program dates
July 10-15, 2022
application due
Application packet due to Lisa Rothenburger (rothenburger@njaes.rutgers.edu) by end-of-day December 10th, 2021
Plans for Citizenship Washington Focus 2022 are underway. The conference is scheduled for July 10-15, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland. NJ is planning to send a group of approximately twenty (20) 4-H members from across the state and 2 adult chaperones to the conference. You must apply and will be notified sometime in late January if you have been chosen to be a part of the delegation.
Program Overview:
Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) is National 4-H Council’s premier leadership and civic engagement experience held each summer in the Washington, DC area. It is a week-long event (Sunday - Friday) for 4-H members in grades 9-12 (14-19 years old). The program is based on the principle that democracy requires skills and strategies that must be learned and practiced and it teaches participants to be active, responsible citizens and leaders. The program utilizes Washington, DC as a working classroom to learn about the government, citizenship and civic engagement and provides hands-on opportunities for our teens to promote “Better Citizens Today, Better Leaders Tomorrow."
The New Jersey delegates will travel by coach bus for the week and will experience all that Washington, DC has to offer. We will join approximately 250 4-H members representing a variety of states.
During the CWF program week, delegates will:
Strengthen communication, leadership, and civic engagement skills on a national level
Understand the importance of Youth Voice and the skills necessary to make change in your community, such as civil discourse and media literacy
Exchange ideas, practice respect, and form friendships with other youth from diverse backgrounds
Experience hands-on learning using the historical backdrop of our nation’s capital city, Washington, DC, as your classroom
Create a plan and work with your fellow delegates to develop the steps to carry out the plan upon your return home, to make a difference in your community.