County 4-H Presentations Move Online

COURT HOUSE — Not even a pandemic can stop 4-H youth from performing their annual public presentations. The Cape May County 4-H Youth Development Program has announced that 4-H Public Presentations will be conducted virtually this year.
Scheduled to take place at the end of March, the week-long event was postponed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic per a directive from Rutgers University.
Rutgers is NJ’s land grant institution and home to Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), parent organization to 4-H.
4-Hers have been invited to submit a virtual presentation by May 15, by recording their presentation using a smart phone and uploading to a secure YouTube channel not available to the public. Only screened and trained 4-H volunteer judges will be able to access the presentations.
According to Cape May County 4-H Program Coordinator Linda Horner, “We are excited to provide our 4-Hers with the opportunity to complete their presentations in these difficult times, especially after they already put so much work into them. The show must go on,” Horner stated.
Last year, over 100 4-Hers in Cape May County alone participated in Public Presentations. To encourage 4-Hers to take the extra step of submitting their presentations electronically, special incentives have been offered. The 4-H club with the highest percentage of participating members will receive a cash prize. Individual participants will be entered in special drawings.
4-H Public Presentations are judged using the Danish System, which compares competitors to standards of achievement based on age and years of experience, not to one another. Any 4-H member in grades 8 through 13 who receives a blue ribbon is invited to enter State Virtual Public Presentations later in the summer.
Resources on how to submit your public presentation, helpful tips and most frequently asked questions can be found at nj4h@njaes.rutgers.edu.
The university has since cancelled all in-person programs through August 14. For the 4-H youth program, the deadline has been extended to August 31 in order to coincide with the end of the 4-H year. This directive is subject to change based on future university, state or federal direction.
For up to date information on the Cape May County 4-H Youth Development Program, visit capemay.njaes.rutgers.edu or call 609-465-5115, ext. 3606.
The 4‑H Youth Development Program is part of Rutgers, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station – Cooperative Extension. 4‑H offers educational programs to all youth, grades K–13, on an age-appropriate basis, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.