Investiture Achievement/Explorer/Making Friends

	Explorer/Making Friends

Requirement 1

Participate in a panel discussion or skit on peer pressure and its role in your decision making.

This activity can be done during Sabbath School, during a club meeting, or anytime you and a few friends have some free time together. It's best to do this with a small group (3-8 people) so that everyone gets a chance to participate and no one is overwhelmed with making a "public performance." Small groups are also more conducive to drawing participation from shy people as it is a less threatening situation.

Try to make each scenario as realistic as possible. A completely unbelievable depiction of the situation or one that seems purely hypothetical is far less likely be recalled when the Pathfinder actually finds himself in a similar situation.

• The "classmate" who asks you to sell you marijuana may be one of the Pathfinder's close friends rather than some strange kid he's never spoken to before. Attach the name of a person he knows and likes to that classmate. Also, you might introduce other complicating factors such as the Pathfinder's special need for some extra money. When the Pathfinder refuses, try to convince him that it'll only be this one time. When that fails, add the threat of a hypothetical blackmail - I'd hate to see that picture of you playing in your kid sister's wading pool show up on Facebook tomorrow".
• Ask who the best friend is before letting the Pathfinder know the scenario of "your best friend asks you to try a cigarette." You may also wish to add that the person upon whom the Pathfinder has had a crush since the second grade is there watching and urging the Pathfinder to smoke.
• Make the party situation a little more desperate before revealing that the friend is drunk. For instance, "this friend is the only person there you know who can drive." Or perhaps "it's past your curfew and your Dad is going to kill you when you call him after he's gone to bed. He has to get up at 4:30 am tomorrow!" It is almost always the complicating factors that lead to poor judgment in situations like this.

While these examples come from the Temperance Honor, peer pressure could encourage a Pathfinder to do other silly, illegal or dangerous things. Consider peer pressure to lie, steal, disobey parents, have sex outside marriage, or many other inappropriate choices.

Consider also that positive peer pressure can be used to encourage good behavior. Choosing Godly friends, becoming part of groups like Pathfinders, and speaking up to encourage good choices around your friends will help you act on the positive side of peer pressure.

Requirement 2

Fulfill requirements #1, #11, #12 and #14 of the Christian Grooming and Manners Honor.

1. What well-balanced combination of strengths did Jesus develop as a growing youth?

11. For each of the listed situations, discuss and then role play proper conversational skills within your culture and within a multicultural setting. For each situation, demonstrate how you would interact with someone younger than you, within your peer group, and with someone older than you.

11a. Addressing a person (taking into account title, profession, and familiarity).

11b. Making a proper introduction.

11c. Topics that are appropriate and inappropriate.

11d. Ways to put people at ease.

11e. Show concern for the feelings of others.

11f. Greet a person who arrives at your home.

11g. Approach a person’s home and greet them.

11h. Appropriate phone etiquette including answering, volume of your voice, and ending the call.

12. If you want to use your gift of speech to God's glory, what should your prayer be? (Psalms 19:14)

14. Role-play a Christian way to respond to embarrassment, both as the person who has become embarrassed, and as someone who has witnessed the embarrassment.

Wilderness Explorer

Requirement 3

Complete Explorer requirements.

You must complete the requirements listed above this one on the current page.

Requirement 4

Complete the Christian Grooming and Manners Honor, if not previously earned.

For tips and instruction see Christian Grooming & Manners.