Presentations for Schools

Healthy Youth Passages

What does it take for my peers and adults to recognize me as an adult?

How do youth around the world become adults in their community?

Why is adolescence so confusing for me?

How can I get through my teen years safely?

These are just some of the questions explored during our Healthy Youth Passages presentation. We use an anthropological, cross-cultural perspective to lead a discussion which is focused around these issues and also meets Washington state curriculum requirements in Social Studies and Health.

Both historically and around the world today, rites of passage mark the transition between childhood and adulthood. The most meaningful rites of passage transmit the values of a youth’s community, and incorporate a number of key components. We teach youth about these elements while we explore the rites of passage present in the US today, as well as rites from a number of countries and traditional cultures around the world. In these presentations, we will also talk with youth about problems they may be facing – such as teen pregnancy, drug use, or hazing – and how they can become endemic when a culture loses its rites of passage based in tradition.