4-H Clubs

What is a 4-H Club?

  • 4-H is a Youth Development program under Cornell Cooperative Extension.4-H provides opportunities through a variety of delivery methods.We offer community & special interest clubs, special interest programs such as 4-H Shooting Sports, and school enrichment.
  • A 4-H club is an organized group of boys & girls supported by volunteer leaders. The club conducts meetings & activities throughout the year.All 4-H volunteer leaders are trained & screened by staff.
  • Clubs may be categorized in a variety of ways—community clubs, special interest clubs, or after school clubs.
  • A typical 4-H club has a minimum of five members from more than one family.
  • The club determines how often they meet.Clubs may only have a couple of business meetings per year but have additional meetings where the members work on their projects or go on a field trip.
  • Each member MUST complete one project during the course of the year
  • Projects are when subject matter skills taught through hands-on experiences.Learning to prepare meals, plant a garden & raise an animal are just a few examples. There are opportunities for building STEM, Healthy Living, Citizenship, & Leadership skills.
  • Each club MUST complete a single community service project.
  • The annual fee is $5 per youth or $10 per family (these are paid to the Cornell Cooperative Extension office and cover the cost of printing the newsletter and secondary insurance)
  • Washington County 4-H program does offer individual membership for youth whose club has disbanded or there is no available club in their area that meets their interests and age level.
  • In addition to club participation, Washington County 4-H offers many other opportunities:
    • Animal Sciences skillathons
    • Public Presentations
    • 4-H Tractor & ATV Safety
    • 4-H Shooting Sports
    • 4-H Teen Council
    • State & National trips
  • 4-H offers youth the opportunity to form positive relationships with others, develop citizenship, leadership & life skills, build competence & confidence, give back to the community, have fun, and make new friends. All of these create supportive learning environments in which diverse youth can reach their fullest potential.

Contact

Chrys Nestle
4-H & Family Living Issue Leader
cpn2@cornell.edu
(518) 746-2560

Last updated November 3, 2022