Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County

425 Pennsylvania Ave
Elmira, NY 14904
607 734 4453

4-H Youth Development

The four Hs (head, heart, hands, and health) represent four basic human needs: independence, belonging, generosity, and mastery. Research shows that youth whose basic needs are met in positive ways are likely to grow into active citizens and contributing members of their families and communities.

4-H helps children fulfill these needs. By combining project activities with opportunities to go to camp, publicly show their work, travel, host international youth, and attend meetings and events at Cornell University, 4-H provides a framework on which young people can build self-confidence, responsibility, and generosity.

National 4-H Week

This year the theme for the National 4-H week is “Keeping It Green.” Youth are encouraged to raise awareness about environmental issues and initiate environmental projects that make a positive difference in their communities. In Chemung County, we are adopting the "Keeping It Green" theme for the entire year and at fair. 4-H’ers are encouraged to solve problems in their communities, raise awareness about environmental issues, and make a difference for their futures in the spirit of 4-H’s vision to create a world in which youth and adults learn, grow, and work together as catalysts for positive change.

Environmental Stewardship is the concept of teaching young people how to proactively serve their communities as conservators and protectors of the environment. The Chemung County 4-H program has taken several steps to help make a difference. For example, we actively seek to reduce the amount of paper we use by encouraging families to be connected online. The Internet is our number one tool for communicating with you, so make sure you share your email address with the Chemung County 4-H program.

What does Chemung County 4-H offer?