Youth standing outside holding green prize ribbons

4-H Youth Development

All youth activities offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County fall under the 4-H umbrella, whether they happen after school, in the summer, or as a workshop, club, camp, or special event. 4-H programs are offered in a wide variety of formats and places because they're designed to fit the interests and needs of the diverse young people who live in our rural and urban communities. 

Over 4,000 young people aged 5 to 19 take part in 4-H activities in Tompkins County each year. The program includes 4-H Clubs, 4-H Urban Outreach Programs, Rural Youth Services, and Primitive Pursuits.

4-H participants rowing a canoe on lake.

About 4-H

4-H is a worldwide youth development program available in every state and over eighty countries. It is open to all youth aged 5 to 19, who want to have fun, learn new skills, and explore the world.  In return, youth who participate in 4-H find a supportive environment and opportunities for hands-on or "experiential" learning about things that interest them. They also get what all young people need to succeed in life--the confidence, compassion and connections with caring adults to make contributions to their communities. The mission of Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development is to unleash the power of youth and adults through diverse opportunities that meet community needs.

Nationally 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

Citizenship - Civic engagement is the broadest mission mandate; it incorporates youth voice, leadership, respect, history, community youth development, SET, and Healthy Lifestyles.

Healthy Lifestyles - "Choose Health" is an initiative of the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program intended to help all of us confront and take action to change the statistics of childhood obesity.  This link includes project resources, promotional materials, and more!

Science, Engineering and Technology- Kids who participate in science activities outside of the classroom are more likely to be comfortable with science.