Youth & Teen Programs
Leadership Grows Here
People are often amazed at the skills that 4-H members can demonstrate. From inside the program, we understand those skills are seldom “natural gifts,” they are the outcomes of commitment.
Our young people work hard through repeated attempts, facing both small successes and failures, as they slowly build mastery in their project, public speaking and leadership skills. Our leaders are experts at nurturing resilience. Through caring, encouragement and support we help teens reach their goals.
The Statewide 4-H Teen Programs do not spring out of a magical clover, fully formed. They are also built slowly: with commitment, with teens and volunteers focused on growing. Leadership sprouts in the club programs, it gets nurtured with county and regional projects and slowly, our members grow tall enough to see the summits of state and national 4-H program opportunities. State and National Teen Opportunities are almost ALL structured with opportunities and expectations for teen contribution. Their ideas, their voices and their efforts are essential to sustaining their programs. We start building those skills early.
Our leadership programs begin with local county leaders and volunteers participating in youth-adult partnerships that give young people opportunities for leadership.
This website will provide direction for engaging in each tier of the 4-H youth leadership program.
4-H Youth have numerous opportunities to be a leader at the county, district, state, and national level. Click the links in the left sidebar to view leadership opportunities and apply!
Know Your Government
Know Your Government (KYG) is a civic education program with a four-year rotating topic: The Legislative System, The Judicial System, Elections and Party Platforms, and Politics and the Media. It is important to remember, though, that KYG is much more than learning about how the Legislative process works. In fact, one could argue that it is little about that.
KYG and 4-H are about learning the life skills our delegates will need to be responsible citizens and productive adults.
The conference is an opportunity for delegates to practice the skills they have learned, apply their knowledge to unknown situations, and reflect on how they did.
4-H Teen Conference
High-school aged teens (those who have completed 8th grade and up) are encouraged to come to the Pullman Campus of Washington State University in June of 2025 for the Washington State 4-H Teen Conference.
Some highlights include: touring the beautiful Pullman campus of WSU, staying in college dormitories, eating at WSU’s dining center, and attending workshops and tours to highlight career pathways and opportunities. We will include workshops to help youth begin preparing for college applications, scholarship applications, choosing a college major, and choosing a career pathway. We will also have opportunities for leadership development, service projects, team-building activities, and FUN!
Rallies
Rallies are a weekend get-away for educational workshops, learning more about 4-H, and listening to motivational speakers, while have fun and meeting youth from other counties! District youth representatives for State Ambassadors are elected at the rallies.
Scholarships
Washington State 4-H is pleased to offer several different scholarships. Scholarship eligibility varies. Applicants must have accumulated at least two years of 4-H affiliation. Previous Washington State 4-H scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply.