What is 4-H Youth Development?
What makes it different from other youth programs?

Why is This a Key?

4-H is an international youth organization that involves adults in helping youth learn.

Through 4-H, young people can:

• Gain knowledge and skills on a subject of interest to them through “hands-on” activities explored in a group setting.
• Develop leadership skills through learning how to manage their own clubs.
• Develop speaking skills by taking part in meetings and sharing what they have learned with others.
• Learn critical thinking and record keeping skills as they analyze what they are learning.
• Share their talents with others through service as they learn about how their community works.

Keys to Understanding

The 4-H approach to youth development includes the following key elements:

• It uses the skills and interests of caring adults to reach and teach youth.
• It provides an emotionally and physically safe environment to encourage learning and personal growth.
• 4-H offers opportunities for young people to feel empowered by mastery of subjects of interest.
• 4-H activities engage the young learner in activities designed to help them do, reflect, and apply.
• It helps youth to feel “connected” to others by encouraging youth to value and practice service.
• It promotes a “Club” format to allow youth to practice self-determination and develop leadership skills.

What Key People are Saying

In Ohio the mission of 4-H youth development is to create positive environments for diverse youth and adults to reach their fullest potential as capable, competent, caring, and contributing citizens. — Dr. Jeff King, State 4-H Leader, Ohio, 2001

Our members choose their own officers and serve on committees in the Club. They learn responsibility and the need for peer support. This makes the project learning experience better for them. It helps them to be leaders later in school clubs. — Elizabeth Williams-Young, 4-H Advisor, East Cleveland, 1999

Keying In

Below are several statements about young people in groups and in learning situations. Can you relate each to one of the four H’s listed below? Select the “H” word from the list next to each statement which you feel describes that statement.

Key Resources

• Dalzell, Julie, What is 4-H Youth Development? (1999)
  Extension Fact Sheet 4H-002-99, Columbus, OH, The Ohio State University
• 4-H Green Page 4-H Advisors’ Handbook (1995)
  Columbus, OH, The Ohio State University, pp. 4—8
• King, Jeff, Ohio 4-H Youth Development in the 21^st Century (2001)
  Columbus, OH, The Ohio State University
• What is 4-H? (1989)
  Columbus, OH, The Ohio State University

Teaching Outlines

We hope you found this material helpful. If you did and would like to use it as the topic of a training session with other youth leaders (time - Approx. 1 hour), select the topic(s) of interest to you below, fill in your E-mail Address and click “Send!”send this page to us at the address below:

4-H Keys for Leaders
2490 Lee Boulevard, Suite 108
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

We will contact you with more information about our Teaching Outlines.

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This youth leader's guide my be reproduced and distributed for educational purposes if the following attribution is made under the title of the guide:

A PUBLICATION OF
Gregory P Siek, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Cuyahoga County
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION, CUYAHOGA COUNTY

Unless otherwise noted, all material within may be distributed freely for educational purposes. Anyone redistributing the material must include this copyright notice and must use the appropriate citation including the URL. Credit should also given to Diamond Advertising, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, for development of web-based format. Also, we would appreciate users sending notice to Gregory P. Siek as to how the material is being used. No reproduction for commercial use is given without a written permission agreement.

Series developed with grant support from Ohio 4-H Foundation, 2004.