Coming of Age Program Details
What happens in a group?
Every group meeting begins and ends with a ritual. The ritual is created by the group and often includes the elements fire (lighting a candle), sound (ringing a bell), and a dedication. After the ritual, the group holds council. Council is an ancient practice of listening and speaking from the heart. Next there can be a snack, a game or short break. This is followed by the main activity. The activity is determined by leaders and relates to the group's theme of the quarter.
There are countless themes but some common ones are inclusion/exclusion, family relations, right speech (gossip), media awareness, and power to names a few. The modality of the activity varies greatly across each leader and each group of youth. Every group has its own alchemy and finds its own ways of getting into topics. Some common ways are discussion, arts and crafts, music, singing and dancing, theater improv, and sports.
The daylong meetings are usually outdoors and involve physical challenges.
How often does the group meet?
Groups meet six times per quarter. Five of the meetings are two hours long, and the sixth is a daylong retreat. The summer quarter has fewer meetings and a minimum two-night wilderness trip. Parents and leaders meet once a quarter.
Quarters
Fall: September, October, November
Winter: December, January, February
Spring: March, April, May
Summer: June, July, August
Groups begin in the Fall, Winter and early Spring.
What is the schedule?
The calendar is made by the leaders who work with all the families in their group to find dates that everyone can attend. Summer trips are usually scheduled at the very beginning or very end of summer. We set the dates many months in advance and then ask that this commitment be held before most other things. It is hugely important that everybody in the group be at every meeting. There is a great impact if one person is not there. Parents help their child honor their commitment to participate fully for the whole program.
Where does it take place?
If a family in the group has a space in their home that is very separate from the family living space (i.e. a recreation room or converted garage) then the group meets there. If not, we find a room in a local community center, church or other community space. The day-long meetings usually take place outdoors in the wilderness. The summer trips are in parks throughout Northern California such as Point Reyes National Seashore, The Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Basin, or Mt Shasta.
Commitment
Since the Coming of Age program is unique in its length, structure and intensity, we've designed the process to be a gradual commitment. Here's how it works:
- Parents meet the program leaders at an initial informational meeting
- Enrolled youth commit to attend the first meeting.
- After the first meeting, youth commit to participate fully for the first quarter
- After the first quarter, youth commit to the group