The voices of nearly 100 children ranging in age from preschoolers to sixth grade ring out across Cape May Harbor from New Jersey Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May. Who’s in charge of keeping an eye on them during their adventures at the center’s daily Summer Nature Camps? 4-H teens enrolled in the eight-week Rutgers 4-H Summer Teen Leadership Program.
4-H teens have been assisting teacher-naturalists and learning leadership skills at the nature center for over 20 years in an internship program founded by retired 4-H Agent B.J. Webersinn. This year, 17 teens ranging from eighth through 12th grades are enrolled in the program. Open to both local teens and summer residents, the teen leaders hail from as far away as Ohio and Texas and as nearby as Erma.
During their internships, the teen leaders will mentor their young charges, learning many leadership skills along the way. Every Friday, the teens take part in an intense leadership training session with 4-H Program Coordinator Linda Horner, Teen Leader Program Coordinator Deborah Avicolli and Teen Leader Program Assistant Julia Gindville. These weekly sessions include activities designed to build communication and problem solving skills and help teens learn to set and reach goals.
And, as befitting any 4-H group, the teen leaders complete a community service project each year. This summer, you can visit them at the 4-H Fair, where they will be staffing an educational marine science touch tank in the Lockwood 4-H Youth Center.
Be sure to stop by the touch tank to see some interesting sea creatures and to meet our 2017 teen leaders. For more information about the teen leader program, call the 4-H office at (609) 465-5115 ext. 3606.
Cape May County – I believe it is time that California be returned to the indigenous people who lived there. They understood the land and the weather and built dwellings made as part of the earth and took care of the…
