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Main > TPI - OPEN JGroup & Community Events |
| TPI - OPEN JGroup & Community Events |
Threshold Passages, Inc has a 100-year mission. By the time a century has passed, it is our goal to make initiation and mentoring an integral part of society once again. At that time, there will be no need for organizations like ours because it will be part of what we all do.
OPEN EVENTS
Periodically during the year we hold OPEN JGroups and Community Events. For the OPEN JGroups, any boy may attend in the age range (12-17 yrs) may come. For the Community Events, everyone is welcome. If you'd like to attend, or if you know someone who wants to come, please contact us.
To RSVP for OPEN EVENTS and see who might be there please check us out on Meetup.com
Community Event - Honoring & Blessing Ceremony
| WHEN |
Thursday August 23, 2010
6:30 - 8:30pm
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| WHERE |
TPI Center - Cameron Church
1600 S. Pearl Str.
Denver, CO 80210
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| CALL |
303.889.2800
to let us know your coming and receive details on what to bring.
All of the community is invited to attend as Staff, JMan Staff and new JMen are honored and blessed for their work during RPAW8.
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August of 2009 saw the successful completion of our seventh annual Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (RPAW) and the beginning of Year 7 of our 100 year mission. When Year 7 comes to a close, only 93 years will remain in our mission. This Summer brings the beginning of Year 8 just after the next RPAW, which will be August 20-22, 2010.
General Information About TPI
I’m a Good Parent. Why Mentoring for My Boy?
You have our sincerest respect because many of the mentors at TPI are fathers and know how hard parenting can be. And be aware that mentoring is not parenting. The function of a mentor is in no way to take the place of a parent. We fill in another piece that is just as important for boys to grow into mature young men. A successful journey into and vital and independent adulthood requires a clean break from the parents at some point. One of the reasons many of the mentors have joined TPI is to make sure that their sons have mentors and so they can repay the favor by mentoring another father’s son.
My Boy is Doing Well. Does He Need Mentoring?
The bottom line is that joining TPI is your son’s choice. If he feels he doesn’t want it or doesn’t need it, then that’s that. However, if you’re unsure whether or not to ask him, keep this in mind: we provide mentoring for a variety of boys. Some are in single parent homes without a father, so providing a masculine role model in his life is a no-brainer. Some come from split homes and benefit from a steady masculine presence that has no agenda regarding his home life. Some have a strong father present in their lives and enjoy input from another male perspective. At TPI we provide boys with more options about where to find guidance and how to approach their choices in life.
How Does It Start?
The process begins with the Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (RPAW). This initiation weekend takes place near Buffalo Creek, Colorado in a primitive setting. The isolation of the natural 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.
The RPAW incorporates physical or emotional tests that help a boy discover inner resources that he often doesn’t know exist. Through this experience he gains new self-respect and confidence. This process helps ensure that the initiate is ready for the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood.
During an RPAW the adult staff helps 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.
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 talisman. In addition, the young men are honored with a new status within the community; they are now called "JourneyMen", meaning that they are now on the journey to manhood.
What About After the Weekend?
Providing an initiation for boys is a necessary step toward mature masculinity, but there are many more steps. At TPI we realize that one weekend isn’t going to make a boy into a man. That’s why we provide an ongoing mentoring program. Once a boy becomes a Journeyman, he can attend bi-monthly JGroup meetings with mentors and other Journeymen until his 18th birthday. Then he has a chance to become a mentor himself and lead others younger than himself along the path while maintaining relationships with older men as well.
During the ongoing mentoring program we emphasize the following themes:
Self respect: understanding of their own unique gifts and of their inherent worth
Respect for the masculine: constructive and supportive ways of being with a community of men
Respect for the feminine: mother, women, and the feminine community
How to connect with and express feelings in healthy and appropriate ways, including anger management
Encouragement to honor their own spiritual connection through their own personal rituals of renewal
Knowledge of one’s own flaws and limitations
Communication skills and emotional literacy
How Do I Sign-up?
A boy and his guardian must fill out an RPAW application form completely and send it in with a deposit. The applications are screened by TPI staff and then the boy is interviewed. The interview is to make sure the boy is attending the RPAW by his own choice rather than being forced to. During a weekend we have found it best to send a boy home if doesn’t wish to be there. The interview is a way to avoid such a dramatic step. Once a boy is approved to go on the RPAW we send out a packet explaining the rest of the logistics of the weekend including when and where to take him.
What About Mentors?
We need men willing to become mentors for both the RPAW and the ongoing mentoring program. The only requirement to be a mentor is to pass a national background check. We facilitate it and only need a form filled out and a nominal fee. Once that is done, you can join in right away. We offer training classes periodically. These are not required, but very helpful for working with teenagers.
What About Moms?
Moms and female guardians can’t be mentors for TPI, but we do have training for parents that focuses on life with a teenage boy going through the trials of adolescence. Since one of the most difficult parts of male adolescent growth is the separation from the mother, female guardians are especially encouraged to participate whether their boys are in TPI or not.
For more information, please contact us.
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