4-H
Mississippi 4-H is proud to offer programs and growth opportunities that put the heads, hearts, hands, and health of Mississippi's youth to work learning and applying the essential elements of the 4-H program: belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity.
How do I join 4-H?
Your local county Extension office is your key to getting started in 4-H. They can tell you which 4-H clubs already exist in your county, the projects that are being worked on, how to start a new club, or how to participate on your own.
What is the mission of 4-H?
4-H Youth Development Education creates supportive environments for culturally diverse young people and adults to reach their fullest potential. In support of this mission, we will:
- Provide formal and non-formal community-focused experiential learning
- Develop skills that benefit young people throughout life
- Foster leadership and volunteerism in 4-H'ers and adults
- Build internal and external partnerships for programming and funding
- Strengthen families and communities
- Use research-based knowledge and land-grant system to provide quality programming for young people and adults.
Publications
News
RAYMOND, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service Center for 4-H Youth Development recently received a grant that will help close the digital divide in the state. The one-year, $53,000 grant from the National 4-H Council and Verizon will help implement the 4-H Tech Changemakers program. The program enlists 4-H members to teach digital skills that can provide more opportunities, including better jobs, to adults in their communities.
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a native and resident of Brookhaven, observes the Lincoln County 4-H display that is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” exhibition at the Lincoln County Library.
Senior 4-H'ers gathered together on MSU's campus during the summer for State 4-H Congress. (Photo by MSU Extension)
One of the best kept secrets out there is 4-H!
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A Mississippi State University Extension instructor has been selected to a national Extension Foundation committee focused on improving mental health.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- In Mississippi, 230,000 residents lack access to high-speed internet and the many benefits it offers, but the Mississippi State University Extension Service is working to help change that. Devon Mills, an assistant Extension professor of agricultural economics, is leading an effort to build an inventory of all the organizations in the state working to promote digital skills and literacy. This effort, called the Mississippi Digital Asset Mapping Project, is helping spread the word about a survey to help construct that inventory.
Success Stories
She grew up in the 4-H youth development program in Indiana, and her husband was in Ohio 4-H. Fast-forward a few years, and Inez Saum became a volunteer leader for Mississippi 4-H.
“Slow down. Relax. Focus. Find your balance. Imagine your problems are the arrow, but you are the bow. The string is God’s power, handling all the work. The bow holds the string that shoots the arrow.”
Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important, and so is knowing where your food comes from, how to grow it yourself, and how to harvest and prepare it. Veteran educator Jana Everett believes children need to learn all these lessons.
When Johnny O. Scott was approached 5 years ago about volunteering to lead a group of young people interested in practicing archery, he jumped at the chance.
When the Mississippi State University Extension Service started organizing 4-H Kayaking Clubs, Kim Gowdy, Extension agent in Jackson County, was convinced it would be a great fit for local youth.
Watch
