Virginia 4-H Camping

Virginia 4-H Camping includes both residential and day 4-H camping programs that use hands-on, experiential learning. Residential 4-H camps are overnight programs that generally run from two to five days, and most last for five days with campers staying overnight for four nights.

• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Residential camps generally run two to five days, with most lasting five days and including four overnight stays

For more than 80 years, Virginia 4-H camping has been used as a method of teaching youth life skills. The program includes four basic types of 4-H camps: Residential 4-H camps, Special interest 4-H camps, Day 4-H camps, and Cloverbud 4-H camps. Cloverbud 4-H camps are for youth 5–8 years of age, with specific minimum and maximum age rules based on dates between October 1 and September 30 of the following year. For residential Junior 4-H camps at the 4-H educational center in a youth’s geographic area, youth must turn 9 between October 1 and September 30 of the following year and must not have reached 14 years of age. Opportunities are available for teens 14 to 18 years of age to be trained and gain experience as 4-H camp counselors. Each year more than 17,000 youth participate in 4-H camping programs at Virginia’s six 4-H educational centers.

The mission of Virginia 4-H camping is to use both residential and day 4-H camping programs to provide educational programming to thousands of youth annually through hands-on, experiential learning. According to the program, 4-H camping teaches youth to make their own decisions, solve problems, and manage their resources without the help of family. The program states that through involvement in 4-H camping, youth gain a better appreciation of family members by learning how to become more responsible, and that campers and parents of campers also learn to better appreciate each other.

Virginia’s 4-H camping program is recognized throughout the nation as a leader in 4-H camping programs. Each of the six Virginia 4-H Educational Centers has achieved and maintains American Camp Association (ACA) accreditation. The program states that only about 25 percent of all camps in the nation are accredited by the ACA, and that ACA accreditation means the camp meets standards for safety, food service and staffing, health care, and program quality. Each 4-H Educational Center maintains these standards annually, and all 300 standards are reviewed every three years for reaccreditation.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments. 4-H camp is open to any youth in Virginia, and youth do not have to be 4-H members to attend, though they will be given the opportunity to join. Adults can volunteer their services as camp staff for a week of 4-H camp through their local Virginia Cooperative Extension office. Virginia Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity employer. Eduroam may be available at Virginia Cooperative Extension offices and Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, with possible limitations on using parking areas.

Each 4-H center program staff person, as well as the adult and teen 4-H volunteers who participate in camp, are carefully selected and trained prior to the camping event. Each volunteer is carefully screened and provided with training before being able to serve as a volunteer at 4-H camp. The leadership team includes, for the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center, a vacant Center Director position and Katie Tennant as Program Director. At the Jamestown 4-H Educational Center, Jeannette Reynolds is Center Director and Abbie Moore is Program Director. At the Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center, Heather Benninghove is Center Director and Levi Callahan is Program Director. At the Southwest Virginia 4-H Educational Center, Sue Williams is Center Director and Adam Parker is Program Director. At the W. E. Skelton 4-H Educational Center, Nina Brooks is Center Director and Rayna Wheeler is Program Director. At the Airfield 4-H Educational Center, both the Center Director and Program Director positions are vacant. The State 4-H Office lists Sandra “Sam” Fisher.

Last updated January 20, 2026.