Age Limits

[Eagle_23]

So I was thinking tonight about the different age limits that BSA has for the different ends of its program. Boy Scouts: 18 Venturing/OA: 21 etc.

 

My question is how do the different age limits effect the ideas and roles of the scouts nearing or inbetween those limits?

 

In my own example i'm 20, I'm an ASM with my troop, but i am also my districts chapter chief. And sometime it feels to me like i am still relating to the youth as though i am still a scout, even though i aged out 3 years ago.

 

has any one seen this issue or have an idea about it.

[Eagle1973]

I'm about to watch my son go through it. He's 1 month from aging out, a senior in high school, still active in Venturing and wants to be a ASM.

 

Can he still play "manhunt" with his high school/scout buddies? If our Venturers wanted to play "manhunt", he could. (Manhunt = any youth sorta game)

 

IMO, you are either an adult, or not.

[UCEagle72]

I was active in my local OA Lodge & Chapter until I was 20, and enlisted. All while being a UC.

 

While there were times when I saw conflicts (I was a "Clan Chief," which was a grouping of Chapters, that Mi-Gi-Si O-Paw-Gan tested in the mid-70s, and a Lodge Chairman) between District events and Lodge events, I always managed to work out what would be the "best place" to spend my time. (Let's see - drink coffee with the old men in red coats, or go dancing and drumming and do an induction?)

 

It wasn't always that easy (and priorities do change as you get older) but I did those things that enhanced my Scouting experience. Can't say I regret any of my choices.

 

 

[Eagle92]

When I was a G.A.S.er (Gray Area Scouter, i.e. 18-20) in the troop I related more to the youth as I grew up with a bunch of them. Although I was an adult, I wasn't "Mr. Eagle" like the other adults but "92," b/c I did have youth friends still and that just carried over. To be honest it took some time for me to transition to adult mode b/c I was so used to being in a leadership role, and also the older scouts always looked tome for advice. Luckily I had good mentors and that helped at the troop level.

 

More later.

[Kudu]

Why can't an adult leader play manhunt with the Scouts?

 

Baden-Powell designed a number of his manhunt games to include the Scoutmaster: Deer Hunting, Sharp Nose, Escaped Convict, and Seeking the Scoutmaster, among others.

 

See:

 

http://inquiry.net/outdoor/games/b-p/index.htm

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

[Eagle92]

I'm back.

 

With the OA, there was alot more informality between youth and adults. I intereacted with both adults and youth pretty well. I was a committee chair and had no problems

 

My problems arose after turning 21, and becoming chapter adviser. Some district folks didn't think I was up for the job, and others thought I was a mouthpiece for the lodge adviser. That eventually worked itself out. But the biggest challenge was a few of the SMs. I had SMs act very unScoutlike, call me a few names, and tell me I didn't know what I was doing in relation to unit elections. While some of the SMs did eventually realize I did things by the book, a few were upset, and didn't like how the OA did things.

 

For me the situation with the troop was solved when I left the troop b/c of a job move. I came for a visit at a ECOH after 1.5 years, and with the exception of a few of the older scouts, it was either "Mr. Eagle," or "the 92."

[artjrk]

I'm with Kudu on this.

 

As SM, I join in on many of the games. But I leave it to the scouts to organize and run them.

 

Isn't one of the methods "adult interaction"?

[acco40]

One of the perks of being male is that we never have to grow up! The only drawback is our toys get more expensive.

 

Look at the mandatory makeup of a National Jamboree troop. They require a 18-21 year old SA. In actuality, these are rare, but not unheard of, positions in typical troops. Scoutmasters and troop committe members are usually composed of parents of Scouting aged boys so not too many 19 year olds in that group.

 

The only thing I would worry about is that from a youth protection perspective, you are an adult in a troop. That doesn't exclude you from games but the "rules" are different and your goals are different. As long as the adults realize your position as well as yourself, everything should be fine.

[BDPT00]

Adult Association

[CalicoPenn]

I think it really depends on what role you are playing at the time. If you're with the Troop, you're an ASM and have to hang with the big kids (by that I mean the old guys with the expensive toys). When you're with the OA, you're a youth. If you're at a district camporee with the OA and not the Troop, you're a youth OA member. Sometimes, the OA will have their own campsite for just those "in between" folks like yourselves.

 

I didn't really have that problem because I left the Troop at 16 after 2 years of juggling being active in the Troop and the sister Explorer Post (I earned my Eagle through the Post and was elected to the OA at 14 through the Post). Something had to give, and I chose to jettison the Troop. While I served as Chapter Chief (2 terms)and then Lodge Vice Chief (at 18/19 and 20 respectively), because of my unit affiliations, I was still a "youth" member. It was pretty rare to have 18-20 ASM's at the time (late 70's, early 80's) - most of the Troops in our area had either sister Posts or affiliated with a Post in the community and strongly encouraged their aging out Scouts to join one of the Posts. The ASM's that were of that age were typically Scouts who wanted to remain in Scouting while they went away to School and were really ASM's in registration only. We rarely saw them at any District or OA events.

 

Sometimes I think the BSA really dropped the ball when they jiggered with the Exploring program the way they did.

[phips]

I was 19, when I started as an ACM.

