4-H

4-H is a youth organization administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension System with the mission of "empowering youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults". 4-H now serves over 9 million members from ages 8 to 19 in almost 100,000 clubs.

History

The foundations of 4-H began around the start of the 20th century, in the work of several people in different parts of the United States who were concerned about young people.

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The seed of the 4-H idea of practical and 'hands-on' learning came from the desire to make public school education more connected to country life. Early programs tied both public and private resources together for the purpose of helping rural youth.

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During this time, researchers at experiment stations of the land-grant university system and USDA saw that adults in the farming community did not readily accept new agricultural discoveries. But, educators found that youth would "experiment" with these new ideas and then share their experiences and successes with the adults.

Related Topics:
Land-grant university system - USDA

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So rural youth programs became a way to introduce new agriculture technology to the adults. A. B. Graham started one such youth program in Clark County, Ohio in 1902, which is considered the birth of the 4-H program in the United States. When Congress created the Cooperative Extension Service at USDA in 1914, it included within the CES the work of boys and girls clubs. These soon became organized as 4-H clubs?Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.

Related Topics:
Agriculture technology - A. B. Graham - Clark County - Ohio

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