Rites of passage - The Rite Journey...adopted the Rite Journey, a program which draws on the...

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The sun is low in thesky as a group ofteenage boys andtheir parents trudgesilently uphillthrough LesmurdieFalls National Park.

Classical music is playing overa loudspeaker as they reach thelookout with sweeping views overthe city.

The boys, most of them 14 yearsold, are taking part in a ritual tosymbolise childhood’s end andthe start of their journey towardsmanhood.

They attend Mazenod College,one of 13 WA schools that haveadopted the Rite Journey, aprogram which draws on thetraditional concept of initiationto adulthood through aseven-stage rite of passage.

While the boys stand at thespectacular lookout, their facestinged orange by the rays of thesun now sinking slowly towardsthe horizon, Year 9 co-ordinatorMike Pickford gently asks themto bid farewell to their boyhoodby saying thank you to the peoplewho have fed, taught and caredfor them.

“The places, all theexperiences, the films, the books,the games and the music, all thathuman tradition gave you, thatmade your boyhood rich andgood,” he says.

“Even the painful times — thehurts, the betrayals and thedisappointments that made youwho you are.”

As the boys stand in respectfulsilence, gazing outwards to thecity lights sparkling below, MrPickford asks each parent to put ahand on their son’s shoulder and

give them a gentle push tosymbolise the start of theirjourney to manhood.

Many find the simple ritualunexpectedly overwhelming anda few boys bury their heads intheir parents’ shoulders for along moment beforesurreptitiously wiping awaytears.

The program’s creator anddirector, South Australianphysical education teacher andauthor Andrew Lines, says theRite Journey reinvents thetraditional process of a rite ofpassage to transform adolescentsfrom dependency toresponsibility.

Originally developed for boysbut later adapted for girls, theyear-long program uses a mixtureof rituals, physical challenges,discussion and guidance to startthe process of turning Year 9sinto “responsible, respectful andresilient” adults.

Sign-posting the journey areseven ceremonial stages, startingwith the calling ritual, wherestudents say goodbye tochildhood at a significant locallandmark. “It’s intended to be amemorable moment for thesekids, something that sits with

them for ever as a point wherethey make the transition,” MrLines says.

The biggest challenge thatstudents face during the year isthe solo wilderness experienceknown as “the abyss”, where theyspend 24 hours isolated in theirown tent with some rations andwriting materials but no access totechnology.

“It’s an experience of whathappens when you don’t haveanything to take you away fromyourself,” he says. “Kids thesedays don’t have that.”

Mr Lines believes Westernsociety’s lack of rites of passagehas led to many teens creatingtheir own versions — which ofteninvolve unsafe behaviour such ashoon driving, sexual activity orexcessive drinking.

He was inspired to create theRite Journey when he realisedmany teens lacked appropriateadult role models and neededhelp to deal with society’sintensive focus on body imageand the impact of technology.

Many of his students wererefusing to take responsibility fortheir own actions, laying blamefor their misdemeanourselsewhere.

“The boys I taught displayed anumber of problem areasincluding bullying, sexism,racism, homophobia and angermanagement.”

He was also concerned thatmany girls were overlyinfluenced by popular culture tobe dissatisfied with theirappearance or sexualisedprematurely.

Fifty years ago adolescence didnot really exist, Mr Lines says,and people were likely to beearning money or responsible forother family members by thetime they were 16.

“We’re living in a societywhere young people are beingbubble-wrapped and not reallybeing able to experience risk andfailure and the building ofresilience that comes fromthose,” he says.

“Young people are spending somuch time in front of screens andso little time in front of people.This lack of human connection isa real issue because it is reallyonly by being in front of an adultthat you can learn how to be anadult — and there is no softwareprogram that’s going to help ayoung person learn those skills.”

During lessons, which are held

sitting on the floor instead ofbehind desks, boys discuss topicssuch as mateship, how to dealwith anger and how to talk togirls. Girls examine issues suchas body image and self worth,friendships and cyberbullying.

About 60 schools have adoptedthe program in the past fiveyears, including schools in NewZealand, Britain and SouthKorea.

Mr Lines says the program hassnowballed as word has spread,with 23 Australian schoolssigning up to deliver the RiteJourney for the first time thisyear — eight of those in Perth.

As well as Mazenod, theyinclude John XXIII, Mercy, SwanChristian, Southern HillsChristian, Mundaring Christianand Carmel Adventist collegesand Kalamunda Senior HighSchool. Five WA schools havebeen using it for the past twoyears — Christian BrothersCollege Fremantle, CorpusChristi College, St Stephen’sSchool in Duncraig, IreneMcCormack College and OceanForest Lutheran College.

Kalamunda, the only publicschool to offer the program inWA, will run a trial this yearwith one class of Year 9 boysbefore deciding whether to investmore money in training teachersto deliver it.

