4-H activities have purpose—to develop each of the four H’s (head, heart, hands, and health.) While 4-H activities are indeed fun, their purpose is not just for entertainment but rather learning skills and values through putting them into practice. Members choose from a wide range of individual projects, based on their interests and the availability of a knowledgeable adult in the community to ser
ve as a mentor/leader (matching facilitated through clubs). Through these projects, members set goals, learn the skills needed to achieve goals, and exhibit/demonstrate their skills at events like county fairs, speaking contests and other competitions.
4-H believes that families need each other (along with knowledgeable, caring people in the community) to grow great kids. Through working together, families can leverage each other’s skills, knowledge and strengths rather than just their own, giving support to each other in the process. 4-H believes these family/community networks are the most effective way to develop great kids, and 4-H is the conduit through which these networks happen. These networks of families and knowledgeable friends (adult volunteers) within communities are called 4-H clubs. Clubs can take many forms, but they share several fundamental traits:
-They are made up of families and adult volunteers from the community
-They are multi-age (for youth aged 7-18), though they often have activities within them for particular ages
-Pre-teens and teenagers take leadership roles in both making the club work and teaching younger members, under the supervision of adults
