Cole Grimm and Seth Edling have fun getting soaked at the Rutgers 4-H Summer Teen Leadership Program’s end of summer party on the Cape May Whale Watcher.
The Cape May County 4-H Youth Development Program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County has opened registration for the 2018 Rutgers 4-H Summer Teen Leadership Program. The eight-week program, now in its 20th year, runs from June 25th through August 17th at the New Jersey Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May located in Cape May, New Jersey.
To be eligible, youth must be entering 7th to 12th grades and interested in marine and environmental science, being outdoors and working with children. Linda Horner, 4-H Program Coordinator, said, “This is an invaluable leadership opportunity and summer learning experience for this age group and they don’t have to be a 4-H club member to participate.”
This learning experience comes from a variety of service, teaching and social activities. It coincides with the summer children’s program day camps held at the Nature Center of Cape May. Professional New Jersey Audubon teacher-naturalists provide teens with mentoring in environmental science, teaching skills and successful work habits. Rutgers 4-H educators lead teens in youth-driven community service projects and leadership development activities.
The benefits of attending the summer program include meeting other teens who have the same interests, earning valuable community service credits and gaining important work and leadership experience. “These experiences prove invaluable in job seeking and in acceptance to preferred colleges,” added Horner.
Program participants are asked to job shadow nature center teacher-naturalists for ten hours weekly and to attend a mandatory weekly training session every Friday from 12:30-2 p.m. Coordinators try to accommodate teens’ outside work schedules. A mandatory orientation session will be held prior to the beginning of the summer program at the NJ Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May.
Participation is limited to 20 students, and the tuition is only $250 for eight weeks of hands-on experience and mentoring in environmental science, leadership skills and work habits. The application deadline is May 18, 2018. Full payment is due within two weeks of your acceptance into the program. Please contact the 4-H Youth Development Program for an application or to learn more, at (609) 465-5115, ext. 3605.
4-H Youth Development Program is part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. 4-H educational programs are offered to all youth, grades K-13, on an age-appropriate basis, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
Contact: Linda Horner, 4-H Program Coordinator
Telephone: 465-5115, ext. 3606