws sent to them by that state's legislative 14 00:01:06,180 --> 00:01:10,020 branch, and they run the day to day business of the state, and 15 00:01:10,020 --> 00:01:13,560 they're adults. If that sounds like something you'd like to do, 16 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,965 maybe you'll get into politics when you get older. In a few 17 00:01:16,965 --> 00:01:20,745 places, you don't have to wait. Five states participate in a 18 00:01:20,745 --> 00:01:25,365 civics education program called Kid Governor. Fifth graders in 19 00:01:25,365 --> 00:01:28,785 those states develop political platforms focusing on an issue 20 00:01:28,785 --> 00:01:32,685 they care about. Participating schools will vote for one 21 00:01:32,685 --> 00:01:36,165 student that they want to put forward for statewide candidacy. 22 00:01:36,645 --> 00:01:40,050 Seven students across the state are nominated as final 23 00:01:40,050 --> 00:01:43,710 candidates. They create campaign videos about the issue they want 24 00:01:43,710 --> 00:01:47,010 to focus on and why kids should vote for them. And then students 25 00:01:47,010 --> 00:01:50,910 around the state get to choose. The six finalists who are not 26 00:01:50,910 --> 00:01:54,570 elected governor get to serve in the eventual kid governor's 27 00:01:54,570 --> 00:01:58,710 cabinet. The five states with Kid Governors are Connecticut, 28 00:01:58,710 --> 00:02:01,455 Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Vermont. 29 00:02:01,455 --> 00:02:04,935 Since we live in Vermont, one of the states that now has a kid 30 00:02:04,935 --> 00:02:08,175 governor, we thought we'd check out what it's all about. And 31 00:02:08,175 --> 00:02:11,475 since Melody and I both spent a lot of our careers working in 32 00:02:11,475 --> 00:02:15,615 news as hosts, reporters, editors and producers, we 33 00:02:15,615 --> 00:02:19,575 thought it would be fun to host a kid press conference where the 34 00:02:19,575 --> 00:02:23,055 Kid Governor and cabinet could answer questions from kid 35 00:02:23,100 --> 00:02:27,000 reporters. Today on the episode, we're going to hear a little bit 36 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,360 from that kid press conference and what it's like to be the Kid 37 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,840 Governor of Vermont or a member of the cabinet. And we'll also 38 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,540 hear from Kid Governors in Connecticut and Nebraska. 39 00:02:36,540 --> 00:02:41,400 When we hosted our kid press conference, I started by asking 40 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,820 the 100 or so people in the room if they'd ever watched or 41 00:02:44,820 --> 00:02:47,940 listened to a press conference before some of them raised their 42 00:02:47,985 --> 00:02:51,225 hands. Then I asked if they ever thought about becoming 43 00:02:51,225 --> 00:02:54,225 politicians at some point. Again, a smattering of hands 44 00:02:54,225 --> 00:02:58,845 went up. Fewer hands were raised when I asked who wanted to 45 00:02:58,845 --> 00:03:02,565 become a reporter, which was a little sad for me, but not all 46 00:03:02,565 --> 00:03:05,985 that surprising, to be honest. But I wanted to see if there was 47 00:03:05,985 --> 00:03:08,205 something everyone in the room might agree on. 48 00:03:08,205 --> 00:03:14,070 All right, one more question, anyone here think it's important 49 00:03:14,130 --> 00:03:18,210 to know what's going on in your community, in your state, in 50 00:03:18,210 --> 00:03:22,710 your country, around the world, what the big issues are and what 51 00:03:22,710 --> 00:03:26,790 the leaders who have power are doing to address the issues. 52 00:03:26,850 --> 00:03:31,110 Anyone here think that's important? Food. I was worried 53 00:03:31,110 --> 00:03:33,555 not all the hands would go up, and just about all the hands 54 00:03:33,555 --> 00:03:35,535 went up. You are in the right place today. 55 00:03:35,535 --> 00:03:38,895 Before we got to the kid governor, I then invited 56 00:03:38,895 --> 00:03:42,615 Vermont's Secretary of State up to the podium. The Secretary of 57 00:03:42,615 --> 00:03:45,975 State in each state is in charge of making sure elections run 58 00:03:45,975 --> 00:03:49,635 smoothly and fairly, and for the states participating in the Kid 59 00:03:49,635 --> 00:03:52,575 Governor program, it's the Secretary of State who runs it. 60 00:03:53,115 --> 00:03:56,760 Here's Vermont's Secretary of State, Sarah Copeland Hanzas. 