4-H Expressive Arts allows youth to be resourceful, imaginative, and learn an array of transferable skills. Having an outlet for expression also has amazing mental health benefits and encourages an atmosphere of mutual respect for other creative areas.

1. Creating art lowers stress.
2. Creating art helps youth focus on a task.
3. Youth Discover a sense of Happiness.
4. Nurtures Emotional Growth by enhancing social development
5. Enhance Social and Emotional Benefits for youth. by providing a unique platform for youth to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas in a creative and non-verbal manner.

The power and inspiration of the 4-H Expressive Arts program play a vital role in empowering our young people to develop their creative talent, plays a vital role in shaping their sense of personal, social and cultural identities, and provide opportunities for positive youth development in the four guiding concepts of mastery, belonging, independence, and generosity. 

The 4-H Expressive Arts program fosters Mastery by teaching youth the basic principles of art, Belonging by giving them the opportunity to interact with others, Independence by allowing them to use their skills to create their individual artwork, and Generosity by identifying ways they can use their art to make a difference by promoting Positive Youth Development.  

The 4-H Poster program process is simple, and no previous art background is needed to help open the senses and access one’s imagination.  Eight hundred and seventeen 4-H youth in 46 clubs, designed and completed a 4-H themed poster that allowed them to enhance their artistic self-expression, communication skills, problem solving and creativity — all of which are important life skills. The broad choices of media they were allowed to use appealed to students’ different artistic styles. 

• Ninety-eight percent of 4-H club members (817) completed the project and submitted a 4-H themed poster for judging competition.
• “4-H Expressive Arts project allowed my students to express themselves in their own creative way and taught my students that there are many diverse forms of art.” (Classroom Teacher)

Youth learned the basic principles of art and how to use those principles to create works of art through painting, printing, graphic design, drawing, and/or fiber arts. In the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the arts share equal billing with reading, math, science, and other disciplines as “core academic subjects,” which contributes to improved student learning outcomes.  According to research conducted by Michael Mason and Susan Chuang in 2001, students participating in an arts project showed increases in self-esteem, social skills and leadership.   Developmental Benefits of Expressive Art include youth of all ages, both special needs and not, may not have the language skills to express themselves, but they still have a voice. Expressive arts help awaken a youth’s   imagination and creativity to help them discover their own identity and how to engage their senses.