About Arkansas 4-H

4-H is the premier youth development program conducted by the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service.

4-H--the four H’s we emphasize are: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health--is designed to prepare young people to step up to the challenges in their communities and provide youth with the skills to lead for a lifetime. The core elements of 4-H include youth leadership, youth-adult partnerships, life skills learning, and community service. 4‑H programs are grounded in the belief that youth learn best by doing. 4-H members complete hands-on projects in areas like science, health, agriculture, and citizenship in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.  

4-H offers a wide variety of hands-on learn-by-doing opportunities for everyone.

Youth can concentrate on one area or they can try an assortment of programs throughout their 4‑H experience. Based on their interests and guided by adult mentors, youth develop their own pathway in 4‑H with the ultimate goal of learning life skills to help them thrive today and tomorrow.

4-H is conducted in many forms including community clubs, special interest projects, in-school clubs, on military installations, and more, so you can be a part of 4-H wherever you live. Youth between the ages of 5 and 19 are invited to join the 133,000 young people involved in the Arkansas 4-H program.