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Hi Tree, Thanks for your passion. I've been thinking more about why I wasn't agreeing with your conclusions, and thinking maybe it has to do with fuzziness about the term "child" which in some ways used to be clearer. And thinking about that, I'm actually finding myself in agreement with you - but the transition to adulthood needs to be more clearly specified. There's certainly a lot of research about early childhood phases, by Piaget, etc. I'd recently been exposed to the ideas of Dr. Paul Hegstrom, an expert in the subject of arrested development. I've done some quick google searching for the root research about this, but I think that will have to wait as I'm packing for an Open Space event in San Francisco on Monday (Agile Open NorCal). What I think is relevant is that I think you are totally correct about your conclusions for "children", though perhaps that needs to be defined more clearly in this context. Before a certain single digit age, a child is not capable of making independent decisions and requires guidance from the adult. There are chemical as well as development maturity reasons. In other words, the child really needs for the adult to be making decisions, and I'd agree that they should not be leaned on at this point to make decisions. At early adolescence, the child begins to individuate - but oddly, by looking for peer groups to conform to. At this age, they're not particularly qualified to make complex decisions for themselves, and definitely not for others. As they get older though, both culturally and legally, the child begins to enter adulthood and responsibility. In the Hebrew culture, at the Bar or Bas Mitzva, about 13, the responsibility shifts from the parents to the child. "Prior to this, the child's parents hold the responsibility for the child's adherence to Jewish law and tradition and, after this age, children bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics and are privileged to participate in all areas of Jewish community life." In Baha'i tradition, the age of consent is 15, in the UK it is 16. In the middle ages it was considered about 12. In many States in the U.S., a "child" above 16 can be tried for a crime outside of Juvenile court, and in Kentucky as young as 14. I'm not sure when exactly when this magical age is supposed to be, but it seems to me relatively safe to consider that deeper involvement in adult affairs should be allowed around the age of 15 or 16, or maybe a smidge younger depending on the maturity level of the child involved. If you watched the Youtube video Ashley posted- it would be very very hard to argue that his involvement in the Jane Goodall institute board of directors did him anything but good. And I think that is because in a way his involvement became like a cultural initiation into adulthood, a Bar Mitzva of sorts. It might actually be an excellent transition point to get onto a board of directors. Anyway, more food for thinking. Cheers, Harold On 10/9/10 7:11 AM, Tree Fitzpatrick wrote: Michael, and other comments. .. I don't think anyone commenting actually understood what I tried to say so I conclude that I failed to communicate. * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist |
- Re: [OSList] Youth Leaders Harold Shinsato
- Re: [OSList] Youth Leaders Harold Shinsato