61 00:03:57,140 --> 00:04:00,500 Sarah: I am so excited that all of you are here. I'm excited 62 00:04:00,500 --> 00:04:03,980 that you get to hear from the Kid Governor and her cabinet, 63 00:04:04,100 --> 00:04:07,640 and I'm excited that you get to ask them questions too, because 64 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:11,780 one of the most important things about living in a democracy is 65 00:04:11,780 --> 00:04:15,680 that we get to ask our leaders questions, and we get to tell 66 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:20,060 them ideas that we have. Have you ever thought about or what 67 00:04:20,060 --> 00:04:24,185 would you think about doing this instead of that? That is our job 68 00:04:24,185 --> 00:04:27,605 as citizens in a democracy, is to ask our leaders questions. 69 00:04:27,605 --> 00:04:31,685 And I think it's so exciting that we are here today with the 70 00:04:31,685 --> 00:04:35,105 But Why podcast and the whole team from Vermont Public, thank 71 00:04:35,105 --> 00:04:37,865 you all for being here. I want to tell you just a few little 72 00:04:37,865 --> 00:04:41,825 snippets about the Kid Governor program. We had over a thousand 73 00:04:41,825 --> 00:04:44,810 fifth graders this year participate in the Kid Governor 74 00:04:44,810 --> 00:04:50,930 program. 47 schools across the state, and over 20 students ran 75 00:04:50,930 --> 00:04:54,230 for Kid Governor, including some of the kids in the audience 76 00:04:54,230 --> 00:04:59,090 today. We like this program because it does more than just 77 00:04:59,090 --> 00:05:03,170 hold a mock election. It actually teaches kids how to put 78 00:05:03,170 --> 00:05:06,995 together a platform, how to put forward an idea of something 79 00:05:06,995 --> 00:05:10,475 that they want to fix in the world. And the exciting thing 80 00:05:10,475 --> 00:05:14,315 is, is that our office gets to work with this fabulous group of 81 00:05:14,315 --> 00:05:17,735 cabinet and governor, and we get to help try to implement some of 82 00:05:17,735 --> 00:05:24,395 their ideas. So remember, in a democracy, it is our job to hold 83 00:05:24,395 --> 00:05:27,875 our leaders accountable for the things that we think are 84 00:05:27,875 --> 00:05:30,800 important. So I'm looking forward to hearing your 85 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:35,000 questions today and team, Kid Governor and cabinet, I'm 86 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,880 looking forward to hearing your answers. Thank you so much for 87 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:38,420 being here. 88 00:05:40,820 --> 00:05:44,000 Jane: Because this event was a press conference, and all the 89 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,840 people in the audience were the press, I wanted to make sure we 90 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:51,080 all understood the role of the press, reporters and other 91 00:05:51,125 --> 00:05:53,585 journalists who help make sure you know what's going on in the 92 00:05:53,585 --> 00:05:57,725 world, and who ask tough questions of politicians. So I 93 00:05:57,725 --> 00:06:01,085 invited my friend and colleague Bob Kinzel to give us some tips, 94 00:06:01,445 --> 00:06:04,565 Bob is one of our political reporters here at Vermont Public 95 00:06:04,565 --> 00:06:07,925 where But Why is made, and he's been covering governors since 96 00:06:07,925 --> 00:06:08,285 the 1970s. 97 00:06:09,785 --> 00:06:12,665 Bob: I've covered Vermont politics for pretty much my 98 00:06:12,665 --> 00:06:16,190 adult life, and one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much, 99 00:06:16,190 --> 00:06:20,210 and I still enjoy it, is the access that we have to public 100 00:06:20,210 --> 00:06:23,750 officials and being able to ask them questions. It's really 101 00:06:23,750 --> 00:06:27,290 quite remarkable in Vermont, and it's something that I really 102 00:06:27,290 --> 00:06:30,830 enjoy. And I also have the feeling that all of you who are 103 00:06:30,830 --> 00:06:34,910 here today, you're here because you care, otherwise you wouldn't 104 00:06:34,910 --> 00:06:38,015 be here, so I think that's a great sign for the future. 105 00:06:38,435 --> 00:06:41,375 Jane: All right, so Bob, what is the point of a press conference. 