I served 3 years in this position.

At the same time I was still active in our Rover Crew.

In the Rover Crew I was a youth and when I was involved with my Cubs I was an adult.

For the cubs it was no problem, for a ten year old you are old when you are older than 12.

 

Since 2005 I serve as an ASM.

 

[Eagledad]

I must say that I really enjoyed working with scouts and scouter between the ages of 16 and 24. The ones that are still active are typically sharp and enthusiastic. They are also the right age for younger scouts to look up to in an older brother sort of way. We always tried to get an 18 to 21 year old as one of the adults on our High Adventure crews. They loved the perks of being an adult on the Philmont crews.

 

I specifically looked for college age scouters to be the JLTC course director. And I personally found experienced scoutmasters to be the course Scoutmaster and the course director assistant. The assistant's real purpose was to be a mentor for the director with the understanding that the director was fully en charge and held fully responsible by the council for the course performance. I love working with that age group.

 

Barry

 

[Stosh]

My most recent Eagle scout, turned 18 in January (got his paperwork in on the day before his birthday). He immediately took an ASM position with the troop. Has taken all the adult training and today is starting his Wood Badge training. He's now starting his senior year of high school.

 

On the scout meeting following his birthday, I commented during the announcements following flags that Andy should now be referred to as Mr. Blank (not real names). With a couple of slips here and there, the boys have taken that suggestion, but because of his age, sometimes call him "Mr. B".

 

In our troop this transition doesn't seem to be an issue, but when the young man is elsewhere at scout activities he is often misidentified as a scout even though he wears the Eagle knot and ASM patch. He was told last night by a veteran scout that he couldn't be involved in OA as a youth officer, when in fact he could.

 

At Jambo he had to constantly show his credentials as an adult because he is an avid patch trader.

 

As well meaning as one might be, a quick glance at the uniform should immediately convey what position in scouting a person is. I have never seen this young man at any scout event without up-to-date full uniform on at all times.

 

I can see why young people at this age get kinda peeved after a while. Just remember, a scout and scouter may in fact have birthdays only a week apart. If trained bartenders can't tell ages in young people, they have to ask for proof. It might be a good policy to do the same in Scouting. At least in Scouting, the "proof" should be indicated on the uniform shirt.

 

A scout is courteous. At least make an effort. Some young people can be kinda sensitive about it.

 

Stosh

[JerseyScout]

I came back to Scouting at age 21 after hearing that "things weren't going well" with the old troop. I became an Assistant Scoutmaster because I figured that the Scouts needed help more than the adults. The fellow who trained me, another Assistant Scoutmaster, simplified my job to this: "Keep them (the adults) away from them (the Scouts)."

 

I split time between the Scouts and adults (spending my Scout time at their invitation), but managed for the most part to keep from telling anyone what to do. You handle it situation by situation, use common sense and, when in doubt, ask. It works itself out.

 

The Scouts, most of who either were in the troop when I left, or were brothers/cousins of kids I had come through with, never had a problem with me, and listened when they needed to. They called me by my first name and there was never a problem with lack of respect or anything else. Seven years later, I'm a Scoutmaster, they still call me by my first name, and there is still no problem. This is not unusual in my troop, my own Scoutmaster was called by his first name by every Scout for his entire twenty year tenure in the troop, and I never saw anyone give him a problem.

 

Age wise the only place that I had a problem was with the adults, but it was still only a few bad eggs, most of the adults (especially ones that had been there when I was a Scout) were thrilled to death that someone had come back. The Scoutmaster at the time (the cousin of my Scoutmaster), who was new since I had left, was happy to have any of the old Scouts back to lend a hand.

 

My current committee chair, who is only 25 and came through Scouts with me sometimes gets mistaken for a Scout by new parents, which amuses us to no end.

[JerseyScout]

I came back to Scouting at age 21 after hearing that "things weren't going well" with the old troop. I became an Assistant Scoutmaster because I figured that the Scouts needed help more than the adults. The fellow who trained me, another Assistant Scoutmaster, simplified my job to this: "Keep them (the adults) away from them (the Scouts)."

 

I split time between the Scouts and adults (spending my Scout time at their invitation), but managed for the most part to keep from telling anyone what to do. You handle it situation by situation, use common sense and, when in doubt, ask. It works itself out.

 

The Scouts, most of who either were in the troop when I left, or were brothers/cousins of kids I had come through with, never had a problem with me, and listened when they needed to. They called me by my first name and there was never a problem with lack of respect or anything else. Seven years later, I'm a Scoutmaster, they still call me by my first name, and there is still no problem. This is not unusual in my troop, my own Scoutmaster was called by his first name by every Scout for his entire twenty year tenure in the troop, and I never saw anyone give him a problem.

 

Age wise the only place that I had a problem was with the adults, but it was still only a few bad eggs, most of the adults (especially ones that had been there when I was a Scout) were thrilled to death that someone had come back. The Scoutmaster at the time (the cousin of my Scoutmaster), who was new since I had left, was happy to have any of the old Scouts back to lend a hand.

 

My current committee chair, who is only 25 and came through Scouts with me sometimes gets mistaken for a Scout by new parents, which amuses us to no end.