Reduce minimum age requirement from 14 to 13 for Jr. Prefect Applications

[northeastprince]

If you put a mass filter on who is applying for Jr. Prefect, you might miss out on a valuable staff member. For example, I got my ham-radio license at the age of 8, and wanted to job shadow an employee at a local tech startup (I was 11 by that time). I reached out, and they denied my request. You can probably guess why. My point is, lack of age doesn't necessarily mean lack of maturity. And Potterworld should know that.

I hope you will consider my suggestion.

-northeastprince

 

[Ivan_]

If you put a mass filter on who is applying for Jr. Prefect, you might miss out on a valuable staff member. For example, I got my ham-radio license at the age of 8, and wanted to job shadow an employee at a local tech startup (I was 11 by that time). I reached out, and they denied my request. You can probably guess why. My point is, lack of age doesn't necessarily mean lack of maturity. And Potterworld should know that.

I hope you will consider my suggestion.

-northeastprince

I don't think this is necessary. Even if I agreed with you about the age/maturity thing, I don't think it's a big problem for someone whos 13 to wait another year to apply. That just shows their patience and dedication.

 

[Chriss]

I think that the requirements right now is perfect. I remember it used to be 15 around a year ago I think. That means they already have lowered it once. Like Ivan said, any position on the Potterworld staff team or team positions take dedication to get. This is just my view on this suggestion. Hope this makes sense and everyone reading this is doing well!

~Luka

 

[luckiestblock]

I think I am going to disagree with this one too. I think the age requirements for pretty much all positions are fine the way they are. I didn't use to think this way (when I was below the requirement) but as I have aged/matured I have started to like them and even become more aligned to the idea that they should even RAISE the requirement to 15/16. I am not trying to say that all 13 year olds are immature and that when you turn 14 everyone magically becomes mature but being staff is a very exclusive position and putting up requirements like these to raise the bar makes sense to me.

 

[Sinelius]

Heyo,
I'm happy to hear of your early successes and dedication. I also think the age requirement should not be lowered.
Again, not due to younger people being exclusively immature, but that there are reasons why it is that way which you better understand later and appreciate the decision that it is the way it is.
Its nice to see people wanting to contribute to the server in any way and thank you for considering being staff. 😊

 

[northeastprince]

Heyo,
I'm happy to hear of your early successes and dedication. I also think the age requirement should not be lowered.
Again, not due to younger people being exclusively immature, but that there are reasons why it is that way which you better understand later and appreciate the decision that it is the way it is.
Its nice to see people wanting to contribute to the server in any way and thank you for considering being staff. 😊

Don't use that phrase. It is demeaning and undermines the intelligence of young people. At its worst, it denies me a proper explanation. It should not be used as an argument to end all communication. You can't deny the possibility, but then it is not an adequate basis to what you should do now. It is unfair and can be compared to the parental saying: 'You have to do so, because I told you to.'

I think I am going to disagree with this one too. I think the age requirements for pretty much all positions are fine the way they are. I didn't use to think this way (when I was below the requirement) but as I have aged/matured I have started to like them and even become more aligned to the idea that they should even RAISE the requirement to 15/16. I am not trying to say that all 13 year olds are immature and that when you turn 14 everyone magically becomes mature but being staff is a very exclusive position and putting up requirements like these to raise the bar makes sense to me.

First of all, "aged" and "matured" should not be used interchangeably, as that implies that people like me are immature. And of course you supported the age requirement when you were older. It's because then, you met the requirement.


I would also like to point out that every Potterworld application requirement has one thing in common: you can either get more of it, change it, or improve it. And yet the one number you can't do any of that with, is age.

 

[Chriss]

Just wanted to throw another message in here. There is a lot of stuff that staff have to deal with on a daily basis. Some of that stuff isn’t something a 13 year old shouldn’t have to see on a daily basis. Also, moderation can be very very exhausting at times. Age and maturity are a little connected, because there are little to no 13 year olds that I know that are mature enough for Jr. Prefect. I supported the age requirements before I was even staff or 14 years old. Just because I meet the requirements now doesn’t mean I have never supported them. Hope this all makes some sense!

