About Us
The Pathways Foundation is a registered harm prevention charity that is dedicated to helping young people make the fundamental emotional shift from being a child to becoming a young adult. The way we do this is by providing contemporary, community based Rites of Passage for boys 13-15 yo.and their fathers or a mentor (Pathways to Manhood) and for girls 12-15 yo. and their mothers or a mentor (Pathways into Womanhood).
Helping young people grow up emotionally has largely been ignored for a long time. Sadly there are too many examples in our society of 45 yo “boys” and “girls.” As Barrack Obama said in a recent speech “too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families [and our communities] are weaker because of it…. any fool can have a child. That does not make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.” (New York Times, June 16, 2008).
In traditional societies where the village did help bring up the children they invested more time and energy into the Rite of Passage marking the transition from child to young adult than any of the other events that made up the rich fabric of village life. The village knew that their very survival depended upon having healthy men and women as community members rather than overgrown boys and girls.
In today's world it is rare that the village helps bring up the children so it is more important than ever to assist our boys and girls on their first steps to young adulthood. An event to help leave the child behind and to celebrate the first steps of the young adult is Every Child’s Rite. Meade Michael wrote, "If the fires that innately burn inside youths are not intentionally and lovingly added to the hearth of community, they will burn down the structures of culture, just to feel the warmth.”
We know this work makes a difference. Independent market research on Pathways to Manhood participants has confirmed the following significant benefits for the young men: increased confidence, stronger more respectful and supportive father relationships, increased respect for women as well as motivation to set goals, finish school and to participate and give back to their community.
We all want our children to be safe, to do well and for us to stay friends. To achieve this it is vital they grow up emotionally. A Rite of Passage is one of the greatest gifts you can give your son or daughter.
Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is delighted to be the Patron of the Pathways Foundation.
Our camps are filling rapidly so to avoid disappointment please click here to register NOW. For more information please go to our Frequently Asked Questions or ring us on 1300 850 766.