4-H & NC State: Leading Together
4-H and NC State are dedicated to producing outstanding citizen leaders. The relationship between the program and the University is unique: 4-H is the only youth organization whose operations are based at the land-grant university. 4-H thus serves as the first exposure many youth may have with the world of higher education. Through 4-H programs, young people master skills to make career and life choices; connect with communities and learn to give back to others; mature in self-discipline and responsibility; learn to better understand themselves; become independent thinkers; and develop lifelong friendships and long-term relationships with caring adults.
4-H is the youth development program of the NC Cooperative Extension System in collaboration with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The program is managed by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at NC State and the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina A&T. Extension 4-H agents conduct program efforts in 100 counties and at the Qualla Cherokee Indian Reservation.
"4-H & NC State: Leading Together" will be on display in the Exhibits Gallery in the East Wing of D. H. Hill Library between January and June 2011. For information about visiting D. H. Hill Library, please visit the Libraries' Directions & Parking page.
The exhibit features a mobile component that includes images from the NCSU Libraries University Archives. The mobile component can be previewed in a web browser.
I pledge my head to clearer thinking...
4-H helps young people see their potential. From beginning club projects to advanced robotics, 4-H believes in learning by doing. Through hands-on experiences in civic situations, career exploration, and applied sciences, 4-H puts today's students on the road to being tomorrow's leaders.
4-H club leaders work with schools and school boards across the state to provide curriculum enrichment and support for programs that encourage learning by doing. 4-H science programs range from agricultural and animal sciences to rocketry, renewable energy, and computer science. In 2010, NC 4-H'ers completed nearly 181,000 science activities and projects with the mentorship and guidance of their club leaders and public school teachers.
I pledge my heart to greater loyalty...
Through wide-ranging experiences working with others, 4-H shows youth how to get along in a diverse and rapidly changing world. Beginning in local communities and reaching out nationally and internationally, 4-H'ers develop relationships that cultivate empathy and understanding. Caring for and relating to others is at the heart of 4-H.
I pledge my hands to greater service...
4-H provides youth with opportunities to learn the value of work and experience firsthand the joy of giving through satisfying and constructive service projects. For engaged, productive young people, responsible citizenship emerges naturally. Working cooperatively to achieve common goals, 4-H'ers "grow" themselves and their communities stronger.
A core element of 4-H youth development is the nurturing of leadership skills through cooperative experience.
I pledge my health to better living...
Being a productive, contributing member of your community is easy when you're healthy, happy, and clear-headed. Through educational programs from enrichment to mentorship, camping and leadership development, 4-H helps young people find the knowledge and gain the skills that are integral to growing strong bodies and minds.
"4-H trains youth in the art of better living." L. R. Harrill
NC State was created to improve the lives of North Carolinians. As an early land-grant college, its mission was to facilitate research and provide Extension services that would supply practical, hands-on learning opportunities, connecting public higher education with rural life. The mission of 4-H, as it emerged in the early twentieth century, was integrally tied to that of NC State. This remains true, as the Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences is positioned to respond to some of the most important issues facing North Carolinians today.