Principal Kathy Ritchie says ifit is successful, based on feedbackfrom the boys and their parentsand an assessment of students’attitude, behaviour, attendanceand results, the school wouldconsider rolling it out to all boysin the year group. “And, maybe inthe longer term, looking at asimilar thing for the girls.”

Emotions were running high

Rites of passageSimple rituals aimto give Year 9s apositive pathwayinto adulthood

Initiation: Mazenod College students and their parents take part in the ceremony. Picture: Steve Ferrier

(Students) becamemore accountable,more resilient.Mike Pickford

End of childhood: Mazenod Collegestudents and their parents at a RiteJourney ceremony at LesmurdieFalls. Picture: Steve Ferrier

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■ Bethany Hiatt

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last month when parents andstudents from CBC Fremantlemade their way up MonumentHill for the school’s calling anddeparture ceremonies.

Deputy principal DomenicBurgio says the Rite Journey nowunderpins all pastoral care atCBC from Years 7 to 12.

“It’s made a profounddifference,” he says. “In theseclasses some pretty powerful stuffhappens. The whole way weadminister pastoral care nowcomes back to ‘are you behavinglike a young man, or is that littleboy behaviour? Are you takingresponsibility or are youdeflecting it?’

“We’re able to challenge theparents as well, to say ‘are yougoing in to bat for your kid, or areyou making the kid accountable?’

“We are trying to give boys areally positive pathway intoadulthood and then empowerthem with the skills to make theright decisions at the right time.”

Cristina Marshall, whose Year11 son Jack was among the firstgroup to take the journey at CBCin 2012, says she liked the fact theprogram gave him strong malerole models to look up to apartfrom his father Bruce.

“There is a lot going on in ayoung boy’s life, so just to stopand take time out and reflect wasfantastic,” she says. “I want my

son to grow into a decent youngman, and this reminds themabout values and where theyshould be heading.”

Mr Pickford was inspired tointroduce the Rite Journey toMazenod after its success at CBC.

Though there is not yet anyresearch to show how well theprogram works, the anecdotalfeedback he has had from otherschools is that it speeds up thenatural maturation processwhich takes place around Year 9.

“It’s more just the behaviourchange in the boys,” he says.“They saw a change in theattitude of the students. Theybecame more accountable, more

resilient and they showed a bit ofintegrity and pride in the workthey presented and they tookownership of their owneducation.”

Mr Pickford believes thatgiving boys a chance to reflect onwhat they’ve done and thinkabout what sort of person theyhope to be will stand them ingood stead in the future.

“I think there’s so much hustleand bustle in society today and inlife,” he says. “If we can providean environment where they slowdown a little bit and take in thesurroundings, that could helpthem a lot in the long run.

“So they can learn to reflect

and not jump to conclusions andtake in every bit of informationso they can make right judgmentsand calculated, educateddecisions.”

Steve Biddulph, an adjunctprofessor of psychology and theauthor of Raising Girls andRaising Boys, says rites ofpassage are essential to awell-lived life.

“I think it can achieve resultsas remarkable as reducing crime,preventing suicide, helping kidsfind good careers, promptingbetter respect for the oppositesex,” he says. “Without them, wedon’t properly grow up.”

Until quite recently rituals tohelp children become adults wereas common to every culture asweddings and funerals.

“That suggests that they arenecessary,” Professor Biddulphsays. “What’s fascinating is thatpeople continually create rites ofpassage themselves. Schooliesweek, bucks nights, and the like,they tend to be actually quitetoxic and clumsy, a kind of cry forsomething more meaningful tofill the gap.”

“The neuroscience is clear thatthis age group are not wellformed yet, and so we areintegrating them into supportiveadult culture, not ejecting theminto the big world. A rite ofpassage says ‘welcome in’, not‘you’re on your own’.”

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Kids beginadulthoodtransition

Calling: CBC student Henry and father Anthony Moffitt in Fremantle.

Young people arebeingbubble-wrapped.Andrew Lines

On Thursday,February 20, thesetting sun overthe Indian Oceanprovided astunningbackdrop for 10

brave Lockridge Senior HighSchool Aboriginal boys whowaited nervously for their call upto the stage at the North CottesloeSurf Club.

These young boys, who mainlygrew up in suburbs surroundingLockridge, exist in a generationof young Aboriginal people whohave had much of their cultureswept away.

For the boys painted intraditionally prepared wiligee(ochre) and wearing a djoolib(loin cloth) taking to the stage toperform traditional Aboriginaldances is an act that is notfamiliar to them. An act that isvery scary for them.

And, most importantly, an actthat marks a significant first stepin reconnection andreconciliation with their identityand their rich history.

