Youth Development

In July 2025, an executive order renewed national focus on youth physical activity by reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test; however, implementation was left up to existing state policy systems. Because effective school-based fitness testing depends on a strong physical education infrastructure,…

U.S. public schools generate 14,500 tons of waste daily, and 42% is from food packaging alone, posing a threat to human health. To respond, California enacted the Sustainable Packaging for the State of California Act of 2018, requiring school food serviceware to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable…

Universal School Meals provide free meals to all students, helping reduce stigma, administrative burden, and unequal access, while also supporting nutrition, health, food security, and academic outcomes. However, after the COVID-19  pandemic, the federal waivers allowing all students, regardless of…

The 4-H Range and Mustang Camp is August 6-8 at Blue Lake Camp in the Modoc National Forest. Youth ages 9-18 will learn about managing public lands, rangelands, wild horses and burros.

Imagination gardens are a fun way to plant container gardens Almost all these tiny plants do best in indirect light and in moderate temperatures; in other words, indoors in the summer and winter. They may outgrow a small container but can be divided or pinched back to stay in scale. Do keep their feet…

Introduction 4-H has a long history of using competition as a method of providing feedback on skill mastery and continued task improvement. Preparing young people to show their animals, photographs, rockets and other 4-H projects at county fairs is a critical step in helping them grow. 4-H adult…

Nitrogen Fixation in PeasAtmospheric nitrogen (N2) is not in a usable form for most plants. For legumes like beans and peas a symbiotic relationship exists with a type of nitrogen fixing bacteria (Rhizobia spp.). The bacteria “infects” the root system obtaining essential nutrition, while providing the plant…