106 00:06:41,375 --> 00:06:43,595 What is a press conference designed to do? 107 00:06:43,835 --> 00:06:46,235 Bob: There are two different types of press conferences. One 108 00:06:46,235 --> 00:06:49,535 might be the Secretary of State might hold a press conference to 109 00:06:49,535 --> 00:06:54,575 talk about a ballot initiative, so it's very narrowly focused on 110 00:06:54,575 --> 00:06:58,235 that particular issue. Another one might be the governor's 111 00:06:58,235 --> 00:07:01,055 weekly press conference. Now the week. It's an incredible 112 00:07:01,055 --> 00:07:04,940 tradition in Vermont that the governor holds a weekly press 113 00:07:04,940 --> 00:07:08,300 conference and the governor will come in. Governor Scott this 114 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:12,140 week came in yesterday, talked about his housing initiative, 115 00:07:12,140 --> 00:07:15,860 and then said, okay, I'll take questions from the floor. This 116 00:07:15,860 --> 00:07:20,720 does not happen in many other states that it's a wide open 117 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,945 press conference. You can talk about anything. 118 00:07:24,005 --> 00:07:27,845 Jane: So often the politician or the person who calls a press 119 00:07:27,845 --> 00:07:30,305 conference has something that they want to say, something they 120 00:07:30,305 --> 00:07:34,205 want to get out to the public through the press. And then 121 00:07:34,265 --> 00:07:37,985 often they do take questions. What do the reporters who are 122 00:07:38,045 --> 00:07:41,525 the attendees at a press conference? What are they trying 123 00:07:41,525 --> 00:07:42,305 to get out of it? 124 00:07:42,660 --> 00:07:45,900 Bob: I think we're trying to understand what the issue is. 125 00:07:45,900 --> 00:07:48,360 And I'll take the example with the Secretary of State of a 126 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:52,500 ballot initiative. She might be talking about mail in balloting, 127 00:07:52,500 --> 00:07:58,320 and we allow mail in ballots 45 days before an election. And so 128 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:02,220 we're trying to understand what is the issue that the Secretary 129 00:08:02,220 --> 00:08:04,860 of State trying to tell us about? And then you may have 130 00:08:04,860 --> 00:08:07,185 some questions about it. Well, how is this going to work? 131 00:08:07,185 --> 00:08:10,965 What's the cost of this? Why do you think this is a good idea? 132 00:08:11,025 --> 00:08:16,005 Sometimes the best questions are the simplest ones of just, why 133 00:08:16,005 --> 00:08:19,665 do you think this is a good idea, and to be able to get a 134 00:08:19,665 --> 00:08:23,385 response in that way. Now, sometimes people don't answer 135 00:08:23,385 --> 00:08:27,165 questions, and then we ask the question again. 136 00:08:27,465 --> 00:08:30,090 Jane: What do you do after the press conference? Because 137 00:08:29,910 --> 00:08:32,970 you've gotten the information that you want, but your job 138 00:08:32,970 --> 00:08:33,570 isn't done? 139 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:37,579 Bob: No, my job is just started. So I go back to our office here 140 00:08:37,579 --> 00:08:41,559 in Montpelier, and I think about, what is the story here? 141 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:46,659 What is what we'll call the lead of this story, and then start to 142 00:08:46,659 --> 00:08:50,979 fill in the blanks as we go along and tell the story as best 143 00:08:50,979 --> 00:08:52,239 as I can do. 144 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,360 Jane: You have advice for the kid reporters in our audience 145 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:58,540 today of how they might think about framing a question, or 146 00:08:58,540 --> 00:09:00,640 what they might ask, the kinds of things 147 00:09:00,820 --> 00:09:04,780 Bob: I would say, keep your questions simple. Don't 148 00:09:05,620 --> 00:09:09,700 piggyback them. Don't say, Well, I'd like to know this and what 149 00:09:09,700 --> 00:09:14,080 about that? And while you're at it, let's talk about this. So 150 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:17,965 make your first question just very concise. What is it that 151 00:09:17,965 --> 00:09:22,285 you want to know? Ask that question and then listen to the 152 00:09:22,285 --> 00:09:22,585 answer. 153 00:09:22,585 --> 00:09:24,745 Jane: Well, this was really helpful, Bob. Thank you very 154 00:09:24,745 --> 00:09:28,045 much for helping us understand what our job is here as the 155 00:09:28,045 --> 00:09:31,885 people who are watching the press conference, and thank you 156 00:09:31,885 --> 00:09:32,665 for your reporting. 157 00:09:32,665 --> 00:09:35,125 Bob: Oh, thank you. 158 00:09:36,805 --> 00:09:39,730 Jane: At this point, Vermont's Kid Governor and her cabinet 159 00:09:39,730 --> 00:09:44,530 joined us on the stage. So we have coming up today to speak 160 00:09:44,530 --> 00:09:48,370 with us. Kid Governor Roslyn Fortin of Highgate, come on up, 161 00:09:48,370 --> 00:09:49,030 Rosalyn. 162 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,780 Roslyn: Hi. My name is Roslyn, and I'm Vermont's Kid.Governor. 