~Luka

 

[northeastprince]

Just wanted to throw another message in here. There is a lot of stuff that staff have to deal with on a daily basis. Some of that stuff isn’t something a 13 year old shouldn’t have to see on a daily basis. Also, moderation can be very very exhausting at times. Age and maturity are a little connected, because there are little to no 13 year olds that I know that are mature enough for Jr. Prefect. I supported the age requirements before I was even staff or 14 years old. Just because I meet the requirements now doesn’t mean I have never supported them. Hope this all makes some sense!

~Luka

There is a lot of stuff that 22 year old Potterworld staff shouldn't have to deal with on a daily basis. But they do, because they want to make Potterworld a safer place. There is no staff position in the world where you don't have to make sacrifices. And no one can ever be ready for a position like that, 13 or 30. That is the meaning of growing up. Experience.

Also, try handling 18 call-ins at a time while recording the hourly weather-report. That's hard!

 

[luckiestblock]

First of all, "aged" and "matured" should not be used interchangeably, as that implies that people like me are immature.

I did not say that anyone who is below the age requirement is immature, in the quote YOU cited I said that there is a clear difference between age and maturity.

I am not trying to say that all 13 year olds are immature and that when you turn 14 everyone magically becomes mature

I don't want to argue about semantics but I used the words "aged" (to grow in age) and "matured" (to become more mature) interchangeably because imo they just kind of are. As I have said previously people mature at different rates and there is no specific age that one becomes mature however I think it is undeniable that individuals OVER TIME become more mature. As someone's age increases their maturity does; some people mature more quickly while others mature more slowly but I think a positive correlation for the INDIVIDUAL person for age and maturity(such as myself as used in the context of my previous post) is undeniable.

 

[northeastprince]

I did not say that anyone who is below the age requirement is immature, in the quote YOU cited I said that there is a clear difference between age and maturity.

I don't want to argue about semantics but I used the words "aged" (to grow in age) and "matured" (to become more mature) interchangeably because imo they just kind of are. As I have said previously people mature at different rates and there is no specific age that one becomes mature however I think it is undeniable that individuals OVER TIME become more mature. As someone's age increases their maturity does; some people mature more quickly while others mature more slowly but I think a positive correlation for the INDIVIDUAL person for age and maturity(such as myself as used in the context of my previous post) is undeniable.

I am not denying that people mature as they age, I am simply trying to convey my point. A lot of 13 year olds I know could and would become Jr. Prefect, given that 1. they applied and 2. the age requirement was 13 years of age. Most companies set their employee age requirement due to legal mandates and ethical standards. However, since 13 is the age of digital consent in the US, Potterworld has almost nothing to lose. It wouldn't hurt Potterworld if they accepted my suggestion. In fact, it would benefit them. So either there is some other factor I am not taking into consideration, or Potterworld is discriminating based on age. I'm betting on the second one.

 

[Chriss]

When I said 13 year old people shouldn’t be in moderation, it’s not about the sacrifices we have to take. It’s about things that moderation has to do. It’s not something that their eyes should be exposed to. A lot of the 13 and under people I know wouldn’t make a good Jr. Prefect. Not even some of the 16 year olds would make a good one. Any staff position takes time and patience. So if a 13 year old does wish to apply for Jr. Prefect, it might be best for them to wait. Yes, moderation would love to have new people on the team... Trust me we would. However, there are certain things that need a limit to them, and I think Jr. Prefect is one of those thing in my opinion. Even with this age requirement we’ve had multiple new Jr. Prefects that have waiting to become 14. Again hopes this all makes sense!

~Luka_Zoldyck//LukaaShock

 

[Nyn]

Im 13 and I wouldn't say I'm that "mature" enough for any staff position lol I used to really want to be a Class Helper, but now looking back at messages I sent and such, I realise what a "child" I was, and I will probably do the same in the future - age restrictions are there for a reason, I think they're fine as they are now. If the age requirement was lowered, then you would get a lot more children applying who aren't exactly ready for what they are applying to do (I doubt they'd be accepted in this case, but anyhow).

 

[Max Fireheart]

Hey there!

