On behalf of Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), I am delighted to welcome you to the annual Cape May County 4-H Fair. As Abraham Lincoln noted in 1859, agricultural fairs “…render more pleasant, and more strong, and more durable the bond of social and political union among us.” More than 150 years later, this is still true, and the more so in our increasingly urbanized world.
You may already be familiar with Rutgers NJAES and its 4-H youth development program. You may not know, though, the many ways in which New Jersey 4-H programs touch your life and your community every day. In striving to fulfill our mission “to enable youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need to become competent, caring and contributing citizens of the world,” we are helping New Jersey youth across the state to reach their full potential.
Through 4-H, youth “learn by doing” and are exposed to all of our focus areas: agriculture and food systems; environment and natural resource systems; food, nutrition and health; and human and community development. In 2016, more than 39,000 New Jersey youth enrolled in a range of 4-H activities, from interactive projects promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) literacy to an array of statewide enrichment and leadership programs.
Close to 2,500 adults and more than 400 youth donated their time to New Jersey 4-H in the past year, serving as dedicated community volunteers who provided stimulating programs and outstanding mentoring to 4-H youth participants.
The annual Rutgers 4-H STEM Ambassador Program offers a one-week campus experience of hands-on research for high school participants who return home to serve as local 4-H Science Ambassadors, delivering youth science programs in afterschool and summer settings. The upgraded statewide 4-H Camp in Sussex County, with its new spaces for classes and programs, help enhance the sleep-away camp experience for new and returning campers. 4-H camp alumni and staff, many of whom started as campers, are living testimony to the enriching value of summer camp.
As you visit the fair today, I hope that you enjoy learning more about the wide range of programs and activities that New Jersey 4-H offers to the youth of the Garden State. As our bumper sticker says, “4-H Connects Kids with Rutgers”; indeed, 4-H connects families and communities as well to Rutgers, your university.
Take the time to visit nj4h.rutgers.edu and follow New Jersey 4-H on Facebook.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Goodman
Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
Executive Dean of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
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