I joined as soon as I was eligible--at age 10. My mother had already started teaching me to sew, so it was something I really loved to do. I was a camp counselor until I aged out, was eligible for state level competition in sewing several times, and participated in leadership and health speeches. My DGS, who is 5, started this year, I believe it's called Clover Buds. They do projects (he did bird watching, gardening, tree identification and one other thing which I've forgetten) but do not compete for ribbons yet.