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Youth

4-H Youth Clubs

4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills.

The 4-H Youth program is a widely recognized nationwide program offered by Extension. It is a nonformal educational, youth development program offered to children as young as age 5 and in kindergarten to older teens, up to age 19. Each member is involved in hands-on, experiential projects that permit "learning by doing." All 4-H programs focus on active involvement and quality experiences that stimulate lifelong learning of values and skills. OSU Extension sponsors the 4-H Youth Development in Ohio: http://www.ohio4h.org/

Out of School Time (After-school) Programs

4-H offers after-school programs in many urban areas.

• Learn more about the Youth Outdoors program in Cuyahoga County by downloading a description: http://cuyahoga.osu.edu/4h/yoweb.pdf
• Learn more about Adventure Central's after-school programming at: http://www.adventurecentral.org/

For scholarly articles and links to national resources for After-school Programs, connect to OSU Extension's Out-of-School Web Site: http://outofschool.osu.edu

School Enrichment - Science Alive in the Classroom!

More and more elementary and middle school classrooms across Ohio are becoming involved in 4-H school enrichment programs. Guided by OSU Extension personnel or guided by the 4-H curriculum, students in the programs learn difficult science concepts through hands-on activities, developing valuable science skills as they apply science to real-life situations. The programs are designed to enhance existing classroom science units. Teacher-training workshops are available. Current program curriculum materials include: aquatic life; chick embryology; nutrition science; plant science; properties of liquids and changes in matter; rocketry and motion; water use and the water cycle; and weather.

To learn more, contact your local 4-H office. See the listing of county Extension offices at http://extension.osu.edu/counties.php and click on your county for more information. For more information about Science Alive!, go to its web site: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~scialive.

4-H Camps: An Opportunity of a Lifetime!

Each summer, thousands of kids from across the state attend one of many camps coordinated by OSU Extension's 4-H Youth Development program. Most Ohio 4-H camping programs focus on developing knowledge and skills related to outdoor education, creative arts, citizenship, recreational activities, singing, and other special activities that appeal to young people. Organized camping is an important "learning laboratory" where children develop life skills. Many important life skills are learned at camp that include responsibility, decision-making, getting along with others, cooperation, leadership, and increased self-esteem. Camper scholarships are often available - contact your county 4-H office.

Youth Workforce Development

OSU Extension provides programs that address Workforce Development for youth.

• Workforce Development Youth.pdf

The Knowledge Economy initiative of OSU Extension is connected to workforce development. More information on workforce development is available at the Knowledge Economy web site: http://knowecon.osu.edu

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Created: 2008-04-07, Updated: 2008-04-07