Five New Jersey teens traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in a national 4-H Leadership Academy, a new program that aims to develop young leaders into lifelong problem solvers passionate about tackling society’s biggest challenges. The academy was founded by Joel Roth, Atlanta-based businessman and philanthropist with a $1.1M gift to the National 4-H Council […]
Youth/Community Development
Teens Learn Urban Farming, Food Distribution While Giving Back to the Community
This article first appeared in Kearny Life Community Magazine and is reproduced with permission from the author, Jaimie Julia Winters. When teens Ester Fernandez and Zulema Vargas were looking for something to do this summer, they decided on something that would get their hands dirty while giving back to their community. “I was looking for […]
4-H STEM Ambassador Youth Program Welcomes its 17th Cohort to SEBS
Over the summer, New Jersey youth from around the state gathered at the Rutgers George H. Cook Campus for the annual 4-H STEM Ambassadors program kickoff. Now in its seventeenth year, the program empowers high school students from urban communities across New Jersey through year-round experiences that foster STEM identity and promote college readiness. 2025 […]
NJ 4-H Members Attend International Leadership Conference in Ireland
Five New Jersey 4-H members attended the 2025 Foróige Leadership for Life Conference from July 28-Aug. 1 at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, Ireland. Foróige’s Leadership for Life Conference, now in its 16th year, hosted 250 high school age youth from Ireland and the United States. NJ 4-H participants included Brooklyn Bilge of […]
Announcement: Matthew Newman is the New Chair of the Department of 4-H Youth Development
Announcement by Laura Lawson, SEBS executive dean and NJAES executive director I am happy to share the news that Matthew Newman, 4-H agent in Monmouth County since 2016, and County Extension Department Head in the county office since 2019, will serve as chair of the Department of 4-H Youth Development, starting July 1, 2025. Matthew […]
Innovative Summer Climate Data and Literacy Workshop Stresses Connections to Local and Global Impacts and Community-based Partnerships
Middle and high school teachers from Belleville, Jersey City, Kearny, Neptune, Newark, and New Brunswick honed their climate change knowledge and made connections to local experts in a four-day Climate and Data Literacy summer workshop on the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus. With the recent incorporation of climate change into New Jersey’s K-12 Student Learning Standards across […]
Rutgers Awarded $1.1 Million NSF Grant to Support Researchers in Advancing the Societal Impacts of Research
Rutgers Associate Professor and 4-H Youth Development STEM Agent Janice McDonnell is a collaborating partner of the Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) who was awarded $1.1 million of a $9.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build capacity in supporting research impact. While researchers around the world are working to […]
Apple and 4-H Bring Technology to a New Generation of Learners
4-H, the largest youth development organization in the U.S., reaching more than 6 million young people across the country, has expanded its programming to include greater access to technology, thanks in part to support from Apple and its Community Education Initiative (CEI). Since Apple launched CEI in 2019, the programming has provided coding, creativity, and […]
If There’s Something Strange Growing in Your Yard, Who You Gonna Call? Master Gardeners
Up-to-date, science-based horticulture advice from Rutgers experts is a phone call away for state residents Are weeds conquering your victory garden? Have critters turned it into a dine-and-dash buffet? Sound advice is available for New Jersey residents through the Rutgers Master Gardeners program, which operates helplines throughout the state. Rutgers master gardeners are trained volunteers who […]
4-H ResistoJets Rocketry Club Wins “Altitude Award” in 2024 NASA Student Launch Competition
On June 7, the Morris County 4-H team from the ResistoJets Rocketry Club was recognized for its first place “Altitude Award” in the middle and high school division of the 2024 NASA Student Launch Competition. The 2024 NASA Student Launch Initiative virtual awards ceremony, hosted by the Marshall Space Flight Center, featured presentations of awards […]
