Ritchie County 4-H

What is 4-H? 

4-H is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States involving more than 6.5 million young people and 540,000 youth and adult volunteers. The focus is on helping youth learn leadership, citizenship, and life skills by participating in projects and service.

Membership is open to any youth when he/she is in at least 9 years of age and is not older than 21 within the current 4-H year, which runs from October 1 – September 30. The Cloverbud program is open to youths ages 5-7 years of age. On a local level 4-H offers community clubs, specialty clubs, cloverbud clubs, county camp(s), club outings, Achievement Banquet, and more! In 4-H youth socialize, learn, and develop life skills in a safe, educational atmosphere.

Studies show that 4-H members

• do better in school
• are more motivated to help others
• feel safe to try new things
• achieve a sense of self-esteem
• develop lasting friendships

West Virginia 4-H Volunteer Opportunities

West Virginia 4-H offers opportunities that can give youth an edge in life. Our program provides a variety of volunteer opportunities for adults.

Caring Adults act as advisers and leaders for clubs, camps and activities. Each is selected, screened and trained by the WVU Extension professionals who guide the 4-H program.

Neighborhood Clubs give older and younger members a place to belong, a place to identify and a place to practice positive values, build leadership and have fun!

Special Events and Programs at the local, state and national levels support educational and developmental goals through camps, skill development events, exhibits, fairs and challenging contests.

Individualized Learning Experiences let each child choose from more than 100 projects to develop unique interests and skills and explore new ideas. Each project is developed by experts to help children learn by doing.

Leadership Development is nurtured with special emphasis placed on developing communication and decision-making skills.

If you are interested in volunteering with 4-H programs, please read about our selection process at the link below and contact your County Extension Office.

Adult Volunteer Selection Process