'If we don't initiate the young, they will burn down the village  just to feel the heat.’

African Proverb


The shift from childhood to adulthood has always been marked by a rite of passage, which represents entry to the adult world and the rights that go with it. This new set of rights is also accompanied by a responsibility to serve and contribute to the community.

For twenty years, teenagers from all over New Zealand have been initiated into adulthood during rites of passage programs Tracks & Tides in Golden Bay. When a large flock of teenagers was present in Tui Community, the late Jim Horton, who had been involved in men's work for years, felt inspired to start working with boys. Two years later his partner Suzi Jessie became co-founder of Tides, the program for girls.

For young people, a rite of passage will help you move beyond ‘childhood’, build self-confidence, uncover your uniqueness and discover your strengths, qualities, and potential in a new way. Women/Men of all ages will encourage you to trust your intuition, find your voice and make strong choices. From here you will stand more confidently in the world on your own two feet ensuring a lot of fun along the way.

The Rites of Passage Foundation run rites of passage programs for girls called Tides and for boys called Tracks, three times a year during the school holidays. Twice a year, we run weekend residential programs for women (Tides Training) and men (Good Men Make Tracks) with an interest in rites of passage, transition & life's stages. This is a miniature experiential version of what goes on at a rite of passage event. If you choose, this is also the way to become more involved in the facilitation of our programmes and to begin to learn how to formulate rites of passage effectively for modern young people.

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