4-H & Youth

About 4-H

In 4‑H, we believe in the power of young people. We see that every child has valuable strengths and real influence to improve the world around us. We are America’s largest youth development organization—empowering nearly six million young people across the U.S. with the skills to lead for a lifetime.

4‑H is a Community

4‑H is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing. Kids complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and citizenship, in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles. Kids experience 4‑H in every county and parish in the country—through in-school and after-school programs, school and community clubs and 4‑H camps.

Framing 4-H Positive Youth Development

Learn more about the science of Positive Youth Development (PYD) in 4-H and the 4-H Thriving Model through this 4-min video: Framing 4-H Positive Youth Development - YouTube. The video explains how PYD is not left to chance in 4-H, but rather accomplished by intentionally following the 4-H Thriving model to create high quality 4-H settings and promote youth thriving.

4-H Weekly Updates

Stay up-to-date with our weekly email updates! Contact Kristin at klf37@cornell.edu to join the listserv.

Last updated December 14, 2023