The Program

2012 Schedule coming soon!

What is Boys to Men of Southern Oregon?

We are a community of men, young men, families and interested adults dedicated to helping the boys of our community travel their journey into manhood. By building a circle of friendship, trust and well-being, we assist men and boys discover their individual inner wisdom. We celebrate their truth and gifts, inspiring the men, the youth and their families to honor the wisdom that is in all of us, enhancing the well-being of our community.

Boys to Men mentors create an environment of physical and emotional safety where the boys, mentors, families and community can reach new levels of honesty and self-awareness. Through a series of exciting age appropriate experiential processes, men and boys learn for themselves lessons that will serve them for a lifetime. They emerge with new tools and techniques for communication and self-discovery, strong bonds of camaraderie and friendship, and a deepened and strengthened sense of self, of trust and of rightful place in community.

Boys to Men of Southern Oregon offers a variety of events and learning opportunities. Three weekend events for boys and young men constitute a series of initiatory experiences in the traditional sense, although adapted to meet the developmentally appropriate needs of a boy in a modern society.

The Raven Weekend for boys ages 9 to 12 is followed by optional on-going Raven Group Meetings. The boys achieve the status of "Young Raven" after completing the Raven Weekend

The Rite-of-Passage Adventure (ROPA) for young men ages 13 to 17 is also followed by optional on-going group meetings. Young men achieve the status "Journeyman" after completing the ROPA weekend.

A Final Rite-of-passage Celebration Weekend including a solo with deep introspective reflection supported by mentors who have know them for years. This event is for Journeymen who have been with us for some time and we believe are ready to declare themselves as men. When the young men are about 17 or 18 and prepare to leave home, it is no longer fitting to call them "Journeymen". They complete their weekend and are no longer on their Journey into manhood, they are now men. They are invited back to the community as men, and staff as men rather than as youth staff.

Additionally, there are occasional special outings and may be staffing opportunities for those boys & young men who choose to stay with our program.

A powerful experiential training for men who wish to become mentors, called the Inner Mentor Training is offered several times each year. Go to our Mentor page for more information.

Families in the thick of parenting receive support in a numbers of forms including a village assisting them in raising their boys. Parents are encouraged to form support groups with other parents of youth in the program. Mentors who have raised their own boys are available as resources, both as a sympathetic ear or armed with books and websites relevant to helping our community make a paradigm shift in how we raise our children. Go to our Learning Center page for a list of resources.