[jariel]

A 'project' can easily be led by a very young person, with super experienced techies.

Think: bathroom/kitchen upgrade.

But if it's 'direct leadership' ie the kid was to literally work on the project with them, leading the details, then it's just ridiculous.

In the former case, don't even think of it as 'giving orders'. Think of it as 'setting project parameters'. The team will fill in the blanks.

At 20, there's nothing you can do but trust them. You don't have the experience to know when/if they are screwing you over. You definitely won't know if they are not even aware themselves.

A cynical manager might assume nefarious/lazy when none is there. A too easy-going manager might get walked over.

But with 6 months experience the only thing you can do is trust them to do their jobs.

Basically frame the job as 'helping them do their jobs'.