About 4-H Youth Rite of Passage

About 4-H Youth Rite of Passage

Benefits of the Rite of Passage

Activities During the Rite of Passage

Severance (Preparation), Threshold (Solo) and Incorporation (Return)

Equipment and Accommodations

Schedule and Registration

4-H Youth Rite of Passage Reading List

FAQ

About 4-H Youth Rite of Passage

4-H is this nation’s premier youth development program.  It is based on developmentally appropriate practices and research-validated curriculums that promote life skills and core learning for competent, healthy maturing youth.  4-H RITE OF PASSAGE is a new addition to the WSU 4-H Challenge Program.

The 4-H Rite of Passage program was originally developed in conjunction with The School of Lost Borders in California.  For over 30 years they have provided vision fasts for youth and adults as well as training for future vision fast guides.  The School of Lost Borders programs are now available internationally.

Culturally appropriate rites of passage from adolescence into adulthood are critically important.  Without accepted and honored ceremonies, adolescents are initiating each other into adulthood using the symbols of "maturity" that they see as the privilege of adults around them: alcohol, drugs, violence, and sex.

4-H in Washington State offers an alternative--a culturally appropriate rite of passage through a vision fast in the wilderness.  We prepare initiates for as much as a 3-day fast alone, with minimum shelter, in the natural world.  The vision fast process for participants involves 3 phases:

• severance from the world that they know and will leave behind,
• threshold or time alone, and
• Incorporation into their new life and life status as an adult. 

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Benefits of the Rite of Passage
The benefits of this work at the individual and cultural levels are many and include: self-knowledge (both strengths and weaknesses), leadership skills, self-esteem, self-confidence, sense of responsibility for self and community, fuller access to emotions, feelings and spirit, respect for self and others and a deep honoring of the natural world that supports us all. 

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Activities During the Rite of Passage

On the first day we gather at an agreed upon place and travel together to a wilderness basecamp.  The first days are given over to preparation (Severance). We meet in circle and practice “council” so that all voices may be heard.  Participants will learn about the 4 Shields of human nature, wilderness safety and ethics, self-generated ceremony and go through an interactive interview to clarify their intention in marking their adulthood.  They will also explore the nearby land for a place to fast and establish a “buddy pile” (see handbook for description) during this time.  On the fourth, fifth and sixth days the trainee lives alone and fasts in a wilderness place (Threshold or Solo Time).  On the morning of the seventh day, the fasters return to basecamp and a celebratory feast is held in a nearby town (Incorporation).  Days eight and nine are spent in circle telling the stories brought back from the mountain. Each faster is heard and his/her story empowered by a council of elders. 

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Preparation (Severance) 

A Rite of Passage begins as soon as you decide to do it.  The more thoughtful and honest you can be with yourself, the more you will get out of the experience.  Spend time thinking about why you want to do the Rite of Passage.  Write in a journal or talk to a trusted friend about your intentions.  It is highly recommended that you complete the Day Walk described in the Handbook.  You may also want to read The Book of the Vision Quest by Stephen Foster and Meredith Little. 

Questions to ponder as you prepare for your Rite of Passage:

*from John Davis and Nancy Jane of School of Lost Borders

What do you hope to gain; what are you willing to give up?

What “old skins” or self-images is it time to shed?

What do you seek at this point in your life’s journey?

What is the greatest gift you could give yourself during this vision fast?

What is the greatest gift you could bring back for your people and your place?

What inner tools and resources do you bring on this quest?

What are your strongest fears or resistances; how might you sabotage your journey?

What am I going to mark, claim, celebrate or confirm? What is my intent?

Threshold (Solo Time)

This vision fast is a classic modern rite of passage or transition that involves the personal experience of a three day and night fast in a wilderness place.  The traditional 4-H Rite of Passage Solo is based upon the following guidelines (taboos): no company, no food and minimal shelter.  Within these guidelines leaders will assist each participant in planning for the solo experience that meets their needs.

Incorporation (Return)

The guides will assist participants with ways to authentically mark what they have done on their Rite of Passage.  The group will have a celebratory feast in a nearby town, return to basecamp and tell stories to the elders council.  There is also discussion about the upcoming year and the process of incorporation.

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Equipment and Accommodations

The trainers make no provisions for meals or accommodations.  Participants are responsible for their own meal preparation including cooking/eating utensils as well as a tent, sleeping bag etc. Download the suggestions for what to bring here: 

4-H Rite of Passage Equipment List

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4-H Rite of Passage Reading List

Required: The 4-H Rite of Passage Youth Handbook: Coming of Age in the Wilderness

Suggested:  The Book of the Vision Quest: Personal Transformation in the Wilderness by Steven Foster and Meredith Little.  Available from School of Lost Borders Press: http://www.lostborderspress.com/lbpress/index.cfm 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will I be safe?

Safety is our primary concern in 4-H Youth Rite of Passage and in 30 years of doing this work at the School of Lost Borders there have been no serious accidents.  Participants are screened through a lengthy interview process, both before leaving home and at the site prior to their solo.  Accommodations for differences in preparation and ability are made so that the solo best suits each participant’s needs.  Two guides are always available at basecamp for personal attention.  Ample preparation occurs in advance to assess and address health and safety needs and risk.

Is there communication in the event of an emergency?

We have a cell phone in basecamp in case of emergencies.  The emergency numbers will be provided to registered participants.

Why are three “taboos” part of a Rite of Passage?

The three taboos are no food, no company and minimal shelter.  These taboos have become a tradition in modern day rites of passage.  Going without food is an ancient, pan-cultural tradition that allows one to focus attention on the matters at hand.  Ample water is provided to ensure safety but food is discouraged.  Throughout history, traditional Rites of Passage have required youth to go alone into the wilderness to claim their place as adults.  In being alone you receive the gift of confronting and exploring your true self.  Minimal shelter puts one in direct contact with nature while challenging the individual to keep themselves safe.

What if I want to come back early?  

Participants may return early for a variety of reasons.  They will meet with a guide for a consultation to help them successfully finish their initiation.

What if I would like my son/daughter to do this, but they don’t want to?

This experience is most effective when the initiate has a personal investment and a desire to be there.  It is safer and much more powerful for an adolescent to arrive on their own accord.  As in all challenge programs, the Rite of Passage is “challenge by choice”; therefore we only welcome youth who come to this important ceremony by their own choice.

If I send my son/daughter out on this, will he/she return as a more mature adult?

While it is nice to dream about your child returning with fewer “teenager” qualities, it is important to remember that becoming a responsible adult is a multi-year process.  The Rite of Passage can have positive, life-altering effects for participants, but the best thing a parent can do when their child comes home is to support them where they are, affirm what they have accomplished (i.e., the enormous courage it takes to go alone into the wilderness without food and shelter for 3 days and nights) and also affirm the difficult challenge of entering the beginning stages of adulthood. *See “A Note to Family and Friends” in the Rite of Passage Youth Handbook.

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