Den Chiefs - is there a "right" age?

[EagleInKY 14]

I tried to spin this off, but it wouldn't let me. So here goes..

 

In another post, Barry (EagleDad) stated: "I found a Scout with at least six months as a Den Chief experienced was more advanced in leadership than a scout without that experience even if he had JLT. I wasnt much of a believer of Den Chiefs until I saw that. After that, I pushed all my scouts to be a Den Chief after a year in the troop. You could say that the Den Chief experience was their first taste of JLT. "

 

I agree with the great value the Den Chief brings to both the den and to the scout himself. It's a position of great responsibility and will teach him a great deal about leadership. And, if handled well, it is the best recruiting tool you can have for Webelos-to-Scout transition. I have, however, witnessed some bad experiences due to immature Den Chiefs. These were boys who had just completed their first year of Boy Scouting. They turned boys off of their troops, and - in some cases - Boy Scouting as a whole.

 

I realize that the issue is truly with the scout and his maturity and behavior, not with the age itself. But, I'm curious. How old are your Den Chiefs? I'm of the somewhat biased opinion that a boy two years into scouting is a better age. He's been through the first year program, he's become a boy leader in the troop, and he is still young enough to remember the fun of Cub Scouting.

 

Any thoughts?

[SemperParatus 1]

Our Den Chiefs range in age from 12 to 14 with 13 probably the ideal age, in my opinion. It really depends on the maturity level of the scout though. Our 'best' Den Chiefs are typically those who are working with a den in which their younger brother or cousin is in - the reliability factor is much higher because scheduling conflicts are easily avoided by the parent/adults. In my experience, beyond 14 is typically a nonstarter - the older scout is usually not very interested in hanging out with preteens.

[EagleBeaver 10]

It has worked well to have scouts that have been awarded their First Class rank at the June or Sept. Court of Honor to become Den Chiefs. These are usually boys that are 3 years older than the Webelos I scouts and they've learned the basic scouting skills. It matches well with the start of the school year for Webelos dens just getting started.

 

Paul

 

[VAordeal 10]

i am currently a Co Den Chief. I am 14 and i work with a 13 year old and we are considred some of the best den chiefs in a while for our pack.(sorry i just had 2 show off there) It really has to do with maturity. You could have a kid who is 12 who looks really young and unexperienced who is in his first year and fully understands scouting's purpose and he does wonderfully. But you could also have that 14 year old who has been tested by Scouting in every way but doesnt get the point. It all boils down to maturity in my opinion.