I've e-mailed many groups simply asking for information. Unfortunately, I have received nasty responses from more than one group. Due to the society we live in today, many people are afraid to even communicate with minors. These people don't want to be entangled with legal matters. We were all children once.
Teenagers deserve to be respected.
Turning 18 opens a lot of doors for many people. However, age has little do with maturity. Just because someone is 18 years old does not mean they have the maturity or intelligence to make decisions. It just makes certain decisions legal. You will learn your whole life.