163 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,720 I'm from Highgate, Vermont and attend Highgate Elementary 164 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,900 School. My platform is homelessness. I chose 165 00:10:01,900 --> 00:10:04,960 homelessness because everyone deserves a safe place to live, 166 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,440 and I want to help bring awareness and hope to people who 167 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:12,880 need it. And did you know that Vermont is the fourth highest in 168 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,465 the country for homelessness? I have also learned that working 169 00:10:16,465 --> 00:10:20,365 together is really important in projects like these, because you 170 00:10:20,365 --> 00:10:23,665 need lots of ideas. Hear others' ideas, and you need lots of 171 00:10:23,665 --> 00:10:25,345 teamwork, too. Thank you. 172 00:10:26,380 --> 00:10:30,100 In addition to Roslyn, there are six cabinet members who join her 173 00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:33,400 in making their voices heard. Here's just a tiny bit about 174 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:35,020 what each of them is focused on. 175 00:10:35,540 --> 00:10:40,160 Gaelen: I'm Gaelen McNaughton. I attend Wethersfield School. My 176 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:44,540 platform is improving school lunches, because I always hear 177 00:10:44,540 --> 00:10:47,240 kids complaining about the taste and nutrition. 178 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:52,040 Karin: My name is Karin Ashley. My platform is mental health. 179 00:10:52,940 --> 00:10:57,500 And I chose mental health because I used to live in Japan 180 00:10:58,100 --> 00:11:02,720 and in Japan, like you can like, trust people, but when I came to 181 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,920 America, our school had to do safety drills, and you don't 182 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:12,245 have to do those in Japan, and I was thinking that the main 183 00:11:12,845 --> 00:11:20,585 reason, usually, for people like intruding schools is when they 184 00:11:20,585 --> 00:11:24,305 were little, they didn't have a good time at school, so I 185 00:11:24,305 --> 00:11:25,805 decided to make that my issue. 186 00:11:25,805 --> 00:11:30,125 Lincoln: Hello. My name is Lincoln Ratta. I go to Lincoln 187 00:11:30,125 --> 00:11:36,650 Community School. I currently live in Lincoln, Vermont, but I 188 00:11:36,650 --> 00:11:41,930 was born in Highgate. My platform is healthcare 189 00:11:41,930 --> 00:11:46,670 accessibility. Three percent of people in Vermont are uninsured, 190 00:11:46,790 --> 00:11:52,970 or about 22,000 people. Vermont has a shortage of doctors, 191 00:11:52,970 --> 00:11:57,755 dentists, nurses and other medical professionals. Also, 192 00:11:57,755 --> 00:12:01,595 since we live in such a rural state, it takes some time to get 193 00:12:01,595 --> 00:12:04,355 to the hospital or other helps that people need. 194 00:12:04,715 --> 00:12:09,215 Rumano: Hi, my name is Rumano. I go to Champlain Elementary 195 00:12:09,215 --> 00:12:14,015 School in Burlington, Vermont. My platform is called Vermont 196 00:12:14,015 --> 00:12:19,115 Strong Inside and Out. I wanted to run for Kid Governor because 197 00:12:19,115 --> 00:12:23,360 I started noticing that a lot of people in my community were 198 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,620 struggling with their mental health. I saw kids feeling 199 00:12:27,620 --> 00:12:31,040 stressed and adults feeling overwhelmed, and it made me 200 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:35,360 realize this is something we should talk about more and work 201 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:40,940 on together. That inspired me to run and try to help make a 202 00:12:40,940 --> 00:12:46,805 difference. My platform focuses on helping students take care of 203 00:12:46,805 --> 00:12:49,865 their minds and support each other. 204 00:12:50,020 --> 00:12:53,500 Westyn: My name is Westyn Danforth. I go to Bradford 205 00:12:53,500 --> 00:12:58,060 Elementary. I'm also from Bradford, Vermont. My platform 206 00:12:58,060 --> 00:13:02,200 is anti bullying. I chose anti bullying, because I believe it's 207 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:07,000 a very important topic. One out of every five kids get bullied. 208 00:13:07,300 --> 00:13:10,660 I believe that that number can be lowered 209 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,885 Jane: The sixth member of the cabinet, Phoebe, was sick the 210 00:13:13,885 --> 00:13:16,705 day of the press conference and wasn't able to attend the event. 