About 4-H

4-H is a worldwide youth development program available in every state and over eighty countries. It is open to all youth aged 5-to-19, who want to have fun, learn new skills, and explore the world.  In return, youth who participate in 4-H find a supportive environment and opportunities for hands-on or "experiential" learning about things that interest them.  They also get what all young people need to succeed in life--the confidence, compassion and connections with caring adults to make contributions to their communities.  The mission of Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development is to unleash the power of youth and adults through diverse opportunities that meet community needs.

Nationally-4-H is a community of 6 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. The 4-H community also includes 3,500 staff, 518,000 volunteers and 60 million alumni. 4-H'ers participate in fun, hands-on learning activities, supported by the latest research of land-grant universities, that are focused on three areas:

Mission Mandates
Science, Engineering and Technology
Healthy Lifestyles
Citizenship

The foundation of our community lies within the 106 land-grant universities across the country that deliver research driven programs through Extension agents in each of the more than 3,000 counties. The 4-H leadership builds on the strength of our state and local professionals in partnership with the National 4-H Headquarters.