Union County students in grades 1-12 are invited to join a 4-H Club this fall and explore popular fields from cooking, archery to art, coding and more. Youth in their first year after graduating from high school can also join.
4-H Clubs are organized by age and topic. The members meet with an adult club leader on a monthly basis during the school year to plan activities and programs. Each club emphasizes the ability of students to learn, organize and communicate with activities appropriate for their age. For the school year 2023 – 2024, the clubs are:
- Cooking Club, grades 4-12
- 4-H Service Club, grades 8-12
- Sewing Club, grades 6-12
- Gardening Club, grades 4-12
- Lego Robotics Club, grades 5-8
- 1st-3rd Grade 4-H Club, grades 1-3
- Craft Club, grades 4-12
- Engineering Club, grades 4-5
- 4-H Horse Club, grades 1-12
- 4-H Archery Club, grades 4-12
The national 4-H youth program is the largest youth development program in the U.S. As a program of U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4-H encourages students to develop expertise in a subject of their own choosing, and share their knowledge to benefit the community.
Union County 4-H is run by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County and supported in part by the Union County Board of County Commissioners. The majority of the clubs meet at Union County’s Colleen Fraser Building at 300 North Avenue, East in Westfield on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. 4-H Clubs are organized by age and topic. The members meet with an adult club leader on a monthly basis during the school year to plan activities and programs.
Participation in 4-H is associated with better grades at school, and a stronger interest in taking science classes, attending college, and contributing to the community. A recent Tufts University study that as a group, girls who join 4-H clubs are especially likely to demonstrate positive behaviors.
4-H clubs run from October to June. To sign up for a club email 4-H Youth Development Agent, James Nichnadowicz at jnichnadowicz@ucnj.org . For more information about all Union County Extension programs, including 4-H, Master Tree Stewards and Master Gardeners, visit ucnj.org/rce .