The boys were dancing at anevent organised jointly by theIndigenous CommunityEducation Awareness andReconciliation WA foundation,held to celebrate and wish wellthe first all-Aboriginal team ofswimmers to compete in theannual Swim To Rottnest eventand to thank all swimmers andsupport crew who raised moneyto support the ICEA Wavesprogram. The boys, accompaniedby 10 bright and beautifulAboriginal and Torres StraitIslander girls, made up theLockridge Senior High Schoolgroup who travelled to Rottnest tosupport the Nyoongar SportsAssociation’s all-Aboriginal relayteam in last Saturday’s event.

The 20 students are part of thehighly successful Follow The

Dream/Partnerships for SuccessProgram that is run at Lockridgethrough a joint partnershipbetween the Graham (Polly)Farmer Foundation, theDepartment of Education and theAMP Foundation. The FTD/PFSprogram exists at 31 sites aroundAustralia providing after-schooltuition and individual mentoringsupport to aspirant Aboriginalhigh school students.

On top of educational support,the FTD/PFS program providesother learning and developmentopportunities for our students,aiming to help shape them intothe future generation of leadersin our community.

Late last year, I recognisedwhat a meaningful culturalopportunity this history-makingevent presented for my Dreamers.

I discovered that DennisSimmons, a Noongar man andour cultural educator and mentorat Lockridge SHS, was competing

as part of this ground-breakingall-Aboriginal swim team. As anon-swimmer who has livedthrough many of theintergenerational impacts of theinjustices to his people onRottnest Island, Mr Simmons hadcommitted himself to learn toswim and take part as the “oldman” of the team.

This was enough inspirationfor me to cement LockridgeFTD/PFS students as hispersonal support crew.

So began an exciting journey ofpersonal growth andreconnection for my students.

Not only did the camp atRottnest offer most of them theirfirst experience of the idyllicisland, but it also provided awealth of opportunities to deepentheir connections with the land,with reconciliation and with thestrength and pride of theirculture.

The trip to North Cottesloe

Surf Club was the first time allthese young people had been tothe Cottesloe area.

For the boys, embracing therich spiritual aspect of theirculture and dancing in front of200 people, mostly wadjellas(white fellas), was certainly afirst time and a huge step incharacter building.

Sleeping in the Lockridge highschool gym on Friday night andwaking at 4.30am to make it toCottesloe beach in time for theWelcome to Country ceremonywas definitely a first for allstudents and staff involved.

At the starting line, as the sunrose over Cottesloe and makingthe finish line of Rottnest visible,my 20 students proudly stoodunified in their team shirts thatthey had designed and screenprinted.

Three boys bravely stripped offtheir shirts at the encouragementof Noongar elder Len Collard andPremier Colin Barnett andperformed an impromptu spiritdance in the sand to help ward offbad spirits as the lead-offAboriginal swimmer BriannaOzies, from the Kimberley,entered the water.

The Locko Dreamers thenboarded a ferry to travel toWadjemup, Rottnest, in time togreet the swimmers as theyarrived.

The currency for reconciliationhad never felt stronger in the WAcommunity, as was demonstratedby the four Aboriginal teammembers, Brianna, Mr Simmons,Vinka Barunga and Brendan

Moore, as they crossed the lineproudly flying the Aboriginal flagto the delight and applause ofspectators and proud Lockridgestudents.

Mr Simmons, exhausted afterhis mighty effort, embraced thestudents at the finish line andpronounced that “this swimmarks a great step inreconciliation as for so manyyears in recent historyAboriginal warriors, leaders andpeople have been trying to swimaway from Rottnest to escape theprison”.

“Now with this swim fromWhadjuk to Wadjemup we areswimming back out of respect forour people, past and present,” hesaid.

The message he sent to thestudents the night after the swimsummed up the impact of theevent for the Locko Dreamers:“Hi Libby and the Locko crew.Thank you for supporting me, theteam and the spirit of yourpeople. I’m so proud of you guys.

“You inspire me and give mehope for the future of our peopleand our boodja (land). Enjoy yourweekend at Wadjemup andremember that pressure makesdiamonds. Kgiaber, Dennis.”

Lockridge SHS principal AnneRobinson commented on theprofound ripple effect of theexperience for the students.

“They stand a foot taller,” shesaid. “Proud of themselves forwhat they have been a part of andachieved.”

Four of my Locko Dreamershave already shared their desireto swim in the event next year.

As we rode and swam aroundthe famously spectacularlandmarks of Wadjemup for therest of the weekend, these youngleaders of our community all hadtheir sights broadened.

They have expressed a desire tolead a bright future forthemselves, their families andtheir people.

As Mr Simmons said, “theyhave had their eyes taken off thestreet and made to look to thestars”.

It is my honour to walk thisjourney with them.Libby Elphick, is the Follow TheDream/Partnerships for SuccessProgram Coordinator

Dreaming from Whadjuk to Wadjemup

Traditional: Lockridge Senior High School boys perform an Aboriginal dance before the swim.

Celebration: Dennis Simmons shares his joy after the Rottnest swim,surrounded by his teammates.

Stepping out ofthe comfort zonepays off for bravestudents, saysLibby Elphick