211 00:13:17,065 --> 00:13:20,545 Her platform is addressing mental health issues. Now, 212 00:13:20,545 --> 00:13:23,605 remember how Bob Kinzel told us that politicians will often 213 00:13:23,605 --> 00:13:26,725 start with a little bit of information, and then reporters 214 00:13:26,725 --> 00:13:29,905 get to ask whatever questions they might have on those topics 215 00:13:29,905 --> 00:13:33,625 or others. After the opening remarks from each member of the 216 00:13:33,625 --> 00:13:36,670 cabinet and the Kid Governor, it was time for the kids in the 217 00:13:36,670 --> 00:13:40,330 audience to ask those questions. Here are just a few of the ones 218 00:13:40,330 --> 00:13:42,250 they directed to Vermont's kid governor. 219 00:13:42,430 --> 00:13:45,970 Kid: This is for Roslyn. Do you know anyone that's homeless? 220 00:13:47,170 --> 00:13:49,750 Roslyn: I don't know anyone that's homeless, but I have 221 00:13:49,810 --> 00:13:53,110 like, seen like, I don't personally know anybody that's 222 00:13:53,110 --> 00:13:55,750 homeless, but I have seen like homeless people. 223 00:13:56,590 --> 00:13:59,230 Kid: What can Vermont do to help the homeless? 224 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:08,840 Roslyn: I think Vermont could help by like donating, donating 225 00:14:08,900 --> 00:14:20,600 like clothes that they don't use, or like, like clothes, or 226 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:25,505 like blankets or something, or they could donate to local 227 00:14:25,505 --> 00:14:29,105 homeless shelters. And yeah. 228 00:14:29,285 --> 00:14:31,625 Jane: One of my favorite questions of the evening went to 229 00:14:31,625 --> 00:14:35,285 Gaelen, whose platform is to improve school lunches. There 230 00:14:35,285 --> 00:14:37,745 were a lot of kids in the audience who had questions about 231 00:14:38,165 --> 00:14:38,345 that. 232 00:14:38,345 --> 00:14:41,465 Kid: This question is for Gaelen. I have a couple people 233 00:14:41,465 --> 00:14:46,310 in my school with dietary restrictions and allergies. Do 234 00:14:46,310 --> 00:14:49,430 you have any ideas to help their meals become better? 235 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:58,780 Gaelen: Yeah, so recently, we changed things for lactose 236 00:14:58,780 --> 00:15:05,260 intolerant. Um. Um, they never get chocolate milks. So we have 237 00:15:05,260 --> 00:15:10,360 chocolate almond milk now for those kids who can't have the 238 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:15,085 regular milk because they thought it was not fair to not 239 00:15:15,085 --> 00:15:18,445 have the same things that the kids without the allergies have, 240 00:15:18,745 --> 00:15:26,545 and we have sun butter and jelly sandwiches. And sometimes we 241 00:15:26,545 --> 00:15:31,765 have gluten free, dairy free, most of the time not free meals, 242 00:15:32,545 --> 00:15:39,250 but others, we always have parfait sandwiches and other 243 00:15:39,250 --> 00:15:44,770 things like that. But that's I'll keep that in mind, because 244 00:15:44,830 --> 00:15:51,670 a lot of meals are not compatible with dietary problems 245 00:15:51,670 --> 00:15:52,090 like that. 246 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,480 Jane: I like that question and answer in particular because it 247 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,840 showed a reporter asking a question about people in their 248 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,960 community who might not be getting served well by school 249 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:06,520 lunches, and Gaelen, who is working to improve them, was 250 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,700 able not only to share what he's been doing at his school to try 251 00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:12,640 to make sure everyone gets to enjoy chocolate milk if they 252 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:17,185 want to, but also that then the question reminded him to think a 253 00:16:17,185 --> 00:16:20,365 little bit more deeply about what else he could do in his 254 00:16:20,365 --> 00:16:25,225 role. Thanks to the Vermont Kid Governor and Kid Cabinet and all 255 00:16:25,225 --> 00:16:28,045 of the kid reporters in the audience for making our kid 256 00:16:28,045 --> 00:16:31,405 press conference such a big success. Coming up, we'll hear 257 00:16:31,405 --> 00:16:33,685 from Kid Governors in Connecticut and Nebraska. 