Male Rites of Passage

Primitive cultures often have rites of passage from boyhood to manhood. Native-Americans send their boys into the wilderness by themselves on "vision quests." On his own in a challenging environment, each boy must find a vision of his animal spirit that will guide him into adulthood.

SUWS provides young men with a similar experience, according to therapist Daniel Edgerton. Through a series of phases and "passages," a boy earns the privilege of "going solo" for several days in the wilderness. The quiet of nature can heal whatever is troubling his spirit. The time for introspection gives him a chance to think and set goals for his future.

Edgerton's job is to help young men enrolled in the four to nine week SUWS wilderness program. Edgerton holds a master's degree from the University of Colorado and has experience as a mental health counselor and family therapist.

"The boys who come to us have are often from upscale backgrounds where they have developed a sense of entitlement or "gimme gimme," as Edgerton calls it. Sometimes their parents may have spent years rescuing them and bailing them out of trouble. Sometimes a teenage boy perceives that expectations are set too high and he will unconsciously sabotage his potential. However, once they enter SUWS, everything changes. For the first time in their young lives, the boys have to work within the careful structure of the program in order to succeed. Everything is up to them.

Edgerton said that although the boys spend most of their days hiking and camping, the physical component is only 30% of the program. About 70% is therapeutically based. The old stuff the teen used at home - defiance, withdrawal, whining and complaining-does not work for them in SUWS. Instead, they must learn to manage anger and frustration. By the time they leave, they take with them a "toolbox" of coping skills.

Edgerton says that for the first time, boys learn about the quiet and peace of nature. There are no cell phones, computers, televisions or automobiles. A boy learns how to sit and be still, and to become present emotionally. This helps him center himself so that he can change his life from the inside out.

Edgerton describes the distinct aspects of the SUWS program. Each one builds on the other to create a powerful, life-changing experience.

Orientation. Edgerton says that once the boys have been "put out in the middle of nowhere," they need to learn about their gear and rations. They become "oriented" to their physical, emotional, and social needs. The first few days they find out how to roll a backpack, spark a fire, and other basic skills. Meanwhile, therapists make assessments and recommendations for each young man's placement. Each teen must build an intricate stone-fall trap from sticks and string. Balancing these Native American traps is very hard to achieve, Edgerton said, because each piece must function perfectly for the trap to work. Trap building becomes a metaphor for the idea that everyone has a function and must work together.

Individual work. Each boy works closely with his therapist before he can join group activities. He must learn to take care of himself and to become responsible for what it is expected of him. He has to master an academic curriculum involving nature and science. When he is ready and demonstrates self-care and self-control, then he is allowed into the group. There is a ceremony for this passage.

Family work. Once welcomed into the group, an individual earns the right to stay by becoming accountable and responsible to his new peers. He becomes a member of his desert family. Edgerton says he does not allow "war stories" that glorify a teen's old life that involved drinking or using drugs. The boys have to stay positive and keep the group functioning as a healthy whole. They learn about group dynamics and how their past behavior impacted their families back home. Like the parts of the stone-fall trap, each member has to function for the group to work.

Search and Rescue. A teen can graduate to becoming of service of others. He gets involved with rescue work, learns first aide and CPR, and may go "on call." This teaches him that he is a vital part of a community and that others need him.

Solo Experience. Edgerton believes that their solo is a powerful part of the program. Each teen spends three days and nights by himself with instructors with staff nearby monitoring safety. He does a lot of thinking and journaling about what he will do once he leaves the SUWS program. How will he apply his newly discovered/strengthened skills, beliefs, and behaviors? His newly acquired skills give him the knowledge that he can set goals and succeed, no matter what his failures were in the past. He is also able to identify and prepare for the potential pitfalls ahead of him.

Edgerton said that the SUWS program can be a male coming-of-age experience. "The teen leaves this desert with new confidence," Edgerton said. "He has owned up to his issues and mistakes. He has learned to set goals and not sabotage them with self-destructive behaviors. It is a powerful program. He leaves here with a powerful experience of himself and his role within his family."