"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
— Frederick Douglass

Journeymen mentors adolescent males (ages 12-17) during their transformation to becoming men. Our mentors model authentic masculinity and nurture self-awareness and emotional growth, while challenging and assisting boys to discover their unique gifts. We honor their emerging masculinity and youthful energy alike. In short we help teenage boys grow into men.

Group Mentoring

In-Groups are regular meetings which comprise the core of Journeymen’s group-mentoring approach. Each group strives for a 1:2 ratio of mentors to mentees (or “J-men”), and features team-building activities, discussion topics, games, and personal sharing, building strong, lasting bonds among mentors and J-men and empowering J-men to develop emotional intelligence, accountability and self-confidence. J-men are encouraged to take on leadership responsibilities within the group.

Rites of Passage

For millenia, our ancestors marked young men’s transition into adulthood through well-planned and challenging rites of passage. But these initiations were never just a formality or a threshold: they were tests which put the young men in uniquely challenging situations where they had to learn about their inner strengths and gifts in order to succeed. What’s more—they infused these young men’s natural drive for freedom and risk with a sense of personal responsibility. Journeymen’s Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (ROPAW) is hosted twice each year as a modern-day opportunity for young men to find personal empowerment, self-knowledge, and to let go of what no longer serves them so that they can grow into the men they want to be.

Activities and Service

Combining service-learning opportunities, outdoor recreation, skills-building workshops and good old-fashioned play, these weekend activities give J-men an opportunity to have fun with mentors while learning more about their community and discovering new ways to apply themselves in the “real world.”

Latest News

All News
February 23, 2023
May 4-7 Spring Rites of Passage Near Raleigh, NC

We are so excited to bring our Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (ROPAW) closer to home this season! In today’s culture, intentional rites of passage for youth entering adulthood have mostly been lost or at least diminished in importance. Many of our teenage boys initiate themselves in ways that are unhealthy for their development, such […]

February 16, 2023
Working With Grief: Storytelling Event 3/19

Grief is a highly misunderstood phenomenon in the modern world. In our fast paced, instant gratification culture there is no time set aside to honor and engage our grief. The unspoken expectation is to keep grief to yourself. This collective standard only leads to more desperation, delusion, depression, anxiety, fear, and isolation. Join us for […]

February 16, 2023
Getting Your Parents To Say Yes (3/7 Virtual Workshop)

We all negotiate with friends and family many times a day. Sometimes we get what we want, sometimes we don't. In this workshop we'll learn that in order to increase the odds of getting what we want, we must help our negotiating partners get what they want. That's easier said than done.  We hope that […]

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