Subject:
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Re: Age limitations
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.org.us
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Date:
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Thu, 6 Jul 2000 17:28:55 GMT
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Viewed:
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1730 times
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> In lugnet.org.us, Todd Lehman writes:
>
> As a NELUG member, I'd love to hear stories/experiences specificially from
> 16-17 year olds (or 18-year-olds if you were once 16-17 as part of a LUG)
> who are members of other LUGs in the U.S....this might help me form a more
> solid opinion if the age issue is put to a formal vote at a future NELUG
> meeting.
>
> * As a 16-17-year-old, how do/did you feel about being allowed into your
> local LUG? Grateful? Take it for granted? Surprised?
>
> * How would you feel if you weren't allowed?
>
> * What would you do (instead, to compensate) if the limit were 18 -- i.e.,
> if you weren't allowed?
>
> * How has it enriched your life to be a member at age 16-17 as opposed to
> having to wait until you were 18?
>
> * What would you recommend to a 16-year-old in an area where the local LUG's
> age requirement is 18+ ?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Todd
This thread's probably gone cold and stale by now, but for what it's worth....
I've been a closeted lurker on Lugnet for some months now; but as this issue is
close to my heart, I had to brave the posting interface. And a reply to
Todd's informal poll here seemed like the best place to drop this.
An FYI to start:
Several postings in this thread have indicated that NELUG might be the only
Lego club to restrict access to over 18. The PNLTC also has this restriction
in regard to full membership.
My son Ian (age 15) and I have been peripherally involved with PNLTC for almost
2 years. We've attended 6-8 shows and with each successive show, we've
contributed more MOCs to the club layout (At one recent show we provided maybe
30-35% of the layout)
Yet, due to the club's restrictions, we cannot be full members. Ian and I both
build (some projects individually - some collaboratively). Although I could
become a full member, I will not do so without Ian, making him feel like a
tag-along.
Like a couple of the other replies to this poll (as well as Shiri's initial
posting), I believe that the continued restriction has not helped Ian's (or my)
self-esteem. He has demonstrated at shows and 'buildathons' that he has
sophisticated building ability. His innate spatial relationship skills apply
to (and maybe have been significantly developed by) his building. He also has
an inborn design sense (he's also a paid free-lance web designer). So he's got
both the aesthetics and the structural/mechanical issues of Lego well covered.
And his (and my) MOCs have been applauded by club members; and he seems to able
to coverse and share quite well with many of the adult members.
Dan Parker of PNLTC (whose support for Ian has been wonderful - he may well be
one of my favorite people on the planet) recently re-raised the 18-years
membership issue with PNLTC members. I suggested the following criteria to
address potential concerns:
- Liability concerns - allow under 18 members to be full members but require
parent to be present at any attended events (works better when parent is also
an AFOL)
- Concerns about behavior/maturity - Under 18 members would "audition" for
membership - by attending/working 3-4 shows. They would understand that
membership was "pending" until this probation had passed.
- Concerns about quality of MOC's detracting from the quality of the
layout/display created by adult members - Under 18 members would submit 5-6
mid-to-large size MOCs for juried evaluation by a majority of club members (in
PNLTC's case, this might mean bringing those models to 1-2 shows)
(actually, I kinda think that the 2nd and 3rd criteria might be advisable for
ANY new members. and if the probation/audition criteria is stated up-front,
hopefully hurt feelings would be minimized)
Even so, the club majority voted to continue their existant 18 or older policy.
(allowing parent-child teams to participate in a limited fashion). They were
unwilling to lower the age categorically or by exception. This has totally put
me off my feed, I don't think I've stuck 2 bricks together since the recent
vote. Ian's been doing some building, but more puttering and with less
ambition towards finishing projects than before. I'm new to Lego, only been
building for the past 2 years, mostly to try to get us involved in PNLTC, but
I'm coming along pretty well. Ian's been building since his Duplo-Days at 2 or
3.
Thought of starting on our own LUG or LTC, but there's quite a few folks in
PNLTC who we both like, admire, learn from and would miss. And we don't want
to be divisive
We were planning on participating in PNLTCs Guinness show, but haven't
confirmed w/ Dan, as at least I sorta feel like we are a 'poor relation'.
However, to paraphrase Voltaire (Groucho's relevant quote has already been used
in this thread)
I don't agree with their policy, but I'll defend to the death (well, maybe
short of that...) their right to have it.
Sorry for the long winded post.
= g
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Age limitations
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| (...) As a NELUG member, I'd love to hear stories/experiences specificially from 16-17 year olds (or 18-year-olds if you were once 16-17 as part of a LUG) who are members of other LUGs in the U.S....this might help me form a more solid opinion if (...) (24 years ago, 4-Jul-00, to lugnet.org.us, lugnet.org.us.baylug, lugnet.org.us.dixielug, lugnet.org.us.gmlug, lugnet.org.us.lugola, lugnet.org.us.nclug, lugnet.org.us.nelug, lugnet.org.us.wafol, lugnet.org.us.wamalug) !
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