This post was written by cabinet member Westyn Danforth following the Kid Governor Youth Leadership Summit, an online event where Kid Governors and their cabinets from participating states were invited to connect and learn together. Westyn is from Bradford, Vermont and his platform is bullying prevention.
Hi my name is Westyn Danforth, Cabinet Member for VT Kids Governor Roslyn Fortin. Recently we attended a virtual Kid Governor Leadership Summit. Kid Governors, Cabinet Members, & Executive Counselors from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Vermont virtually met to discuss our platforms and three point plans as well as listen to a few keynote speakers about the importance of teamwork. This was a good experience that I enjoyed being part of. I learned about kids from different states and what they think is important to change in their schools and communities. A quote that a keynote speaker shared stuck out to me. It was, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I can relate to this quote in my life because I love playing sports and it’s hard to win a hockey game or baseball game without your team playing together. My mom asked me what this means to me outside of sports. To me, it means being able to work together to accomplish hard or big things. If we can work together to make everyone around us feel accepted, maybe some won’t feel the need to bully or be mean to other people. If we listen to each other respectfully and put our ideas, thoughts, and positivity together we can make a difference in our schools, our communities, and in the world. Teamwork is not just important in my favorite sports but also outside of sports, in my life. It sometimes starts with one person, but change happens when we all work together.
