At What Age?

At what age can a student begin to learn leadership? Why do people think it’s age that allows you to be a leader? I believe that leadership is a set of principles that you live out in life experiences. These principles are universal truths and many of them are found in scripture; for example, navigating obstacles. I get this from the teaching that Jesus gave about counting the cost before you build a tower. So the question becomes when can a student learn a truth and when do they have the maturity to apply it to their lives? I think a lot of jr. highers can learn leadership. I’ve seen first hand young teenagers lead their peers and I have seen them apply truth to relationships and tasks. What saddens me is when adults use the excuses of age to keep students from leading or learning about leadership. I  say, start whenever the students are interested; who cares what age they are.