Who Can Join 4-H?
If you've heard that 4-H is for farm kids only, think again.
4-H reaches youngsters in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. In fact, 4-H is the largest youth organization in the world. Anyone aged 8-18 may participate in the 4-H Youth Development programs in Pennsylvania. 4-H is the youth development education program administered through Penn State Cooperative Extension office in all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.

What Do 4-Hers Do?
Members can participate in group events, or they can explore their own special interests on an individual basis.

4-H activites include:

• clubs
• overnight & day camps
• interstate & international exchanges
• fairs, shows, and competitions
• state, national, and international 4-H leadership events
  

What is the Cost?
The only expense for members is a yearly $10 materials education fee, to help pay for project books, resource materials, curriculum development, and program marketing.

Major Program Areas:

• 4-H Dairy
• 4-H Horse
• 4-H Dog & Cat
• 4-H Environmental
• 4-H Livestock
• 4-H Leisure Education
• Cloverbuds
• Science & Technology
• Family & Consumer Sciences
• Leadership & Personal Development
• Communication & Expressive Arts

List of 4-H Clubs in your area - click

List of 4-H Projects - click

How Do I Join 4-H? - click

How Do I Become a 4-H Volunteer?

• The Volunteer Job Description - click
• The Screening Process - click

4-H Picture Album
"See the Opportunities" - click

Meet Your Coordinators

• Tia Steinfelt
• Tom Maloney

• 4-H Dairy

4-H members select and care for one or more registered or grade calves, heifers, or cows and keep records each year. An overnight clinic is available to prepare members in showing, fitting, and animal husbandry skills for the 4-H Dairy Roundup at the Troy Fair. Other opportunities for dairy members include Dairy Judging and Dairy Bowl.

• 4-H Horse

The Pennsylvania 4-H Horse curriculm emphasizes safety and horsmanship skills. Horse clinics are held in the spring, to prepare members for the 4-H Horse & Pony RoundUp the first Saturday in August. Other facets of the program are Horse Production, Competitive Trail Riding, and the Model Horse project. Other opportunities for members are Horse Judging, Horse Bowl, and Hippology.

• 4-H Dog & Cat

4-H members care for and train a dog or cat during dog obedience and cat projects. 4-Hers may also choose to participate in the Guiding Eye Project in which members train a puppy to become a Guiding Eye Dog for the blind. An overnight clinic is available in the spring, teaching obedience and management skills. Other opportunities include a Canine Super Bowl.

• 4-H Environmental

Environmental Education and Earth Sciences (including Forestry) - 4-H members can learn tree identification in the forestry project, discover insects that lived 300 million years ago, start a vegetable garden in their back yards, or become a wildlife detective in a Wildlife project book. Other opportunities include the Pennsylvania 4-H Forestry Field Day.

• 4-H Livestock

4-H members select and care for one or more beef, goat, rabbit, sheep, and swine and keep a record each year. An overnight clinic is available to prepare members in showing, fitting, and animal husbandry skills for the 4-H Beef, Goat, Rabbit, Sheep, and Swine Roundups at the Troy Fair. Other opportunities for livestock members include Livestock and Meats Judging and Rabbit/Cavy Bowl.

• 4-H Leisure Education

Leisure Education (including Shooting Sports) - Practice the safety and proper use of an air rifle, pistol, rifle, shot gun, and bow and arrow. 4-Her members also participate in camping and hiking, orienteering, and bicycling projects. Other opportunities include competing at the state level in air pistol, air rifle, archery, orienteering, rifle, or shotgun.

• Cloverbuds

Cloverbuds is a pre-4-H Program for children age 5 to 8. It offers noncompetitive, age-appropriate activities designed to help children learn about life. The activities are brief, uncomplicated, and hands-on. Topics include: weather, reccycling, staying fit & safe, caring for pets & plants, feathered friends, nutrition, and numberous others.

• 4-H Science & Technology

4-Hers discover magnetics and electronics in the electricity project, construct and launch rockets in the rocketry project, understand how a small gas engine works in the small gas engine project, or construct a wooden project together in the wood science project.

• 4-H Family & Consumer Sciences

Learn to cook, sew, plan nutritious meals, baby sit, create a budget, and exercise character and family values. Other opportunities include Regional and State Fashion Revue, Food and Nutrition Contest, and the Physical Fitness contest.

• 4-H Leadership & Personal Development

Teen members, ages 13-18, have the opportunity to learn leadership skills and problem solving techniques through a variety of fun activities. Youth are encouraged to set and achieve goals, make important decisions, manage their time, become involved in 4-H or community activities, and develop communication skills. Other opportunities include participating in a Teen Retreat, becoming a 4-H Camp counselor, and joining Teen County Council while running county events, organizing an interstate exchange, and planning several fundraisers and community service learning events.

• 4-H Communication & Expressive Arts

A variety of projects are offered that improve communication and artistic skills including arts and crafts, marketing, photography, public speaking, and theatre arts. Other opportunities include a public speaking and photography contest at the county and state level.