New Kid Governor wants to help with anxiety, depression
Mendez hopes all Connecticut fifth-graders will benefit from her platform and how she plans to enact it. She wants to install a “tap out light station” in classrooms to help students communicate with their teacher when they are having a “moment” and work on it.
While Gov. Ned Lamont was reelected to lead Connecticut for a second term as governor, a new Kid Governor has been elected for a year-long term. Elected to office this month, Elisavet “Ellie” Mendez will serve as the state's 2023 Kid Governor.
The fifth grader from Monroe Elementary School ran on a threepoint platform that addresses anxiety and depression. Her platform aimed to provide resources for managing and talking about mental health issues:
To provide strategies to reduce stress and anxiety.
Provide ways for kids to communicate their feelings with a trusted adult.
Create an online resource with positive messages to inspire kids.
“People don't take anxiety and depression for kids as serious as they should,” she said in her campaign video.
Mendez hopes all Connecticut fifth-graders will benefit from her platform and how she plans to enact it. She wants to install a “tap out light station” in classrooms to help students communicate with their teacher when they are having a “moment” and work on it.
She'd also like to have a “turn my frown upside down mailbox” in classrooms for those who prefer written communication to express their feelings by writing a note to a teacher, she explains in a video. Additionally, Mendez will have an interactive website that will allow students watch videos, read uplifting articles and positive quotes.
Connecticut's 2022 kid governor Makhi EttienneModeste was elected to office in November 2021 and was a fifth-grader at the John F. Kennedy School in Windsor. Ettienne-Modeste ran on a three-point platform to prevent animal cruelty, which included educating students on signs of animal abuse, showing kindness toward companion animals, raising awareness on the issue and donating to shelters.
To become Connecticut Kid Governor, fifth-graders elect one of their peers to serve as their Kid Governor. Over the course of the program, students learn about the three branches of state government, role of the governor, why elections are important, the history of voting in the United States and Connecticut, leadership and civic participation.