The Rites of Passage Foundation are a Registered Charitable Trust (reg.no. CC48562) that supports young people's development and well being.

Our programs address the increase in isolation, anxiety and mental health challenges by providing tools and resources for young people to navigate challenges in their environments and to actualise their goals.

Our work focuses on the significant stages of young people's lives and involve whānau and the wider community, recognising the important role they play in their development.

The first stage is for 8-12 year olds, celebrating their childhood, strengthening the bonds with their family and preparing for adolescence.

This is followed by our 5 day program for 14-17 year olds and their parents, focusing on the transition into young adulthood.

This program empowers young people to step into their independence and form healthy relationships with self, others and the environment.

We facilitate this through family connection and community building activities, nature connection, physical challenges, games, ceremony and creative arts.

We provide leadership development opportunities for young people to nurture their self-determination, which grows their capacity to contribute to the wellbeing of their community.

Young people are invited to return as young leaders in the years following their rite of passage, with many continuing on to become part of our facilitation team. Many of these young people grow into leadership roles in the wider community, such as leading youth climate action events in Mohua, become active in the local youth council and more.

The expected benefits and outcomes of our programs are positive youth development and enhanced wellbeing, which we have seen in our 20 years of delivering youth programs.

At their heart, our programmes seek to foster connection and positive growth, enhance wellbeing,

strengthen family relationships, and offer an intergenerational and community-led approach to youth development that is firmly nature based.

Five key focus areas of our program and their expected outcomes are:

1. Young people build meaningful relationships with their whānau, their peers and the wider community.

2. Young people feel cared for, respected and valued. They care for and respect others in return.

3. Young people step into their independence and have the tools and resources to actualise their goals.
This enables them to grow into leadership roles in their wider community.

4. Young people care for and become active kaitiaki for the environment.

5. Inter-generational connection and collaboration is formed, where young people actively contribute to the
wellbeing of their community.

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Other programs

Crossroads for 18-35 year olds; a 4-day program, created and facilitated by young adults, focusing on creating meaningful connections with self, other's and the environment. This is achieved through people connection, nature connection, games and creative arts.

Wilderness Solo; a 7-day outdoor program for ages 18+, fostering personal development through a week based in the wilderness.

Ebb & Flow (for women) and Good Men Make Tracks (for men), weekend programs offering adults the opportunity to experience a rite of passage.

They also connect the wider community with our work. We are seeing this being used as a starting point for mentoring and supporting other organisations wanting to initiate this work.

 

We now run an all inculsive, mixed gender Marking Life's Stages weekend program for adults, celebrating the current life stage each individual is in and marking their transition to the next stage.

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Our work has expanded to include further leadership development opportunities that meet the needs and dynamics of other age groups and life stage transitions beyond adolescence. These programmes assist young people, families and our community in their social, creative and  community orientated pursuits.

Participants in our programs range in age from 8 -70+ years old, offering an inter-generational and community led approach to youth development. Elders are an integral part and are actively involved in holding space. This framework models how each generation can contribute to the wellbeing of their community.