4-H is a community of 6 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. The 4-H community also includes 3,500 staff, 518,000 volunteers and 60 million alumni. 4-H'ers participate in fun, hands-on learning activities, supported by the latest research of land-grant universities, that are focused on three areas:

Mission Mandates

1. Science, Engineering and Technology
2. Healthy Living
3. Citizenship

The foundation of our community lies within the 106 land-grant universities across the country that deliver research driven programs through Extension agents in each of the more than 3,000 counties. The 4-H leadership builds on the strength of our state and local professionals in partnership with the National 4-H Headquarters.

The 4-H Pledge

I pledge my Head to clearer thinking,
my Heart to greater loyalty,
my Hands to larger service,
and my Health to better living
. . . for my club, my community, my country and my world.

4-H didn't really start in one time or place. It 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.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.

During this time, researchers at experiment stations of the land-grant college 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.

So rural youth programs became a way to introduce new agriculture technology to the adults. A.B. Graham started one such youth program in Ohio in 1902. It is considered the birth of the 4-H program in the U.S. When Congress created the Cooperative Extension Service at USDA in 1914, it included boys' and girls' club work. This soon became known as 4-H clubs - Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.

Nearing its 50th anniversary, 4-H began to undergo several changes. In 1948, a group of American young people went to Europe, and a group of Europeans came to the United States on the first International Farm Youth Exchange. Since then, thousands of young people have participated in 4-H out-of-state trips and international exchanges. 4-H began to extend into urban areas in the 1950's.

Later, the basic 4-H focus became the personal growth of the member. Life skills development was built into 4-H projects, activities and events to help youth become contributing, productive, self-directed members of society. The organization changed in the 1960's, combining 4-H groups divided by gender or race into a single integrated program.

Click Here to View the 4-H Timeline

For your convenience we have provided a library of resources that will provide you with more details about the 4-H movement.

• 4-H FAQ's
• Fact Sheet: Youth Development
• Fact Sheet: Youth Statistics
• Don Floyd, CEO Bio
• Board of Trustees
• 4-H Caucus
• NAE4-HA
• National 4-H Conference
  

To contact National 4-H Council
7100 Connecticut Avenue
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
301-961-2800

If you have questions about national level programs or policies, please contact National 4-H Headquarters:
1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Stop 2225
Washington, DC 20250-2225
202-720-2908

If you have questions for the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA), the professional organization for those dedicated to promoting, strengthening, enhancing and advocating for the 4-H youth development profession, please call 1-704-333-3234

Please direct all other requests, questions, or comments about 4-H to: info@fourhcouncil.edu

New research shows that youth development programs like 4-H play a special and vital role in the lives of America's young people. According to The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, youth have the capacity to thrive when presented with the resources for healthy development found in families, schools, and communities, regardless of background, socioeconomic status, race, or gender.

Visit The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development to download the just-released second Annual Report.

National 4-H Council is the national, private sector non-profit partner of 4-H and the Cooperative Extension System. National 4-H Council focuses on fundraising; brand management; communications; legal and fiduciary support to national and state 4-H programs; and operation of the full-service National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Md., and the National 4-H Supply Service, the authorized agent for items bearing the 4-H Name and Emblem.

View the latest National 4-H Council Annual Report or visit the National 4-H Council page to learn more.

National 4-H Headquarters at USDA is the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) flagship youth development program. CSREES partners with the Land-Grant University System to create youth development outreach programs that take the university knowledge and expertise to youth in rural, suburban, and urban communities. CSREES also partners with public and private agricultural and nonagricultural sectors and other federal, state, and local agencies in program development and support.

Visit the National 4-H Headquarters page to learn more.

Enrollment Figures

Per our 2007 figures, we currently have 6 million youth enrolled in our programs.  Young people of both genders and all ethnicities, races and ages, from urban, suburban and rural areas participate in 4-H programs. Please see below for our reach and geographic distributions.

Reach Source: National 4-H Headquarters (2007) and organization web sites and annual reports (updated January 2007)