Until the youth realize that you are serious about giving them responsibility

When new with a group, whether you're new or they are new to the program, there may be an assumption that they can volunteer to be in charge of a program, or the group can choose to do a project and then have the adults run it behind the scenes. It takes patience, perseverance and gray hair on your part to overcome this condition and help them discover that they can do things themselves – and you expect them to do so.

• Symptoms that they don't believe you'll let them sink or swim:
  • Procrastination: Waiting you out until you intervene.
  • Hostility: impatiently waiting for you to get on the stick and make decisions.
  • Restlessness: ready to take orders and wondering why they aren't getting any
  • Testing: Suggesting extreme or bad ideas just to see when you'll overrule them.
• You may want to start with projects that are not very public and will not reflect badly on you or them if it is less than great
• They really won't believe you mean it until you prove them wrong
• Be calm but adamant and if they propose a bad idea, rather than veto it ask them how they are going to implement it.
• Be cheerful about not stepping in. Express confidence that they'll do a good job.
• Hang in there, after a couple of close calls they'll get the idea.
• Give them public credit afterward – tell people that the youth did it themselves. That you did not ghost write it for them, etc.