The Putnam County Youth Forum is an annual educational field trip is organized by teens and designed for Putnam County High School Students. During the Forum, Putnam high school students take part in hands-on, informative workshops, facilitated by professionals, on issues such as healthy lifestyles & eating disorders, internet safety and technology, law and order in the community, how to survive college, teen addictions, and much, much more. Each of the participating schools provide transportation to and from the event.
This positive youth development program is co-sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County's 4-H Youth Development Program, The Putnam County Youth Bureau, and NYS Office of Children and Family Services in partnership with all of the Putnam School Districts.
For 28 years, The Putnam County Youth Forum has been a full day, school supported, educational field trip – held at a local community venue with approximately 130 Putnam High School students attending annually.
This year's Putnam County Youth Forum will be held, in-person during April 2023 (date to be determined) at Camp Herrlich. Each of the participating Putnam High Schools will be providing transportation for their students to & from the event.
December – April.
Open to Putnam High School Students.
Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program and the Putnam County Youth Bureau are looking for high school teens to contribute an “active youth voice” by helping to organize, plan, carry-out and evaluate the Youth Forum. The students that serve on the Planning Committee select the topics of the workshops as well as the facilitators. The committee is made up of approximately 15 to 20 students from area high schools and meets bi-weekly under the direction of Dena Altavilla, 4-H Youth & Family Development Program Director with Cornell Cooperative Extension and Janeen Cunningham, Executive Director of the Putnam County Youth Bureau.
If you are interested in serving on the 2023 Putnam County Youth Forum Planning Committee, please
https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/Join_YOUTH_FORUM_Planning_2023_237
For additional information, contact Dena Altavilla, 4-H Youth & Family Program Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension by email at dla25@cornell.edu or call the 4-H Program at (845) 278-6738 for additional information.
Last updated September 12, 2022