Rites of Passage Adventure weekend (ROPA)
For queries about registration forms and general information, please go to our contact page.
Background: Rites of passage have played an important role in
many cultures for thousands of years. We believe that rites of passage
must be relevant and appropriate for each culture, and therefore each
culture’s practices will be different. However, there are some universal
threads that weave their way through the rites of passage of many
cultures. We discuss some of these commonalities here....
Purpose: A primary function of any rite of passage is to allow
children to choose a new adult identity in their community. Adults help
to facilitate this process, and help them gain the skills and
understandings that they will need to fulfill their potential as members
of the community. Rites of passage mark an important transition and
community members emphasize the importance of the event for both
the individual and the community.
Confidentiality: The specific processes used at a rite of passage
are kept confidential. That is so younger members of the community do
not receive the adult information before they are ready, because a rite of
passage is considered sacred and personal and should not be treated
casually, and because it relies on a degree of theater, surprise, and
spontaneous response that would be lost if participants knew in advance
what was going to happen.
Wilderness Environment: The isolation of a primitive setting
removes participants from the routines and patterns of their lives so that
they can “re-create” themselves. They have the opportunity to let go of
old patterns that might no longer serve them. They start fresh, discover
new, more mature qualities, and learn and adopt new responsibilities
and roles.
Time of Change: The participant has an opportunity to reflect
on their new status and to adjust to the enormous changes, which can be
exciting, scary, challenging, and confusing all at once. The participant’s
time away gives the community time to adjust to the changes as well.
When the participant returns as an adult, the community is also ready to
accept him or her as changed, as a new member of society. (Although
primitive societies may have marked this change all at once, our
community marks it gradually. See "Degrees of Progress"
above.)
Tests of Endurance, Courage, or Competence: Primarily with
young men, initiations incorporate physical or emotional tests. This helps
the boy discover inner resources that they often don’t know exist and
gain new self-respect and confidence. It also helps ensure that the
initiate is ready for the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood. In
our weekend events, the tests are very individual. They are challenging,
but do not involve winning and losing, which can create shame. Each
boy has the opportunity to test himself in ways that build self-esteem
and facilitate growth.
Teaching and learning: In most rites of passage, elders,
leaders, teachers, parents, or others teach initiates about important
aspects of adulthood. Boys to Men “teaches” by helping boys learn their
own lessons. Participants learn about accountability, integrity, personal
responsibility, honest communication, connection to feeling, and about
the importance of discovering a sense of mission in the world.
Physical Token of Change: After the boys have faced their
challenges they are honored for having begun their “hero’s journey” into
manhood. There is a celebration at which they are presented with a
hero’s talisman. In addition, the young men are honored with a new
status within the Boys to Men community; they are now called
“Journeymen,” meaning that they are now on the journey to manhood.
Journeymen are offered leadership opportunities and are eligible to staff
other weekend events.
Community and Sharing of Food: In a traditional rite of
passage, a young man’s family and community “witness” his passage
into manhood through a ceremony or celebration that follows his rite of
passage. One common form of community participation is eating
together. At our weekend events, boys and young men who participate
are honored for their accomplishments with a feast.