4-H Foundations
4-H Volunteer Essentials
Strong 4-H programs begin with strong volunteers. This collection of foundational resources introduces the key principles, models, and practices that guide Wisconsin 4-H. Explore these materials to build your understanding of positive youth development and strengthen your ability to help young people learn, grow, thrive, and contribute to their communities.
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Grow Green Orientation
If you are new to 4-H, the Grow Green training is the first step toward understanding and actively supporting the program.
Ages & Stages of Youth Development
The ages and stages of youth define the typical developmental needs and characteristics of young people in different age groups. While some youth may develop at different rates, these ages and stages help us understand how we can best support most youths’ needs for learning and growth at each developmental stage.
Experiential Learning Model
The Experiential Learning Model is one of the most important building blocks of 4-H and positive youth development. Through the model, five simple steps guide youth through a process of hands-on activities, critical thinking, and learning.
Essential Elements of Youth Development
Another guiding concept of 4-H and positive youth development is the four Essential Elements. On the surface, Belonging, Independence, Mastery, and Generosity seem simple, and they are. By looking deeper at each one, we can also see that these elements serve as a guide for how we work with and support young people’s learning and growth.
4-H Life Skills Model
The ultimate goal of these other foundational pieces is to build life skills in young people—the building blocks of what will make them contributing citizens in adulthood. The model aligns eight categories of skills for living with the Head, Heart, Hands, and Health of 4-H.
Youth-Adult Partnerships
When youth and adults work together around “responsible, challenging, and collective action that seeks to benefit an organization or larger community,” we see youth-adult partnerships at work. These partnerships are intentional ways to involve young people alongside adults in issues that affect them.