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ROPAW: A Hero's Journey

Forging independence, resilience, and emotional maturity in young men.

Join our next ROPAW Sept. 25 - 27, 2026

Reserve your place now
For thousands of years, men have gathered to guide boys into adulthood. These Rites of Passage experiences help youth cross the threshold from childhood to adulthood with intention. But today, these ceremonies of maturity are often lost—leaving boys to "self-initiate" through risky behaviors or drift into isolation and despair. Our boys aren’t toxic—they’re simply untethered. No compass. No elders. No ceremony to mark their transformation towards responsibility and interdependence.
Journeymen offers a different path.

Boys Are Struggling. 
Rites of Passage Offer a Way Through.

Our boys are crying out for connection, purpose, and challenge. And when they don’t find it, they drift—toward disconnection, anxiety, or to online influencers that can exploit their pain. Research shows that boys today are more likely to fall behind in school, struggle with relationships, and feel isolated or aimless. What we’re missing are intentional rituals of belonging and becoming.

Rites of passage are one of humanity’s oldest answers to this kind of crisis. They offer boys a sacred container for change—a community that challenges and supports them to step into maturity, face their pain directly, and claim a deeper purpose.

The Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (ROPAW)

ROPAW is a nature-based, phone-free weekend experience where boys are guided through a process of reflection, challenge, and transformation. With the support of trained mentors and peers, boys:
Confront limiting beliefs and emotional wounds
Explore their identity, values, and purpose
Build emotional literacy and accountability
Experience meaningful connection to self, others, and the natural world
This is not about proving their worth — it’s about discovering it.

Rites of Passage as a Hero's Journey

Every young man holds a fire inside—a longing to know who he is, what he’s capable of, and where he belongs. Our Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend (ROPAW) follows the time-honored arc of the Hero’s Journey to help him answer those questions and step boldly into manhood.
At Journeymen, we believe that every boy deserves this kind of journey—a chance to be seen, challenged, celebrated, and returned with new eyes and a new name. Because when a young man knows who he is, the whole community is stronger for it.
1

Call to Adventure

The journey begins with a choice. “Are you ready to enter the world of men?” Mentors invite the participants to step into something deeper—a challenge, a mystery, a path toward becoming. Leaving the routines of daily life behind, participants enter the wild, where they’re invited to take off the performative mask, speak the truth, and ask: “What kind of man do I want to become?”
2

The Ordeal

Through emotional processes, wilderness challenges, and guided reflection, each boy faces what must be let go—and what is ready to emerge. He meets his fear, anger, grief, and potential with the support of the community. He learns to embody his emotions, discard limiting stories, and trust others. These trials are designed not to shame or break him, but to awaken the inner resources already alive within him and to inspire courage, empathy, integrity, and vision.
3

The Return

Young men are welcomed home with ceremony and celebration. Surrounded by family and community, he shares what he’s stepping into, what he’s leaving behind, and the man he is choosing to become. Parents, mentors, and loved ones gather to witness and honor the transformation that has taken place. It is not just recognition—it’s reintegration.

ROPAW Reflections

  • "Life seems so much more clear. I have a goal now and I feel far more alive than I ever have before."
  • "They didn’t try to fix me. They just saw me. And I’ll never forget that."
  • "I realized I don’t have to do it all alone. I have people I can count on now."

Is Your Son Ready?

ROPAW is for boys aged 13–17 who are ready to take a deeper look at who they are and who they want to become. Whether your son is thriving or struggling, this weekend meets him where he is—and helps him take the next step into responsible young manhood, with confidence and community support.

Join Our Upcoming 2026 Weekend

Register below to save your spot as a participant, mentor, or Jman on our upcoming weekend.
Sept. 25 - 27, 2026

ROPAW Registration

Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend Registration

We will invite participants, mentors, and Jmen to attend the weekend based on a first come, first serve basis.

Questions? Jordan@journeymentriangle.org | 919.907.1177

 

Who are you registering? 

 

Participant: a young man participating in his first ROPAW // Friday arrival

Mentor: a volunteer staff member (18+ years old) // Thursday arrival

J-man: a return participant (under 18) // Thursday arrival

Participant Information

Parent's Information

Confidential Medical Questionnaire

If you or your participant become ill or injured during ROPAW you authorize us to share this information with medical personnel. Otherwise, all information will be kept strictly confidential.

Consent Disclaimer

I consent that Journeymen may photograph and videotape parts of the upcoming weekend in order to promote future Journeymen events. By signing and returning this form I give my or my participants' consent to Journeymen (this is a voluntary request).

• I agree that participants may be interviewed, recorded and photographed by Journeymen or any person Journeymen mandates to that effect.

• I accept that Journeymen may or may not use participants name, image and likeness in any verbal presentation, conference, interview and written publication.

• I recognize that Journeymen shall have the exclusive rights to the materials indicated above, including copyrights and proprietary rights, and I assign to Journeymen any right in relation to the materials.

• Journeymen may not assign or transfer, in whole or in part, the rights granted by the present contract.

Release & Acknowledgement of Risks

Sign Here
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Payment Options

Disclaimer: Our weekends are driven by many volunteer hours AND we rely on tuition to cover costs. However, we do not want finances to be a barrier for anyone attending and will work with you to make this weekend accessible.

Additionally, we ask those who can, to pay it forward to help cover the costs of folks who may otherwise not be able to afford the full tuition. If this is you, please select "Yes" to the question about scholarships and we'll reach out to you.

Mentors & Jmen: The $150 fee covers lodging and food Thursday - Sunday as well as supplies & admin fees.

Participants: The $500 fee covers the entire ROPAW weekend experience (Friday - Sunday) for your young man. Please pay the $100 deposit to lock in your position on the weekend. After the weekend, your young man will be eligible for ongoing group mentoring sessions at no cost for at least 1 year.

*By signing above you are agreeing to these payment terms*

Support the Scholarship Fund

Thank you! Please click the above link and then complete application below.

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More Details About ROPAW To Help You Plan

Participants: Young men will arrive onsite at 5:00p on Friday, Sept 25th with their parents/guardians for our opening ceremony. If you have a young man you would like to sign up, please register below. Tuition is $500, with scholarship assistance available based on need. We will cap the weekend at 20 participants, enrolling on a first-come, first-serve basis. As this is our only ROPAW this year, we are expecting slots to fill up fast and will maintain a waitlist.

Mentors: This work only happens if healthy male mentors step up! If you are a man looking to make an impact, please consider joining us as a volunteer mentor. Men will arrive on-site on Thursday, Sept 24th, at 4:00p to begin preparations for the weekend. We ask our mentors to contribute a $150 staffing fee to offset basic food and housing costs. However, if the cost is a significant deterrent, please reach out on an individual basis and we will find a way to work with you. 

Jmen: Each weekend, we select 10 Jmen, current Journeymen in our program to attend as young mentors-in-training, helping the next generation take their first steps towards developing healthy masculinity. Jmen will arrive on-site with the mentors at 4:00p on Thursday, Sept 24th to begin preparations for the weekend. We ask Jmen and their families to contribute a $150 staffing fee to offset basic food and housing costs. If the cost is a significant deterrent, please reach out to us.

Our weekend will be held at Camp Royall in Moncure, NC (about 30 minutes away from Raleigh).

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