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4-H Youth Development

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County’s 4-H Youth Development programs are designed to support the positive outcomes we desire for young people through increasing their personal assets and decreasing the risk factors in their lives.

4-H Youth Development programs provide opportunities for youth through a multi-faceted approach: Club programming, 4-H Camp Wabasso, Operation Military Kids, Youth Ag Education, Youth Worker and Volunteer Training, and Community Outreach education.

4-H Clubs – Perhaps the single most recognized facet of the 4-H Youth Development program, a 4-H club is an organized group with geographic or subject matter boundaries at the community, neighborhood or school level, where youth participate in projects and activities year- round. Kids between the ages of 5 and 19 can participate in a community club or council, a family club, or as an independent member. 

4-H Military Clubs – 4-H clubs provide a “slice of home” and consistency for military youth, who must handle the difficulty of parents being deployed for long periods of time and/or who must move frequently.

Operation Military Kids is a two-part program designed to provide support for children of Reserve and National Guard families.

  • Part 1: Educating communities and youth workers about the culture of military families, particularly those facing a deployment
  • Part 2: Providing resources, assistance, and support to military families and children affected by the Overseas Contingency Operations.
     
  • Contact:
    Barbara Kessler, Educator
    bdk49@cornell.edu • 788-8450, ext. 232

After-School Programs – Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County is working in four North Country school districts to provide after-school programming to students.

The Advantage After School Program is implemented in the LaFargeville School District and Indian River School District providing after-school academic, social, and developmental activities for children in grades 2 through 8.

The Copenhagen Central School STARS Program provides before and after school  activities. The 21st Century Program is a partnership between the school district and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The Extended School Day Program at Lyme Central School provides after school academic and social developmental activities for children in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

The Panther LEAP Extended School Day Program at Belleville Henderson Central School provides morning and afternoon activities that combine physical activity with academic and social development for children in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Civic Ecology Education is a new educational approach that partners youth together with adults to improve their local ecosystem in some way. The partnerships formed among youth and adults can help create an environment of belonging and cause youth to be more involved in their communities. Civic Ecology programs help foster trust, civic and political participation, giving and volunteering, as well as involvement. Community gardening is only one of the various examples of a nature-based activity that engages military families with their communities, and can help military families better handle the stress of overseas deployments.

4-H Camp Wabasso – Since 1925, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County has coordinated a summer residential camping program. It has been located on Millsite Lake in the Town of Theresa since 1950. The 4-H camping program addresses the developmental needs of campers by providing opportunities for social, personal and educational growth within the context of the natural environment. Research has proven that a week at residential camp is equivalent to participation in an organized club for one year.

Youth Ag Programs – The Youth Agricultural Education program helps young people gain a greater awareness of the food and fiber system, and its role in the economy and society. Youth ag programming includes the Horse and Dairy Bowls, school enrichment programs such as Ag Extravaganza, tractor and farm safety courses, and animal exhibitions at the fair.