Teen Journey – A Journey like no other!

Teen Journey is a global community of dedicated, loving and conscious people who have come together with the intention of being in service to the future caretakers of our planet: our Youth.

A paradigm shift on every level, the barometer of success at Teen Journey is the quality of relationships people have with themselves, each other and with the planet.

Teen Journey has developed Rites of Passage for today's young people that are relevant to our modern world. Through a variety of exercises from sweat lodges and fire walking to sculpture, storytelling, and tribal dancing, teens discover their inner and outer potential as well as face and move beyond their fears and awaken to new possibilities and commitments.

Teen Journey goes far beyond...an ordinary teen camp experience. While incorporating many of the fun activities that we have long come to associate with camp, including the opportunity to create deep, long-lasting friendships, there is also the invitation for each individual to truly look into who they are and what it means to be a human being.

What We Created

In just two years, we have had the honour and pleasure of connecting deeply and profoundly with over 80 teens and their families in the ever-evolving Program we call Teen Journey.

Much of our focus was on the two 7-day summer programs designed to create a unique, transformative experience for young people. Knowing that the TJ Program was cutting-edge and would likely, at first, attract only a small number of participants, and with more passion than money, we put together a dynamic team of elders, facilitators, and young mentors who crafted the TJ Program.

Fundamental to the lasting success of the program, we developed over 18 events and circle shares as follow ups with the teens where we had the joy of exposing them to internationally renowned inspirational speakers and teachers who facilitated gatherings and workshops with us. We have received newspaper and radio media interest and made several short films about TJ, including a series of videos made by our participating teens.

What is most remarkable about TJ is that it is not merely a program for teens. It is also a remarkable life-shifting experience for the mentors, leaders and parents. Every step of the process needs to be created from an authentic and heart-centred place if it is going to truly speak to the teens and allow them to open up to the transformations we know they hunger for. Without our complete honesty, integrity and devotion, the teens would never willingly participate and would respond to us in the same jaded manner they often have with parents and school teachers.

Why is Teen Journey necessary?

The truth is, there are a lot of challenges on our planet and it is reflected in our communities and in our youth. Some of our own observations and experiences are:

The world is undergoing major shifts and the best way to prepare youth is to empower them to become self-inquiring individuals who can exercise integrity in each moment of choice.

Job insecurity for youth is mounting, despite acquiring university degrees. The greatest chance in thriving in an uncertain job-market is to become an independent thinking, creative citizen.

The level of consumerism and advertising has never been higher and there are far more means to become easily dissociated than deeply connected. Youth are hinging their identity on superficialities and are driven to exploit themselves and one another for acceptance and contact.

Suicide rates are rising due to the inability of young people to process pain or find a community that provides them with a sense of support and belonging.

Youth are overwhelmed with information from media and society, but lack wise and empowered mentorship to help them understand, decipher and navigate the complexities of this information.

There is a lack of trust between youth and adults in our society. Many of these rifts have been caused by adults who themselves have not had the guidance they needed.

The exchange of wisdom from elder to youth has been lost. TV and computers act as an artificial community that serves to separate us from honouring the voice of the youth and connecting with the wisdom of the eldest.

At this pivotal point in their lives…young people wake up and look around to see the world in a whole new light. They find themselves caught between two opposing forces…the pull towards togetherness and belonging, and the push outwards for autonomy and freedom. This is the moment – between childhood and adulthood when they must decide for themselves who they are and what course their lives will take.