Scouter roles for 18-21 year olds

[OldGreyEagle]

And yet if you are 18 -21 and in Venturing or the OA, you are considered a youth.

[NJCubScouter]

OGE says:

 

And yet if you are 18 -21 and in Venturing or the OA, you are considered a youth.

 

Right, which as I have discussed before, means that from a Youth Protection perspective, the rules can have some pretty odd results. If "A" is 17, "B" is 19 and "C" is 22, and each is registered in both a Troop and a Crew, when the Troop has a camping trip B can tent with C but not with A, but the next weekend when the Crew camps, B can tent with A but not with C. They are the same people, but what is appropriate or inappropriate depends on what type of unit got the tour permit. It doesn't make much sense.

 

I don't know what can be done about this, because there is a pretty big gap between 18 and 21 and it really wouldn't be feasible for Boy Scouts and Venturing to have the same definitions of "youth", or there would be too big an impact on one or both of the programs. However, as I have said in the past, I do think the BSA should consider a change in status for 18 year olds, where they could stay in the troop as "youth" for some period of time (including beyond the next recharter date, and possibly more than a year) without having to become an ASM, but without being able to advance in rank. I think this would work especially well for young men who go to college or into the military, they can stay in the troop through the summer or whenever, and then they (and the troop) can decide whether an adult role is appropriate for them at a later time.

 

I remember when I myself became an 18-year-old ASM, I recall feeling pretty odd about it. I am still a high school senior, these are still the same guys I was a Scout with, what has changed? It helped (or maybe it didn't) that my father was the SM, he probably gave me the same things to do as ASM as when I was JASM, except I remember he sent me to a few Roundtables and one awards dinner when he could not go. But that's not a usual thing, it happened because he was the SM and trusted his son to be his personal emissary. It doesn't necessarily mean I was ready to perform the "core duties" of an ASM.

[pjzedalis]

I don't think it's that big of an issue. What 18-21 year old really wants to be that involved? By the time you are 18-21, you should have made Eagle Scout, and moved on with your life... find the next big thing to help yourself.

 

Im 20... When I made Eagle, I wanted to continue coming and helping out. After a campout and a few meetings, I got tired of baby sitting 14 year olds... just like I had when I was 16. I moved on, got a girlfriend, and la la la.

 

My parents were lucky they could keep me interested enough to get my Eagle Scout. And although I want the best for the program and would still like to contribute from time to time (here I am, haha)... living in a different city, with a fulltime job, girlfriend, etc... doesn't make that feasible.

 

I think it's a non issue. Tell your 20 year old sons to go to college instead of a troop meeting. It will benefit them more in the long run.

 

Phillip

[NJCubScouter]

pjzedalis,

 

I will not criticize the choices you have made or the priorities you have set for yourself, after all when I was 20 and in college I did not continue to be involved in the activities of my old troop or any other Scouting activity, either.

 

However, I do think you should have more respect for the choices others make for themselves. What is right for you may not be right for someone else. Hopefully you will realize this as you grow older (though unfortunately, some people never do.)

[stlscouter]

Any number of colleges/universities have Alpha Phi Omega -the Scouting Fraternity- is there for college age folks and of course they can involve themselves in a local troop but I would like to see successful 18-21 yr olds be put out front as the exemples we needs for youth. To be that they cay validate the efforts of younger scouts by being closer to their age. We use community leaders and over 21 folks on our Eagle Board but a few 18-21's form the local High Schools, I think, would benefit the program. After all, we use these men ias staff in our camps and even allow them to be area directos, commissioners etc.

[pjzedalis]

Oh don't worry, I respect their decision. Obviously there are 18-21 year olds that do... I was just stating my "opinion."

 

I think it's great for the young men who have the time and interest to do it. I'm just saying I don't.

 

I like to capitalize on the point that not every Eagle Scout is a God, nor plans on "giving back" to the troop. In one thread someone was discussing whether they should allow a certain scout to move up to Eagle... and one of their "facts" about this Scout was that he did not seem likely to "give back" to the troop. I find that to be irrelevant to him getting his Eagle Scout.

 

So I like to remind people that we were still boys when we recieved our Eagle Scout award... It's not the end all - be all that some people make it out to be.

 

Phillip