4-H Youth Development

What is 4-H?

4-H is America’s largest youth development organization—empowering nearly six million young people around the world, 4-H type clubs now exist in at least 82 countries.

4-H is everywhere–in cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural communities.

Who Can Join 4-H?

4-H is open to every youth, ages 5 to not yet 19, without discrimination!

4-H “age” is determined by the age of the youth by October 1st of the current 4-H year.

Shooting sports and large animal projects require youth to be at least 8 years of age, as of October 1st, to participate.

How much does it cost?

The Washington State University State 4-H Fee is $25 per youth, due in October of each year. Mason County 4-H does not have any additional fee.

Some clubs may have additional fees, or fundraising opportunities, to cover the cost of projects, please check with the club for more information.

Member fee scholarships are available, no youth will be denied access to 4-H programs due to their ability to pay. Please fill out this scholarship request form.

How do I get started?

The first step is to find a club you are interested in joining. The active clubs in Mason County can be found on the join 4-H page located here: Current Club List

Please contact the club leader and they can tell you the club meeting time, location, required attendance and the parent volunteer requirements. They will be able to answer any of your questions about joining their club.

Next, attend a club meeting to see if it is a good fit for you and your youth member. If it is not a good fit, you are welcome to try another club!

Finally, enroll in 4-H online and participate as a 4-H member!

Youth members and adult volunteers can enroll online at: https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in

If you have specific questions now, please contact 4-H Program Coordinator, Heather Doran heather.doran@wsu.edu

What projects can I participate in?

In 4-H youth get to decide what project to participate in. Each club will decide together which projects they will offer each year. Some of the active projects in Mason County:

• Animals: rabbit, poultry, dog, goat, horseless horse, sheep, alpaca
• Shooting Sports: Archery
• Arts: sewing, photography, creative arts
• Sciences: STEM, robotics, coding, electronics, drones

How do I become a certified adult volunteer?

Potential volunteers will need to create a profile in 4-H Online, enroll, complete a volunteer application packet, and required training. After this is done the 4-H Program Coordinator will schedule a time to meet (phone, in person or zoom) and answer your questions to help you get started!

For the application packet, training and links – check out our volunteer page.

I don’t see a club I’m interested in, what now?

We are always excited to help start new clubs with willing volunteers. 4-H Program Coordinator, Heather Doran, will help you get started. The first step, is to become a certified 4-H volunteer. We can help you by; deciding on projects and a club name, making flyers if you need them, and providing a 4-H Club Kit that includes materials and information you need to be successful.

A club is a group of 5 of more youth from 3 different families, led by a certified 4-H adult volunteer – if you don’t have that many right away, that’s okay! We are here to help you every step of the way.

4-H clubs are run by volunteers. Any community member is welcome to become a certified volunteer and start a new club.  Clubs may be a single-project club, where the group only participates in one project area (like goats, or baking) or multi-project club, where the club offers multiple project areas with multiple adult volunteers to support them. 

The 4-H Motto

“MAKE THE BEST BETTER”

When can I join 4-H?

Mason County 4-H is always welcoming new clubs, volunteers and members – year round! To participate in the Grays Harbor County Fair, the enrollment deadline is April 1 of the current year.

The 4-H Mission

4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults.

Vision

Washington State University 4-H Youth Development is developing young people to become productive citizens who are engaged in positive change, meeting the needs of a diverse and changing society.

The 4-H Approach

“LEARN BY DOING”

4-H uses an experiential learning model, which means we “learn by doing” through hands-on experiences, whether it’s learning to build a robot, care for a horse, or do great photography.