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The Young Hero
I want to find authentic experiences that I connect with, that mean something to me personally. I want to be decisive, and to step into life with energy and excitement. I want to discover what truly moves me in this world, then act to create the life of my choosing around my dreams and passions. I am ready to begin becoming my own man. I am ready to take the Hero's Passage.
The Vision
We believe that healthy, empowered, and supported boys will grow into their mature masculine selves, and become balanced, whole, and just men in our communities, nation, and world.
The Program
Adolescence - making the transition from childhood to adulthood - is confusing and difficult, and keeping the adult heart and soul alive and well is a life-long practice. Our ancestors recognized it as one of the most critical times in a person's life and as a crucial step for the entire community, and they marked the coming of age time with rites of passage. These experiences always used wild nature as the crucible and essential support for the transitions of adolescence.
The purpose of this trip is to support young men in the journey of adolescence, and to help them prepare for their own passage into adulthood. This trip will help them develop some of the capacities needed for a rite of passage, become familiar with some of the central practices (such as ceremony, time alone in nature, and listening to each others' stories), and awaken the innate framework - the archetypal imprint we each carry - for how to navigate life transitions.
The wilderness affords an ideal opportunity for adolescent boys to learn and grow. The lessons it teaches are natural and uncontrived - cold, sun, rain, stars, silence, elk, finch, challenge, comfort, and fascination. This trip will teach the boys some of the ways of the wild - both internal and external - giving their own wildness a chance to emerge in a healthy and spacious environment.
We offer a four-day, three-night wilderness camping trip for boys ages 13-18, in a format we have used successfully with youth for over a decade. We set up a camp together in the mountains outside Estes Park, teach basic wilderness camping and safety skills, practice respect for each other and the land, and introduce important elements of rites of passage. The core of the experience is a full day (morning & afternoon) solo in nature, with the option of an overnight solo for those who are ready. They will also have fun, play games, learn tracking and other wilderness skills, eat well, and tell fantastic stories around the fire.
A boy sat
alone next to a fire and carved a mask into a round of birch
bark. He carved out the days of his boyhood, knowing he would
leave it there and die to his boyhood in the dying light of
a lonely fire.
"When I awoke" he said, "I was a man".
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Further Information
 Download the brochure for this program
For more information or other inquiries please |
Location
We will drive and walk to a wilderness campsite on private land surrounded by national forest
between Lyons and Estes Park, Colorado. It is beautiful and secluded land offering a profound
sense of wildness and homecoming. Details on where to gather will be sent upon registration.
Staff
The program is led by Jason Geoffrion, M.A., and Ed "Eamon" Duffy, with advisory
support by John Davis, Ph.D. You can view biographies of here.
Dates and Times
Departing 9 AM Thursday, August 5, returning 3 PM Sunday, August 8. Parents and families of
the boys are invited to gather to send the boys off on this trip on Thursday morning and to
welcome them back on Sunday afternoon.
Cost
We offer a sliding scale registration ranging from $350-475. We ask that you pay what you can afford
and help with scholarships. We know that this program is worth the $475, but we want to assure that
everyone who wishes to attend is not held back due to financial consideration.
A minimum non-refundable deposit of $150 is required to hold your reservation and assure you of a spot
in this gathering. Meals are included. Space is limited to 12 participants.
If you wish to set up a payment plan or inquire about a scholarship, please arrange with the MLA office
prior to the event. Click HERE to download the MLA Scholarship Application Form.
| Deposit: (non-refundable) |
| $150 |
reserves your participation |
| Fee: |
| before July 1 |
$350-475 |
| July 1 to 14 |
$415-475 |
| after July 14 |
$475 |
| on-site Payment |
$525 |
| Cancellation: |
| before July 1 |
full refund (minus deposit) |
| July 1 to 14 |
75% refund (minus deposit) |
| after July 14 |
no refund |
Logistical details, equipment list and information to help the boys prepare for this trip
will be sent upon registration. A pre-trip letter and phone conversation with the participants
and one of the guides is part of the preparation, getting to know each other ahead of time so we
all can be safe on the land and fully enjoy this experience.
Registration
Register on-line using our secure online payment service:
Heroes Wilderness Journey
for young men ages 13-18
August 5-8, 2010 |
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Or you can print, fill-out, and mail your registration using the form below. Please
include your deposit or registration fee by check made payable to
"Men's Leadership Alliance".
Further Information
For more information please
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