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Cape May Court House – The Cape May County 4-H Youth Development Program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County is seeking applicants for the 2022 Rutgers 4-H Summer Teen Leadership Program.The eight-week program, now in its 23rd year, runs from June 23rd through August 19th at the New Jersey Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May located in Cape May, New Jersey.
This program is open to the public – you don’t have to be a 4-H club member to participate. To be eligible, youth must be entering 8th 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.”
This learning experience comes with a variety of service, teaching and social activities. It coincides with the summer children’s science day camps held at the Nature Center of Cape May. 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. Sessions are Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. However, coordinators try to accommodate outside work schedules. A mandatory orientation session will be scheduled 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 23rd. Full payment is due within two weeks of your acceptance into the program. Applications are available on our website capemay.njaes.rutgers.edu. For more information, call (609) 465-5115, ext. 3606 or email linda.horner@co.cape-may.nj.us.
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.
