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 Official 4-H emblem | |
| Motto | "To make the best better." |
|---|---|
| Formation | Circa 1902 |
| Type | Youth organization |
| Legal status | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose | "Engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." |
| Headquarters | Chevy Chase, Maryland |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 6.5 million members in the United States, ages 5 to 21 |
Main organ | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) |
Parent organization | United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) |
| Website | 4-H.org |
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development."[1] The name represents four personal development areas for the organization's members: head, heart, hands, and health. The organization has over 6.5 million members in the United States. Members are five to 19 years old, in approximately 90,000 clubs.[2]
The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experiential learning programs and a positive youth development approach. Many people think of 4-H as an agriculturally-focused organization as a result of its history. But 4-H today focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering, and technology programs.
Today, 4-H and related programs exist in over eighty countries around the world. The organization and administration varies from country to country. Each of these programs operates independently. They cooperate in international exchanges, global education programs, and communications.
The 4-H motto is "To make the best better", while its slogan is "Learn by doing" (sometimes written as "Learn to do by doing").
- ↑ "The California 4-H Youth Development Program - Directions for the Decade Ahead" (PDF). Winter 2003. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ↑ National 4-H Council, National 4-H Headquarters Archived 2007-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, and e-mail dated December 3, 2007 from Suzanne Le Menestrel, National Program Leader, Youth Development Research, National 4-H Headquarters