Does 4-H Club Participation Make a Difference?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2008

The strongest test of the role of 4-H in the lives of youth is to compare 4-Hers to children who are not members of 4-H. Past studies have shown:

Youth who have participated in 4-H for more than a year are significantly better off than youth who did not participate in the program (study of 2,500 youth in Montana).

Participation in 4-H has a positive influence on children's perceptions of their competence, coping, and life skills (study of 666 Ohio public school children).

4-Hers rate themselves higher than non 4-H peers on working with groups, understanding self, communicating, making decisions, and leadership (study of over 300 4-H club members and over 500 non 4-H school children in Texas).

Within 4-Hers, more involvement is associated with higher scores on communication, working with groups and leadership.