Journeying to Adulthood
A pilgrimage through the passages of childhood to responsible adulthood
St. Anne's young people in grades 6-12 are on a Journey to Adulthood. Close to 45 youth will be involved in some aspect of the Journey. This education program is divided into three sections: Rite-13, J2A (Journey to Adulthood), and YAC (Young Adults in the Church). It is designed to provide a liturgical frame for the experience of young people in our modern culture, to celebrate their individuality and their creative potential and, finally, to instruct them in the skills necessary for their successful adult participation in the church community and in society as a whole.
The curriculum includes in-depth exploration into the self, society, sexuality/gender, and spirituality. The program is designed to follow the imperatives of our Baptismal covenant. Christian formation is a lifelong process and this program, developed at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina and begun in the mid 1980s, is dedicated to giving young people a firm foundation on which to build.
RITE-13
The Rite-13 curriculum is designed to assist young people as they take the first steps of passage away from their families and into their own lives. The passage from childhood to manhood and womanhood as the first thing to celebrate. Their gender has been established as a gift from God. The church affirms and publicly acknowledges the gift of gender and the creative power and potential of these young people.
Rite-13 is a celebration of life and of life's energies. During these first two years, this group develops into "loyal friends," bonding through discussions, learning, and fun experiences in class and youth activities.
J2A
After Rite-13, the young people move into the core program: Journey to Adulthood. In J2A the pilgrimage continues. While manhood and womanhood are gifts of God, adulthood must be earned.
The two years of J2A are crammed full of talk, teaching, Bible study, laughter, and opportunities to learn the skills of adulthood and acquire a foundation for understanding the love and discipline of the faith community.
After these years in J2A, the pilgrimage reaches the celebration event of Confirmation and the laying on of hands for these 15- and 16-year-old young people. They have been taught skills dealing with values clarification, negotiation, disappointments, and conflict management. They have "lived" their adolescence in the company of their "loyal friends" and the safety and love of their faith community, which supports and cares for them and their families. They have worked toward developing a personal relationship with Christ. Confirmation has been delayed so that it becomes the expression of a life-view, fully chosen and publicly affirmed.
At this point the young adults are prepared to take a holy pilgrimage "to a foreign land." Pilgrimage is an important part of our religious heritage. Each of us must take the time to search for God and for our own destiny. These young people are equipped by the J2A curriculum to make such an effort.
YAC
Finally, the years of the program encourage the young adults to take on ever-increasing responsibility and partnership in the life of the parish and in the community at large.
Stewardship--giving of one's time, talent, and treasure--is a sign of adult responsibility, and the members of YAC are encouraged to participate in all aspects of parish life. Guided by adult advisers, the YAC members are responsible for maintaining their group and establishing goals, service projects, and, in addition, continuing their faith journey through prayer and Bible study.
--From Overview of the Journey to Adulthood Program, written by Amanda M. Hughes, co-author with David Crean of the curriculum material.