I, in fact, am the youngest staff member on the PotterworldMC staff team. When first reading this thread title, I also agreed that the Jr. Prefect age requirement should be lowered to 13. However, it soon dawned on me that exactly a year ago (I just turned 14), I would have had trouble dealing with the themes that goes into moderation. I am now also a Jr. Prefect, and even with my young age, there are things I see that disturb me and cause me anxiety, causing me to have issues in day to day events. While I do agree that not all young people are immature, since I do believe I am mature, and in fact am very young, I do believe that the age requirement should stay the same. If you look on applications, I would say that the other positions on the staff team (which have a 13 year old age requirement) have that age requirement for a reason. I first joined the Potterworld staff team as a Seer, and that was the correct step for me. While it made my experience on Potterworld grow, I felt it also gave me that boost in maturity, and it gave me insight on to what sort of situations moderation deals with. From there, at first, I decided I didn't want to be a Jr. Prefect (for personal reasons). It took me 5 months before I decided to apply for moderation, when I felt I was truly ready. I'm going to stress that I know there are 13 year olds that are more mature than me still, but I definitely think that it's a large deal and a large decision to make overnight.

For these reasons, I also disagree that the age requirement should be lowered to 13. Thank you!

 

[Max Fireheart]

Well that’s embarrassing, I’m no longer the youngest staff member...

 

[mn614]

Hm this is definitely an interesting suggestion! However, I'd like to respectfully disagree.

I'd first like to point out that young people are not immature! On the contrary, they are some of the most insightful and honest people in the world. However, any staff position (especially Jr. Prefect) is incredibly demanding. I cannot speak for the moderation team, of course, but since becoming staff I've witnessed lots of situations that I know a 13 year old (or even 14 year old) version of myself would have found extremely hurtful, confusing, or shocking. Moderation deals with some pretty ugly situations, and I personally admire the perseverance and professionalism that moderation members frequently demonstrate. Of course I am not saying that younger people are inexperienced or immature! However, I think that younger people should have a little bit more time to learn and develop before taking on such a role, as the last thing I'd want is for anyone to experience even a single bit of hostility or be overwhelmed at a relatively early stage of their life. This is not to say that the position is horrible, and I certainly do not want to invalidate tough experiences you may have encountered before (and it's so impressive that you work on the radio)! As a staff member you learn so much, make lots of friends, and take your wonderful experiences with you throughout the rest of your life. But I do think it's better to wait one more year just to make sure one is ready. You can learn a lot in one year, as I certainly did in 2020! I hope this made sense. Thank you!

 

[Alexa Zoldyck]

Hey Hey Hey, I just want to put my opinion on this out here!
First of all, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with this forum.
As stated before, not all young people are immature. They have the age 14 and older as a requirement because there are lots of things that go into the staff team I believe. although I have never been staff myself, Jr. Perfect works very hard to make sure this server is family-friendly. From what staff members have said, you need to be prepared for stuff, that if your younger or not mature enough for it can really stressful. Again I've never been on the staff team, but I don't really see a need for the age to change. I just turned 14 three months ago and had planned to apply but felt I wasn't fit for the job not knowing if I could bring what the moderation team needs. There are also other staff positions that 13-year-olds can apply for. For, these reasons I don't see a need to change the age.
~LaceShock

 

[Honey_Dwarf1]

It’s not really like pw is in desperate need of more staff - there are loads of staff members, so I wouldn’t say it needs to be lowered to get more staff anyway

 

[Ashh]

Hey there!

Thanks for sharing your opinion with us and making a suggestion based on it - we really appreciate it! Unfortunately, we will be declining this suggestion. We understand that pretty much everyone has a different maturity level, regardless of their age. However, being a part of Moderation requires members to deal with a number of tough situations, and we would like our team members to have the maturity to handle this. By nature, the Moderation team deal with players breaking rules in a number of ways, meaning that they are often exposed to harmful things as we try to keep the server safe. We want to make sure that our members would be old enough to handle these things. Additionally, we get a number of apps and we have a good number of Moderation members, so we do not feel this is beneficial in terms of getting more members. We believe that those interested in joining the Moderation team as a Jr. Prefect would be willing to wait until they meet all the requirements to do so.

 

[Keira :D]

Hey there! I'd like to give my output on this.

I'm not shy of saying that I'm not old enough to apply for some staff positions. Although I am under-aged for these positions, I feel I am just as mature as some of the older people who can apply. Honestly, I'm glad the age requirement is 14. As Max said, sometimes, it can cause people anxiety and stress while moderating, and people shouldn't have to go through that. 14 is a good age because you already had that year from 13 to mature and grow and a person. While I do agree with some statements you've made, as to a 13 year old can be just as mature as 14 year old, I respectfully disagree with this forum.

Thanks!

 

[Keira :D]

oOp ash I was typing this while u sent that-