4-H’ers across the nation are responding to challenges every day in their communities and their world. With an expansive network reaching every corner of the country, 4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization. More than 6 million 4-H youth in urban neighborhoods, suburban schoolyards and rural farming communities stand out among their peers: building revolutionary opportunities an
d implementing community-wide change at an early age. As the youth development program of the nation’s 109 land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System, 4-H fosters an innovative, “learn by doing” approach with proven results. The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal study conducted by the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, shows youth engaged with 4-H are:
•Nearly two times more likely to get better grades in school;
•Nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college;
•41 percent less likely to engage in risky behaviors; and
•25 percent more likely to positively contribute to their families and communities. The 4-Hs
Head, Heart, Hands, and Health are the four Hs in 4-H, and they are the four values members work on through fun and engaging programs.
•Head - Managing, Thinking
•Heart - Relating, Caring
•Hands - Giving, Working
•Health - Being, Living
