The 4-H youth development program is the youth outreach program of the Land-grant Universities’ Cooperative Extension Service 4-H serves as a model program for positive youth development. 4-H National Headquarters is housed in the Division of Youth and 4-H at NIFA. Additional support is provided to 4-H by National 4-H Council (a private, non-profit organization) and conducted through Land-grant university extension offices and USDA.
4-H National Headquarters (4-H HQ) strengthens and promotes healthy youth development by providing the tools young people need to act as responsible citizens and agents of community change. By understanding the complex experiences that youth face and promoting high quality youth leadership development, 4-H HQ helps youth meet the challenges of adolescence and transition to adulthood. Through youth-adult partnerships, the 4-H program connects youth and adults to their communities, preparing them for work and life.
The 4-H program is designed to engage youth and adults in intentional, experiential, and inquiry-based learning while providing emerging research to highlight positive youth development. To achieve this, 4-H HQ focuses on three key objectives:
- Access and Opportunity
- Learning
- Program Quality and Accountability