258 00:16:33,685 --> 00:16:38,185 This is But Why. I'm Jane Lindholm, and today we're 259 00:16:38,185 --> 00:16:41,590 learning about Kid Governor a civics education program where 260 00:16:41,590 --> 00:16:45,130 fifth graders take part in a statewide election to choose a 261 00:16:45,130 --> 00:16:49,450 Kid Governor for a one year term in their state. Five states have 262 00:16:49,450 --> 00:16:52,690 a Kid Governor this year, and each governor is working to 263 00:16:52,690 --> 00:16:56,890 raise awareness and take action on a specific issue. In 264 00:16:56,890 --> 00:17:00,430 Connecticut, Kid Governor Tessa wants to address inclusion for 265 00:17:00,430 --> 00:17:02,050 students with disabilities. 266 00:17:02,410 --> 00:17:07,735 Tessa: It's great to be able to make a change in Connecticut and 267 00:17:07,735 --> 00:17:11,515 work with a team to help make the state a better place. 268 00:17:11,935 --> 00:17:15,175 Jane: What changes are you hoping to make to Connecticut 269 00:17:15,175 --> 00:17:16,555 that would make it a better place? 270 00:17:17,095 --> 00:17:22,375 Tessa: I'm hoping to make it more inclusive and more non 271 00:17:22,375 --> 00:17:26,320 judgmental towards disabled children. 272 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,160 Jane: How do you get to do that as a as the Kid Governor? How do 273 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,580 you use that platform to try to achieve those goals? 274 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:39,320 Tessa: Well, I'm going to use my three platform steps, which are 275 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:44,200 creating videos to show how to include students with 276 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:50,860 disabilities, creating a buddy system where fifth graders pair 277 00:17:50,860 --> 00:17:55,120 with students with disabilities, and creating a buddy lunch table 278 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:58,480 where students can sit together and have an inclusive lunch. 279 00:17:58,780 --> 00:18:01,020 Jane: I know you're only a couple of months in so far. But 280 00:18:01,020 --> 00:18:04,980 how are you implementing it? Like, how who's helping you? How 281 00:18:04,980 --> 00:18:07,860 do you use this role to, like, make that happen statewide? 282 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:12,000 Tessa: Well, my school, my teachers, my friends, my family 283 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,840 have all been helping me, and I've been doing a lot of 284 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:21,380 interviews. I've been at a couple of events where I've told 285 00:18:21,380 --> 00:18:24,980 people about my platform and helped raise awareness about 286 00:18:24,980 --> 00:18:30,020 what's happening, but so far, we haven't moved forward on my 287 00:18:30,020 --> 00:18:33,020 platform as much we will get started soon, though. 288 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,740 Jane: That sounds a lot like politics at the adult level too. 289 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,520 You run with all of these ideas, and then you get started, and 290 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:43,600 it's hard. There's a lot to do, and there are a lot of different 291 00:18:43,660 --> 00:18:46,660 people who have to get involved. And sometimes things are harder 292 00:18:46,660 --> 00:18:48,940 than just saying, Here's what I want to do, and I'm the 293 00:18:48,940 --> 00:18:52,180 governor, and I get to implement it. Are you experiencing some of 294 00:18:52,180 --> 00:18:52,600 that? 295 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,680 Tessa: A little bit. There are some kids who don't know who I 296 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:01,600 am, so I have to explain myself over and over. And then there 297 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:04,780 are some kids who I think a little afraid to talk to me, 298 00:19:05,260 --> 00:19:14,800 because, well, I'm much more state and statewide known than 299 00:19:15,025 --> 00:19:18,025 most people have, than people most people have met. 300 00:19:19,225 --> 00:19:21,625 Jane: Yeah, so are they intimidated a little bit to talk 301 00:19:21,625 --> 00:19:22,405 to you do you think? 302 00:19:22,405 --> 00:19:23,365 Tessa: I think so. 303 00:19:23,365 --> 00:19:27,085 Jane: So what do you do when you think people either don't know 304 00:19:27,085 --> 00:19:29,185 who you are or are intimidated to talk with you. 305 00:19:29,365 --> 00:19:32,005 Tessa: If they don't know who I am, I try to explain a little 306 00:19:32,005 --> 00:19:35,365 bit. And if they're intimidated, I try to just talk to them like 307 00:19:35,365 --> 00:19:40,030 I would to my friends or to somebody before I was Kid 308 00:19:40,030 --> 00:19:40,390 Governor. 