You have already embarked upon a journey with your children; it started the day they were born. The steps and texture of that adventure varies from family to family especially as our society includes so many different kinds of families.

Single parenting whether by choice or through divorce permeate today’s world.  Same sex couples, blended families are also far more common.  While raising children can be both expansive and challenging in the best of times, as our society has evolved in terms of technology it has lost much of its sense of community. There is much truth to the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”. Both for the parent and the child the sense of support, resourcefulness and mentorship that was available to everyone in the past seems almost lost. Teen Journey intends to change that.

Parents will be offered a 3 hour intensive on the last day of Teen Journey which will focus on communication and evolving beyond reactivity. Then by creating an environment that will continue following the camp which includes group sharing and learning, we hope to generate an experience of unity and resourcefulness.

The focus of the week is discovering who you are as an individual so you can tap into what you have to give. The focus of the following months will include sharing in groups for teens as well as separate groups for parents. The wide variety of topics that will be covered is sure to stretch and stimulate as well as invite a sense of tribe, a sense of ongoing community.

Raising a teenager in a healthy way can and will poke at all your unresolved issues. And that is GOOD news. In learning how to be a solid parent with clear conscious boundaries as well as practicing the flexibility needed in order to receive your teen, the opportunities for you to grow individually are endless. They really are a mirror for all your unfinished business. Perhaps it time to clear that up and thank them.

Your teen develops a healthier sense of self and you rewrite your family history to generate more and more differentiated individuals including yourself. Knowing that you are making your family a healthy and safe environment with your contribution of integrity and purpose creates a ripple effect that can literally change the world. 

INFORMATION FOR TEENS

You are a unique person and you have unique gifts. You may not know what they are….yet.
You may still be in the dark about understanding all the aspects that make up both your personality and your very essence. However this time in your life, up, down, elated, confused and all the feelings in between, is very important.  Do you have the feeling you are meant to decipher something? Do you have the sense that there is more?

At Teen Journey we will start with what is.

Start with what you do know and learn to let go of anything that is not working for you anymore. How you define yourself will impact both what you feel and what you think in your every day life. It will determine the kind of relationships you have, the people you will be attracted to and ultimately the kind of life you will live.

Being a teenager is not always easy. You may be feeling a lot of other people’s expectations, from your family, from your friends. Without knowing clearly who you are and what you stand for it’s easy to get overwhelmed or confused by others opinions. Sometimes it may feel like the only way to define who you are and what you want is to say what you are not and what you don’t want.

And then there is the comparative thing. Comparing yourself to friends or the images society gives you of what is attractive and what is not, comparing yourself to music or fashion icons or even to other members of your family, you may find yourself not measuring up. It’s like there is an inner critic living in your head and if the outer world doesn’t evaluate you and find you lacking, your inner voice will. We tend to be far harsher judges of ourselves then anyone else ever could be..

 This inner voice mostly sees the negative and then in order for you to not feel bad or have others notice you might have to pretend that you are ok.  That calls for you to wear a mask…bottom line….wearing a mask is tiring. It drains you of energy and wears you out. Taking it off feels too scary. Even knowing what is real and what is not can seem overwhelming at times.

What we are committed to offering you at Teen Journey is a safe and fun haven designed to support you in your inner exploration. Your voice will be honoured and respected as you peel away the layers of who you are not and begin to identify the real you. We will use music and movement and drama as well as small group sharing with like minded friends to co-create a community atmosphere that will call on the best in you.

You will ask yourself lots of tough questions…you will come up with even tougher answers. And the best part is you will do this with a circle of true friends. Life long friendships and support that begin in this week of adventure can be sustained all year long and when you find yourself needing someone to understand whatever you are going through, your support network will be there.

Yes I know it may all sound just a bit too heavy, just a bit too adult agenda driven.  And yet with a little willingness you will feel a sense of connection and belonging that you can trust and count on in the days ahead. And you will have fun too. Swimming, kayaking, rock climbing, drama, music and dance are just some of the activities offered.

Are we asking for you to trust us? Yeah I guess. For sure at the beginning and then our hope is that you will begin to feel the sameness and connection that can be felt when we open to ourselves and each other. This sameness is a feeling that goes beyond age….beyond gender….. beyond color……beyond story.  This energy of interconnectedness is felt when we as a group tap into a force that is bigger than we are individually….a force that flows through us all. Call it love…call it heart….call it tree…it really doesn’t matter. At Teen Journey you will be offered an experience of this connective energy. Will you take it?

Sign up today!