4-H Club of Ocean County and Rutgers University

Is it just where I live, or do all kids want to be a marine biologist when they grow up?  Anyway, we tend to have unrealistic expectations of those types of jobs or don't really understand the requirements.  But, there is a way for our children to get some idea of exactly what kind of education is needed or what the job would be like...and aren't we always asking our kids to get more 'involved.' Here's a great way for them to do just that.

4-H is a national youth organization that prepares young people to step up to the challenges in their community and the world.    Young people who are a part of 4-H have the opportunity to explore all types of science, health, and citizenship programming delivered through 4-H clubs and camps, as well as afterschool and in-school.

4-H'ers across the nation are responding to challenges every day in their communities and their world.   With an expansive network reaching every corner of the country, 4-H is the nation's largest youth development organization. More than 6 million 4-H youth in urban neighborhoods, suburban schoolyards and rural farming communities stand out among their peers: building revolutionary opportunities and implementing community-wide change at an early age.  

As the youth development program of the nation's 109 land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System, 4-H fosters an innovative, "learn by doing" approach with proven results.  The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal study conducted by the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, shows youth engaged with 4-H are:

• Nearly two times more likely to get better grades in school;
• Nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college;
• 41 percent less likely to engage in risky behaviors; and
• 25 percent more likely to positively contribute to their families and communities.

With 540,000 volunteers, 3,500 professionals, and more than 60 million alumni, the 4-H movement supports young people from elementary school through high school with programs designed to shape future leaders and innovators. Fueled by research-driven programming, 4-H'ers engage in hands-on learning activities in the areas of science, citizenship and healthy living. 

Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension of Ocean County provides research-based information for our county residents in the areas of 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Resource Management, Family and Community Health Sciences, Lawn & Garden, and Marine Resources

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore,

Ocean County Homes