309 00:19:40,390 --> 00:19:41,590 Jane: And does it work? 310 00:19:41,590 --> 00:19:42,850 Tessa: Most of the time. 311 00:19:43,510 --> 00:19:46,690 Jane: If there are other kids who are fourth graders this year 312 00:19:46,690 --> 00:19:49,810 who are thinking, maybe I want to do this, or maybe my state 313 00:19:49,810 --> 00:19:52,450 doesn't have a Kid Governor program, and I think I'd like to 314 00:19:52,450 --> 00:19:54,610 encourage them to have one. Do you have advice? 315 00:19:54,120 --> 00:19:59,760 Tessa: I would say, go for it. The Kid Governor community is an 316 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,780 awesome program, and it's a great way to learn about civics, 317 00:20:03,780 --> 00:20:09,300 and it's also a great way to think about what you want to do, 318 00:20:09,300 --> 00:20:15,600 how you want to change your state. And I would say that if 319 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,545 you're feeling nervous, just take a deep breath and make sure 320 00:20:19,545 --> 00:20:22,545 you have people who are proud of you, no matter what. 321 00:20:23,085 --> 00:20:26,445 Jane: That was Kid Governor Tessa of Connecticut. Meanwhile, 322 00:20:26,445 --> 00:20:29,865 in Nebraska Kid Governor Charlie wants to raise awareness about 323 00:20:29,865 --> 00:20:32,565 cancer, an issue that's really important to her. 324 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:41,800 Charlie: I know that I'm a natural leader, and I really 325 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:51,640 want to help people with that. At first, I didn't actually 326 00:20:52,060 --> 00:20:55,960 think of it as, like, this big. 327 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,980 Jane: When did you start to realize, uh oh, I've gotten 328 00:20:59,980 --> 00:21:01,360 myself into something big? 329 00:21:02,020 --> 00:21:08,260 Charlie: When I was one of the seven candidates for the 330 00:21:08,260 --> 00:21:11,980 statewide election, because I honestly didn't think I would 331 00:21:11,980 --> 00:21:16,540 get that far. I was the only one from my school to be in the 332 00:21:16,540 --> 00:21:21,385 statewide election, because the other one, Delaney, my best 333 00:21:21,385 --> 00:21:26,545 friend, she, for some reason, didn't make it into the 334 00:21:26,545 --> 00:21:27,685 statewide election. 335 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,300 Jane: So then you were in the statewide election, and kids 336 00:21:30,300 --> 00:21:34,740 from all over Nebraska got to vote. And one, I mean, kids in 337 00:21:34,740 --> 00:21:38,040 your school know who you are, so they might know. Oh yeah, 338 00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:41,040 Charlie's a natural leader, this makes sense. But kids around the 339 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,260 state don't necessarily know who you are, and so one of the 340 00:21:43,260 --> 00:21:46,560 things that you had to do was have a platform that you run on 341 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:49,800 some ideas of the things that you'd like to work on to benefit 342 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,665 your state if you were elected Kid Governor, what's your 343 00:21:52,665 --> 00:21:53,325 platform? 344 00:21:54,105 --> 00:21:57,045 Charlie: My platform is cancer awareness. 345 00:21:57,045 --> 00:21:58,185 Jane: How did you choose that? 346 00:21:58,185 --> 00:22:05,985 Both of my sisters, their father died of cancer. I wasn't born 347 00:22:05,985 --> 00:22:15,030 yet, but their father died of cancer, and I just I've never 348 00:22:15,030 --> 00:22:20,610 experienced what it felt like, but I came pretty, pretty close 349 00:22:20,610 --> 00:22:29,850 to because in 2024 my my father had a heart attack. 350 00:22:31,220 --> 00:22:33,440 So this feels personal to you? 351 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:34,760 Charlie: Yes. 352 00:22:34,940 --> 00:22:37,280 Jane: Yeah, and it affects people you love. 353 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:37,880 Charlie: Yes. 354 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:42,620 Jane: So how do you hope to bring awareness to people in 355 00:22:42,620 --> 00:22:46,460 Nebraska or to the issues of cancer and cancer research and 356 00:22:46,460 --> 00:22:47,840 Cancer Care and Prevention? 