A Modern Rite of Passage - Essay Example

A Modern Rite of Passage Rites of passage are conducted to signal a significant transition in the life of an individual (Rite of Passage 2006). Eachof us goes through rites of passage during our lifetime. It should be noted that rites of passage are considered important in every culture as they signify the ends and new beginnings. Rites of passages indicate that a person had gone through a stage in his life and is celebrating the commencement of a new chapter in his existence. Different rituals within each culture are established and conducted in order to celebrate these transitions. It is irrefutable that the way rites of passages are being conducted had evolved over time. As cultures recognized the changing needs of their member, they have devised new formal procedures to celebrate the transitions in their lives. However, rites of passage have already changed in context and meaning. For example, an individual's coming of age which was celebrated by a ritual which required jungle survival to test the survival ability and responsibility of an adolescent is now replaced with formal arties to celebrate the freedom from families especially parents. The current problematic situation of adolescents nowadays requires a modern rite of passage to signal their coming of age and transition to adulthood. This modern rite of passage should not only serve as an indication of the adolescents' newfound freedom to do what they want and the end of their parents' authority over them but also address the numerous issues which are currently faced by adolescents. This paper will present a modern rite of passage which will mark the transition between adolescence and adulthood. This will try to incorporate the issues which confront the modern youth in order to equip them with the much needed knowledge and skill to face adulthood responsibly. This report will be divided into three parts according to the distinct phases of rites of passage-separation, transition, and incorporation. This rite of passage will be conducted to teenagers aged 15-17 years of age. SEPARATION: LOSS OF IDENTITY The first part of rite of passage is called separation which is a process to end the current identity of the adolescent. This part is very important as the creation of a new identity is not possible without ending the old one. Thus, this modern rite of passage will begin with the physical separation of the adolescents from the significant people in their lives especially their families and friends. Adolescents aged 15-17 will need to prepare for the rite of passage by packing their clothing and other personal belongings to stay for a Transition Camp. It is extremely important that adolescents will only be restricted to bring what they will need. These are those basic things that individuals can't leave without like clothing, slippers, and things for personal hygiene. It should be noted that things like iPods, cellular phones, PCs, notebooks, and laptops shouldn't be brought to the Transition Camp. This will ensure that the adolescents will be fully separated from the outside world and will let them concentrate on the activities in the camp. Communication with people from outside the camp will not be tolerated. Also, no drugs, alcohol, and non-participants will be allowed inside the camp. Specific rules will also be observed inside the Transition Camp which will govern all the participants. The camp site will cater to both boys and girls. The boys will share a communal bedroom will all the boys while the girls will also be sleeping together. The adolescents will be doing on all the household chores in the camp. In order to organize the housekeeping, they will be grouped and assigned specific tasks for each week. The groups will consist of both boys and girls. Each of the household tasks will be rotated so that each group will have the chance to learn every household chore. Separation from the important persons in the adolescents is symbolic for this modern rite of passage. As the rite of passage will generally give the adolescents a "feel" of being adult this separation is important. This represents one of the future challenges that they will be facing-creating a new life of their own without the aid of their parents or families. The separation will prepare them to become responsible, teach them how to take care of themselves, deal with other teenagers their age, and help them learn household chores. TRANSITION: LIMINAL STAGE The liminal stage is the part in the rite of passage where the adolescents are in an "in between" time where they lost their old identity but were not yet able to be re-incorporated to the new community with a new identity. This is a stage where the adolescents will undergo a critical process of education, training, and activities which will help prepare them and transform them to adulthood. The first activity in the Transition Camp will be a welcoming dinner which will orient the participants of what will happen in the following days. This is also a good chance for the adolescents to know the rules inside the camp and divide them according to groups. During the night, they will also be oriented with the objectives and different activities inside the camp. They will also be given a diary for them to write their experiences. The dinner will also be the venue for them to introduce themselves and get acquainted with the other participants. While inside the Transition Camp, the adolescents will be undergoing a lot of activities. The first week of his/her stay in the Transition Camp will be focused on the "purpose" of the individual's existence here on earth. This is very important as a life is only worth living if an individual is fully aware of what he/she is created for. Thus, the camp will start with activities which will aid the adolescents in finding their own individual purposes. This can be the individual they want to become, the responsibilities that they think they will handling in the future, and the spiritual level that they want to attain. What is important here is that the adolescents will begin to understand that their lives have a specific purpose and they must do all that they can in order to fulfill this purpose. Their purpose in life will be the guiding light will lead them in their journey towards adulthood. The participants will be given lectures, seminars, workshops, and group activities in order for them to help them understand the reason for their existence. It will also be extremely necessary to give the participants some time alone with themselves in order to meditate and contemplate. At the end of the week, each adolescent should be able to come up with their definite purpose in life and how they plan to achieve that purpose. The next weeks will focus on various topics designed in order for them to understand the changes that they are going through physically, psychologically, and emotionally. The boys and the girls will have a separate discussion of these topics. Older women will facilitate the discussion of the girls while older men will facilitate in the boy's discussion. This activity will be a venue for the adolescents the changes which are happening and will be happening with their bodies. This will be aided by an open forum to give the adolescents the chance to ask straightforward questions which they would like to ask the facilitators. The other topics to be discussed are the perils of illegal activities like gangs, substance abuse, and school truancy. In order for the participants to fully understand these hazards, real life examples of what happened to juvenile delinquents will be shown. These issues will be tackled in addition to the ways on how to avoid these activities. The highlight of this discussion will be the essential characteristic that separates adolescents into adults-responsibility. It should be stressed that every individual is fully responsible for the outcome and consequences of his/her actions. The fact that an individual will be reaping all that he/she sows presents each adolescent the challenge of doing only those which will benefit them in the long run. However, each adolescent should also be made aware of the remedies or the things that they can do after they have been involved with drugs, sexual activities, and gangs. Other discussions during the camp will center on sex education, spiritual education, and commitments. The first, sex education will be conducted on an all male and all female discussion groups. This will include the "how to", contraception, safe sex, and the sanctity of sex. Emphasis will be on the importance of responsibility and maturity. The conservative point of view that sex is a sacred expression of love between married couples will be strengthened. Spiritual education will be important considering that it will help mold adolescents in virtuous individuals. Commitment is also an important topic especially that adolescents will be establishing relationships, goals, and priorities. Other activities will be designed to help establish bonds between the adolescents. Activities such as night hikes, environmental awareness studies, "survival" activities, and physical education will be designed in order for the rite to become more enjoyable. INCORPORATION: NEW IDENTITY After the liminal stage, a commencement activity will formally end the Transition Camp. This will be a dinner party where the new adolescents will be reunited with their parents as new individuals with new perceptions, beliefs and values. References Berry, Edward. (n.d.) Rites of Passage. Retrieved 16 July 2006, from http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Rites_of_Passage.pdf Foster, Steven. (2000). A Passage into Manhood. Retrieved 16 July 2006, from http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC16/Foster.htm Rite of Passage. (2006). Retrieved 16 July 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_of_passage Read More