Leaders – Check,

Returning Young Men – Check

Women leaders – Check

Mothers and mentors – Check

Young Men – Check

Fathers and Mentors – Check

All ready for our  July and September Stepping into Manhood camps communities

17  incredible young men participated in exploring  what it means to be a healthy  and authentic young man supported by the community.

As always with these camps we have a plan and the challenges that arise are never the same. The experience of the leaders and contributions from the fathers and mentors  adapted to hold a space for the young men to experience all the elements of a rite of passage:

Separation / Challenge / Story / Honouring / Return to community

For both these  camp we experienced challenges in the form of operating on a new site,  a new kitchen set up  graciously and competently managed by Ecochef Mick. We experienced nature through   ticks,  rain and sun and frost . The beautiful Gidgegannup  property gave many opportunities to explore  and experience the diverse bush setting. The Camp guides team made changes and allowances for the weather as the camp went by to create incredible opportunities for sharing of experiences and gathering as community.

The camp provided a space for strengthening connections and creating new ones with a great mix of men. A space to sit and share what’s important to them and the men they want to be. Witnessing fathers / mentors who were open to deepening the relationship with the young men was a beautiful sight.

We were blessed to have an  incredible returning young man, Rohan  who is now a full guide  and encourage  Returning Young Men to join  us on each camp and would love to have some father and son combos coming on board.

If you are interested in becoming a Guide on  our camps then we have a guides  training camp coming up in July  2024 and 2 camps for 2024  calling out for good men and women.

The women of our community provide such amazing support and hold the energy for us to be separate and do the work we do. Thanks Jill and karen  for holding  wonderfully and competently and a heartfelt thanks to both Eve, Abbi and Nadja for stepping up into this space. As a group of men arriving back to the community at the completion of this camps we arrived back to a beautiful, colourfull  welcome. This is the time for the leaders to step back and hold the space for the families to reconnect and share a few moments of what unfolded for them.

The stories from camp will continue to unfold and be shared with families and loved ones as the young men integrate this into their lives. Ongoing support and space for them to continue the path of stepping into manhood requires the whole community. As we bring more awareness to this we are able to change our communication and the way we show up for our young people again modelling healthy masculinity to our community.

Upcoming camps for families with boys / young men between the ages of 13-16,  places are now open for 2024 camps so contact us to discuss attending and please feel free to pass this on to anyone you feel would benefit from this work. Please go to https://ritestogether.org.au/ or to book your place please contact:

Reijer Groenveld 0408 605 842