and thank you for expressing an interest in Threshold Passages, which provides the Journey to Manhood program for adolescent boys 12-17 years old. And currently under development is a new program, Journey to Womanhood, a program for girls 7-17 years old. The women of the TPI community have decided to create a program for girls. Check out the Contact Us page for more information.

For thousands of years men have initiated boys into adulthood. The need for initiation and mentoring is hard-wired in boys and in men. Over the last few hundred years these traditions have been lost.

Today, many boys are creating their own rites of passage using alcohol, drugs, crime and sex. These methods don't work and lead to gangs, violence, prison and teenage pregnancies. Even boys that don't choose the hardest road face difficult challenges. In our society, it is too easy for boys lose direction and to wander into unskillful and sometimes even dangerous territory. High divorce rates, poor self-esteem and a culture that teaches boys to shut down feelings have long term effects on boys during this critical time of their lives.

Teenage boys need good men as role models and mentors to help them see options and weigh consequences, and to support them without judgment. Using group mentoring, the men and older teens of TPI provide a safe place for boys to build trust in others and themselves, learn tools for emotional clarity, explore family system issues, discover their goals and take action to fulfill them.

Journey to Manhood creates a unique place where boys between the ages of 12 and 17 can regularly interact with dedicated, conscientious adult men with the understanding that each boy can become the man he wants to be. Journey to Manhood helps boys discover their own individual strengths, talents and gifts. Caring men model positive masculine behavior and challenge boys to act responsibly to others and themselves. Equipped with this information, boys can then develop positive life skills and goals that can be expressed in their lives and shared within their community.

For boys, participation begins with the Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (RPAW), which is held annually. During this intensive weekend, boys experience an authentic and powerful initiation into their journey to become men. Adult men on staff model integrity, courage, respect and leadership. It is a challenging, exhilarating and life-changing experience that many say they will never forget.

Once boy has completed the RPAW he becomes a JourneyMan, on his journey to manhood, and can participate in an ongoing mentoring program called JGroups. In JGroups, JourneyMen and mentors have fun, develop trust and explore the insights and capacities gained from the RPAW.

Mentors can join Journey to Manhood at any time. The only requirement for men is to pass a state and national criminal background check. Two levels of training are available for mentors. The first is Reclaiming Your Teenage Fire, which helps men get in touch with their own teenage energy, and Working in the Ring of Teenage Fire, which covers the methods and techniques used for mentoring in JGroups.

For the community, Journey to Manhood offers two experiential workshops. Mentoring Teenage Fire introduces the community to the goals and methods of Journey to Manhood for initiation and group-based mentoring of teenage boys. And in partnership with Living Arts Foundation, an intensive for parents of adolescents, called Living With Teenage Fire, which uses constellation work to bring awareness and healing to home environments of teenagers.

Dear visitors, the links below are listed to get you started in a direction that may feel the most appropriate for you...

• I am a parent >>
   
• I am a young man, age 12 to 17 >>
   
• I wish to be involved in this work >>
   
• I am interested in contributing financially and will contact you for details >>