357 00:22:48,140 --> 00:22:54,440 Charlie: First off, I want to raise money for places that can 358 00:22:54,440 --> 00:23:02,180 help people with that, like Camp Kesem. And I also just want to 359 00:23:02,180 --> 00:23:10,880 have people to be aware and know how hard cancer is if a friend 360 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:16,325 or family member doesn't, and for people who do have friends 361 00:23:16,385 --> 00:23:22,565 or family members that have cancer, I want them to know that 362 00:23:22,685 --> 00:23:25,205 you're not alone and that we can help. 363 00:23:25,745 --> 00:23:28,985 Jane: Is Camp Kesem a camp for kids who've been affected by 364 00:23:28,985 --> 00:23:30,125 cancer in their families? 365 00:23:30,305 --> 00:23:37,130 Charlie: Yes, so Camp Kesem is for kids ages six through 18, 366 00:23:38,270 --> 00:23:46,970 for kids whose family members or friends even have been affected 367 00:23:46,970 --> 00:23:54,050 by cancer, and my sisters went there when their father died. 368 00:23:54,300 --> 00:23:56,880 Jane: So part of your platform is raising money for 369 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,780 organizations that that help people who are affected by this. 370 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:07,740 Clearly your platform resonated or spoke to kids who were voting 371 00:24:07,740 --> 00:24:12,840 for who the governor should be. So you won the state election. 372 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:14,280 How did you get the news? 373 00:24:14,940 --> 00:24:21,320 Charlie: We waited a while for the news, but one Friday after 374 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:26,120 school, Mr. Billisbach, our science and social studies 375 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:32,600 teacher, he called me down to his room after school, and then 376 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:37,640 I said that we needed to talk about something so I didn't 377 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,560 assume I was in trouble. I just didn't know what was going on, 378 00:24:42,340 --> 00:24:48,760 and then he broke the news that I won, and my brain was just 379 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:52,600 spiraling. I could not believe it at all. 380 00:24:53,140 --> 00:24:56,380 Jane: That was Kid Governor Charlie in Nebraska. There are 381 00:24:56,380 --> 00:24:59,500 two other Kid Governors, Livia in New Hampshire, who's working 382 00:24:59,500 --> 00:25:03,460 to address the dangers of smoking, vaping and drugs, and 383 00:25:03,460 --> 00:25:06,760 Katelyn, the Kid Governor in Oklahoma who wants to address 384 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,780 issues of animal abuse. So far, only five states have Kid 385 00:25:10,780 --> 00:25:14,080 Governors. If your state isn't one of them, maybe you can help 386 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,365 get it started. Ask your teacher to look into the program. Even 387 00:25:17,365 --> 00:25:20,185 if you don't want to be Kid Governor, we have some homework 388 00:25:20,185 --> 00:25:23,605 for you. We want you to think about an issue in your community 389 00:25:23,605 --> 00:25:27,505 that you think needs attention. Then come up with three ideas 390 00:25:27,505 --> 00:25:30,565 for how you could work to address that issue. Write them 391 00:25:30,565 --> 00:25:33,805 down. Then talk to an adult about what you can do to move 392 00:25:33,805 --> 00:25:37,525 forward on your goals. After all, it's not just governors, 393 00:25:37,525 --> 00:25:41,170 kid or adult, who get things done in our communities, you too 394 00:25:41,170 --> 00:25:42,130 can make a difference. 395 00:25:42,130 --> 00:25:46,030 That's it for this episode. As always, if you have a question 396 00:25:46,090 --> 00:25:49,030 about anything, have an adult record, you asking it on a 397 00:25:49,030 --> 00:25:52,630 smartphone using an app like voice memos, then have them 398 00:25:52,630 --> 00:25:57,850 email the file to questions@butwhykids.org. Our 399 00:25:57,850 --> 00:26:01,030 show is produced by Sarah Baik, Melody Bodette and me, Jane 400 00:26:01,075 --> 00:26:05,455 Lindholm, at Vermont Public and distributed by PRX. Our video 401 00:26:05,455 --> 00:26:08,635 producer is Joey Palumbo, and our theme music is by Luke 402 00:26:08,635 --> 00:26:12,055 Reynolds. If you like our show, please have your adults help you 403 00:26:12,055 --> 00:26:16,015 give us a thumbs up or a review on whatever podcast platform you 404 00:26:16,015 --> 00:26:19,495 use to listen to us, it helps other kids and families find us. 405 00:26:20,515 --> 00:26:24,820 We'll be back in two weeks with an all new episode. Until then, 406 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:26,740 stay curious.