4-H Youth Development

4-H is a fun adventure every day.

Meet new friends, across the street and across the state. Explore careers. Win prizes. Build robots. Innovate. Teach. Create. Bake. Craft. Dream. Grow. Serve. In 4-H, you decide what your club does, with the help of caring adult leaders. The more you do, the greater your chances of earning college scholarships and trips to national conferences. 4-H is the place where you belong and are part of a life-changing group of friends. It's where you decide what matters most to you and learn about things that interest you. And, it's the place where you serve in the community where you live.

Parents, in 4-H, your child will build skills they’ll need to be successful—at home, at school, and in their community, while they explore amazing career opportunities. 4-H mentors empower young people to set goals and achieve big dreams. Your child will feel safe and welcomed while they pursue personal interests and build confidence in their skills. 4-H serves all youth from age 5 to 18.  

You may think that 4-H is just for kids who live on farms. That’s just not true! Although 4-H started on farms, it's expanded as families have moved to urban areas. Although some 4-H members own livestock animals, lots of members choose other projects such as aerospace, visual arts, gardening, photography, or robotics. 

You Matter to Us

We welcome all young people. Any youth, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, or disability may enroll as a 4-H member. A youth who enrolls in a 4-H club must attend at least one meeting, tour, workshop, or other activity of that club to be called a 4-H member. And, 4-H members must be enrolled in at least one project. A young person can be a member of multiple 4-H clubs within a county in Illinois. Youth are expected to join the 4-H program in the county where they live.

County 4-H Programs

• Clark County 4-H
• Crawford County 4-H
• Edgar County 4-H