Type into Google, “False Old Wives Tales” and you will get a rash of fascinating and fun reads. What? It DOESN’T take seven years for a piece of gum to digest after you swallow it? And cracking your knuckles DOESN’T cause arthritis? And eating right before you go swimming DOESN’T cause cramps? And going out with wet hair WON’T cause you to catch a cold? Both of my beloved grandmothers must be turning over in [...]
I met Nicole* in the emergency room at a children’s hospital when she was 17-years-old. She had been assaulted by her 18-year-old boyfriend and would possibly need surgery to repair the broken bones in her arm. This was not the first time he had assaulted her, but it was the most severe. Some of Nicole’s friends and family knew that they argued a lot or thought they spent too much time together, but no one [...]
For the past 15 years, Children’s Advocacy Day has grown from a small group of committed advocates with a big idea, to a huge group of advocates—and state leaders—with even bigger commitments to Kentucky kids. This week nearly 900 advocates, including more than 200 youth, came to Frankfort to ask their legislators to make kids the commonwealth’s top priority. Some of those advocates made long drives or brought newborn babies or courageously met with [...]
Kaleb Syra, high school senior at Barren County High School, spoke at the 15th annual Children's Advocacy Day at the Capitol on February 13, 2019. Read his speech below. My name is Kaleb Syra. I am 17 and a senior in JROTC at Barren County High School. I have been part of the First Lady’s Youth Leadership Council for three years. When I was three months old I was put into foster care. And from [...]
By Aaron Clark, Kentucky Youth Advocates intern It’s February, and as advocates for oral health we know that means Children’s Dental Health Month is here again. Starting as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio, Children’s Dental Health Month is a celebration aimed to help establish positive attitudes and good dental habits at an early age as a key component to maintaining good oral and overall physical health of people young and growing. We hope that [...]
Many of us remember Schoolhouse Rock!’s, “Bill” – the personified bill – “on Capitol Hill.” Poor Bill is a lonely bill with a lot of hope as he admits he has a long journey ahead of him to become a law. Bill realizes he’s one of the few lucky bills that actually gets heard in committee, which is the first positive step towards full passage. There’s a bill right now in Kentucky that, just by [...]
Over the past ten years, Kentucky has made significant strides in how we respond to youth who commit status offenses. In 2008, behaviors like running away, skipping school, and acting out were routinely criminalized, with 1,951 youth being detained for status offenses, likely making the behaviors worse instead of addressing the root cause. As Secretary John Tilley of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet said in 2014, it’s “very negative and damaging for these children [...]
With Children's Advocacy Day at the Capitol only days away, be sure you’re registered to join hundreds of advocates and youth from across Kentucky in Frankfort on February 13th. Kentucky kids need advocates like you to speak up on their behalf on Children's Advocacy Day and throughout the 2019 Kentucky legislative session. As you prepare for Children's Advocacy Day, check these to-do items off the list: Watch the prep webinar to learn how to be confident in attending Children's Advocacy Day and advocating on [...]
By Meagan Petty, high school freshman, and Noble Steenbergen, high school senior We are members of the Monroe County CARES Youth Prevention Ambassadors. We are drug prevention advocates from south central Kentucky. Our group works to reduce use of tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, and marijuana among our peers. One area that our group has had a lot of success in is tobacco prevention. Each year we participate in the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Kick Butts Day [...]
All Kentucky children deserve a safe environment in which to learn and grow. The Kentucky General Assembly’s School Safety Working Group (SSWG), led by Senator Max Wise and Representative Bam Carney, focused on just that. The bipartisan working group, comprised of legislators, citizens, such as Dr. Joe Bargione, who is a champion of the outstanding work of the BOUNCE Coalition in Louisville, and other experts in school safety, met since June 2018 to listen to and discuss proposals to [...]
