4-Hs goal is to advance the 4-H youth development movement to build a world in which youth and adults learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change. 4-H serves youth through a variety of methods including organized clubs, school enrichment groups, special interest groups, individual study programs, camps, school-age child care programs and instructional television programs. They try to promote power of youth, and involvement of citizens in their communities and government, mostly the children. Youth development is the process of growing up and developing one's capacities in positive ways. This typically takes place in the context of the family, the peer group, the school, and the neighborhood or community. Many young people do not have the advantages that promote optimal, healthy development of the body, mind, and spirit. Many youth do not have opportunities to experience positive stimulation for growth or nurturing support from family, friends, and community. Youth development is a natural process, but it cannot be left to chance."Youth development ought not to be viewed as a happenstance matter. While children can, and often do, make the best of difficult circumstances, they cannot be sustained and helped to grow by chance arrangements or makeshift events. Something far more intentional is required: a place, a league, a form of association, a gathering of people where value is placed on continuity, predictability, history, tradition, and a chance to test out new behaviors. "Nonformal education is organized, systematic teaching and learning carried on outside the formal school system. Generally, nonformal education is sponsored by community groups that provide particular types of teaching and learning experiences for specific youth populations. It is not an alternative to formal education offered in the schools; it is another kind of education essential for helping young people grow to optimal maturity.The schools...
