Kids Have Voices Worth Listening to…Hear Them Out

Regan Hunt, Executive Director
Kentucky Voices for Health

For the past 11 years hundreds of Kentuckians of all ages have convened in Frankfort during the legislative session for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol. Those who attend have one thing in common: we all want Kentucky to be the best place in America to be a kid!

What's amazing about this particular day is that kids are actually telling us what we can all do to change the world today and in the future. To quote Kid President, “If you make the world better for kids, you make it better for everybody." But how?

Start with something that impacts daily life.

I recently watch a documentary about The Rethinkers, a group of kids (and supportive adults) in New Orleans advocating for better school breakfasts and lunches, going so far as meeting with the corporation that provides the food they eat. These kids were passionate, armed with data, and driven to change their world. And, they did! The students helped negotiate a signed contract promising fresh, local produce that would be served at least twice a week in every school in the district's cafeterias.

Healthy Smiles, Healthy Lives

Sometimes I feel like oral health is the Rodney Dangerfield of health care!   Rodney was an American comedian and actor, known for the catchphrase "I don't get no respect!" Did you know that more than 10 years ago, the U.S. Surgeon General called oral health disease a “silent epidemic”?