"where boys and girls started out, and returned as men and women"

Hopefully you mean they overcame difficult obstacles and challenging situations which forced them to mature mentally rather than putting the "water container" in the PSK to use. <img src="images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I agree that teenagers are seldom put in a situation where people truely rely on them to perform. SAR can be real life and death situations where you have to make decisions without all the data you would like. The right decisions save lives, the wrong decisions put both the SAR team and the victim in jeopardy. Through proper training and given opportunities to lead with adults to fall back on, teenagers will make good choices and accomplish extrodinary things.

Instilling a sense the need to give back to the community through voluteering is an important skill to teach our children and young adults