Need advice for aging out Eagle

[perdidochas]

I'll bounce the Venturing idea off him, he was tempted to join a few years ago when he heard they had girls. I'll ask around my neck of the woods.

 

Not so sure with the JASM. We have had a couple so designated but know when knew what to do with them.

JASM is a youth position, not an adult one.  It's for 16+ year old Scouts.

[SSScout]

1)  His Eagle is his, nobody elses. 

2)  If he is 18, he is OK to be an ASM.   Take the training, ask the questions, wear the patch,  do the duties.  (Drink the coffee?  Is he LDS?)

3)   Get a serious job for the summer. Ask around, don't be shy to ask about things that interest him.    Scoutson met a friend of our family when he was young, man owned a "custom farming" operation, and told SSon, "see me when you turn 16, you will have a job".   When he turned 16, I helped him earn his Class B license (drive trucks), and at 17 he was working for our friend  making $13/hour, not bad for a teenager with no other experience.  Age 22, he is graduating from Community College,  paid all his own expenses,  his second  boss is paying him $23/hour, his hours, days off for school, and boss #1 wants him back to be the Chief Mechanic for his shop.  Trucks, tractors, farming,  responsibility, he sees the way we brought him up was a good one and now is scratching his head about where to go next.

4) Think about college, but allow for "exploration".   The Year Off is now an  accepted thing for HS graduates.   And , hey, he may not want to be a colleger.  Merchant Marine?  Philmont Wrangler?   Now is the time to explore, find out where those roots need to be set.

5)  Friend of Scoutson turned 18,  is attending the same ComCollege, and is  ASM for the home Troop.   He is OA,  Scout Camp Staff three years,  knows his stuff.   Why even think he isn't ready to "pay back", "dig the well?"  

6)   You trained him, he's been tested, trust him,    let him lead.     

[Sentinel947]

Personal experience: take it or leave it. 

 

I turned 18 at the beginning of my senior year. (Your son ages out early!) I registered as a Unit College Scouter reserve. this is great in order to keep young adults around without subjecting them to all the ASM training. If he plans to be around consistently, then the ASM route (Which I did) is very rewarding, and depending on his choice of college/trade school, he may be able to stick around beyond the end of High School. 

[Beavah]

 

Seriously?  With age comes wisdom.  Some of the best youth workers are in the +40 age group in that they don't have skin in the game and they don't have anything to prove.  Along with a "been-there, done-that" experience, they can out-perform the <30 year olds any day.  They don't come off as pals, the way the younger leaders like to see themselves as and thus are not taken as seriously as the older leaders.  I have a Boy Scout troop, a Venturing crew and a church youth group.  I was actively recruited because of my background for all three.  Kinda creepy?  I would find a 25 year old Venture Crew advisor in a co-ed group more in that category.

 

 

Yah, different cultures, eh?  

 

Scoutin' internationally tends to be entirely volunteer driven (very few professionals) and very youth run.   Since Scoutin' is usually done in Groups (one troop for ages 5-26), yeh see a lot more Scouts runnin' programs for mini-Scouts (Cubs), Venturers leadin' activities for Scouts, Rovers servin' as primary adult leaders for younger program groups, etc.    There may be an older 30- or 40- somethin' who is Group Leader coordinatin' the young adult volunteers and interfacin' with da parents, but it's not really a youth contact position.   All da rest of the Old Farts serve in very background roles for a bit of wisdom or finance help here and there.

 

Never do as an Old Adult what a Younger Person can do, eh?      Scoutin' in da rest of the world feels more like a youth Movement, and less like a Corporate-run adult program.  

 

Different cultures, eh?

 

Beavah

[Tampa Turtle]

Yah, different cultures, eh?  

 

Scoutin' internationally tends to be entirely volunteer driven (very few professionals) and very youth run.   Since Scoutin' is usually done in Groups (one troop for ages 5-26), yeh see a lot more Scouts runnin' programs for mini-Scouts (Cubs), Venturers leadin' activities for Scouts, Rovers servin' as primary adult leaders for younger program groups, etc.    There may be an older 30- or 40- somethin' who is Group Leader coordinatin' the young adult volunteers and interfacin' with da parents, but it's not really a youth contact position.   All da rest of the Old Farts serve in very background roles for a bit of wisdom or finance help here and there.

 

Never do as an Old Adult what a Younger Person can do, eh?      Scoutin' in da rest of the world feels more like a youth Movement, and less like a Corporate-run adult program.  

 

Different cultures, eh?

 

Beavah

Beavah,

 

I noticed that when I was travelling on a family vacation...we were backpacking and staying in Youth Hostels to save money (Mrs Turtle, the southern belle was a good sport) and we crossed paths with Dutch, French, Finnish, and some Israeli scouting units and some Girl Guides on the London Underground. All their leaders looked like they were close to college age. I noticed they could keep up with their charges better! One of sons thought including Girls could be a good thing...