4-H Youth Development of Douglas County

4-H is a national youth organization in which Kansans ages 7-18 years old participate in varied project interests and they benefit by gaining leadership experience and life skills. Volunteer leaders support our program by sharing their time, valuable skills and leadership to guide our youth to enact the 4-H Motto 'To Make the Best Better!'

4-H is a nationwide program. Each of the four H's of the clover represents ways youth can grow and develop.

• Head, critical thinking, problem-solving;
• Heart, self-discipline, integrity, communication;
• Hands, serving others; and
• Health, choosing healthy lifestyles.

Raising great kids is a challenging task, but it’s easier when you have a team of people behind you. 4-H clubs are groups of families that do just that. Through working together, families share knowledge and interests to help kids learn practical skills and important values.

4-H had its beginnings in rural America, but it now serves youth in urban and suburban as well as rural communities. Kansas 4-H is open to youth between the ages of 7 and 19. The new 4-H year starts in October, so many prefer to join 4-H at the start of the school year. 4-H enrollment, however, is open year-round, so youth can join any time. In order to show at the County Fair you must be enrolled by May 1.

4-H clubs generally meet monthly. These meetings give youth opportunities to share their project work (speak), plan community service activities, and practice running meetings. They may have 'sub-clubs' for individual projects, led by adults or teens within the club. For specialized projects like horses, many counties have county-wide project clubs that operate in a similar fashion.

To begin your 4-H journey, please read below to see links to view all community clubs and leader contact information in Douglas County.