Every year during National 4-H Week, millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities that 4-H offers.

The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week is Opportunity 4 All. 4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families and communities across the country.

The North Dakota 4-H youth development program provides these opportunities by offering leadership and learning opportunities in many subject areas such as communication and creative arts, consumer sciences, outdoor skills and shooting sports, and animal and plant sciences. It reaches youth in a variety of ways, including being a member of a 4-H club or participating in a camping, afterschool or school enrichment program.

“We’ve learned that in order for youth to thrive, we need to provide a variety of high-quality learning experiences and ones where youth feel like they belong and have relationships with supportive adults,” says Brad Cogdill, North Dakota State University Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development chair and state 4-H leader. “We strive to create opportunities for all youth to succeed and help them develop the skills they need to make a difference in the world.”

Last year, more than 6,300 youth participated in a 4-H club experience and 23,600 youth participated in NDSU Extension-sponsored youth learning experiences. The program also is supported by about 1,600 enrolled volunteers.

One of the most anticipated events of National 4-H Week is the 4-H STEM Challenge, formerly known as National Youth Science Day. The theme of this year’s event is Mars Base Camp. Developed by Google and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Mars Base Camp is a collection of activities that teach kids ages 8 to 14 STEM (science, technology, engineering arts and math) skills, including mechanical engineering, physics, computer science and agriculture.

4-H is a program of the nation’s Cooperative Extension System. In North Dakota, 4-H is conducted under the direction of NDSU and NDSU Extension. To learn more about how you can get involved, contact your county office of NDSU Extension. Information about 4-H as a national organization can be found at http://www.4-h.org.

NDSU Agriculture Communication

Source: Brad Cogdill, 701-231-7259, brad.cogdill@ndsu.edu

Editor: Ellen Crawford, 701-231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu