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Cape May Court House – Seven teens enrolled in the Rutgers 4-H Summer Teen Leadership Program graduated on August 18, 2023, after completing the 8-week program at New Jersey Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May. Teens have been mentoring campers and learning leadership skills at the nature center for nearly 30 years in this unique educational internship program.
This learning experience comes with a variety of service, teaching, and social activities. Each week New Jersey Audubon teacher-naturalists provided teens with mentoring in environmental science, teaching skills and successful work habits while Rutgers 4-H educators led teens in youth-driven community service projects and leadership development activities. Each Friday, the teens also took part in an intense leadership training session with 4-H Program Coordinator Linda Horner and Emily Mawhinney, from Cape May Court House, the on-site Teen Leader Program Coordinator. These weekly sessions included activities designed to build communication and problem-solving skills and helped the teens learn how to set and reach their goals. As part of the program the teens completed a community service project where they staffed an educational marine science touch tank at the 2023 4-H Fair.
This year, both local teens and summer residents, ranging from seventh through 11th grades completed the program. They are Kalin Back, Endicott, NY, Cameron Black, Washington, DC, Corinna LaPuma, West Cape May, Jillian Lipset, Basking Ridge, Alexa Ludwikowski, Cape May, Donovan Napoli, Durham, North Carolina, and Adrianna Tomlin, Woodbine, NJ.
Linda Horner, Cape May County 4-H Program Coordinator said, “The benefits of this 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.”
Applications for the 2024 Rutgers 4-H Teen Leadership Program will be available in the spring. For more information about the 4-H Youth Development program in Cape May County, visit our website capemay.njaes.rutgers.edu, call (609) 465-5115, ext. 3605 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.
