Mission and History

4H Mission

The mission of 4H is to assist youth, and adults working with those youth, to gain additional knowledge, life skills, and attitudes that will further their development as self-directing, contributing, and productive members of society.

4H in Virginia

Work with rural Virginia boys started in 1908 with the first boys corn clubs being organized. F.S. "Southall" Farrar was hired in October, 1907, and became the first club agent in the state. He spent the fall months of 1907 and the winter months of 1908 securing the interest and support of farmers in his group of counties. Starting his demonstrations in the spring 1908, the decision was made to start efforts in Virginia to support boys' corn clubs. Boys' corn clubs were organized by Farrar in 1909 with 100 boys in the counties of Dinwiddie (75 boys) and Chesterfield (25 boys), using the one boy-one acre corn plots. The next year, Ella G. Agnew, the first home agent in the state, worked with 46 girls in Halifax and Nottoway counties. This work was done individually, each girl growing 25 tomato plants and canning the fruit. These soon became known as "girls' canning clubs."

Lizzie A. Jenkins was appointed in May, 1913, at Hampton Institute, to begin demonstration work with African American families. Her assignment was to organize and conduct canning programs and organize canning clubs among African American girls in the counties of southeast Virginia. The first club work with African American boys in the Commonwealth began in 1915 at a meeting of African American agents at Hampton Institute. Field staff agent Jessie M. Jones presided at this meeting.

The first community club organized in Virginia was the Sunnyside Club in Dinwiddie County in 1913. In 1918, the policy of organizing boys and girls into the same clubs was supported and promoted statewide. Between the years 1918-1920, these clubs were know as agriculture and home economics clubs. Since 1920, however, they have become known as 4H clubs. Today, 4-H clubs may be found in each of the 107 counties and cities of Virginia.

The first state office for demonstration work was located at Burkeville from 1907-1916. The headquarters for Extension work was moved to Virginia Tech in 1916 and has been located there since that time. In 1917, a state club department was added to the Extension organization.

Borrowed from: http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/about.html#mission