The Rites of Passage Institute supports people of all ages to face the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing world, to find their unique gifts and talents, and create a healthy vision for the next stage of their lives.
We deliver transformational programs globally. Our school programs, camps and leadership training have been attended by over 250,000 people in more than 20 countries and are now a part of over 50 schools around Australia.
We have created Transformational Education to support students’ wellbeing throughout their educational journey. By threading the Rites of Passage framework into the Wellbeing Curriculum, and designing Rites of Passage camps at key milestone moments in the students’ experience, we are able to support your students to strengthen their sense of self, discover their potential, build resilience and create healthy relationships.
Our range of Rites of Passage camps have been supporting families for over 25 years now. Not only are they designed to help young people become more responsible and resilient but they are proven to strengthen family relationships, which in turn strengthen communities.
A contemporary coming of age Rite of Passage camp for 14 - 17 year old boys to attend with their father.
Connect and create good foundations for the teen years ahead, designed for 10 - 13 year old boys to attend with their Mum.
An overnight camp for 8 - 11 year old children to attend with a parent.
Support you and your daughter as she steps into early teenage-hood, designed for 10 - 13 year old girls to attend with their Mum.
As a previous medical Doctor who worked for 20 years in family medicine and then in emergency medicine, Dr Arne Rubinstein (CEO & Founder, The Rites of Passage Institute) became increasingly aware and deeply disturbed by the high rates of harm that teenagers were subjecting themselves to, that unfortunately had life long consequences. He witnessed totally unnecessary risk taking behaviour and disastrously high levels of mental health issues that left young people feeling completely lost, depressed and unsupported.
Then he discovered a preventative medical process that he had not previously heard of, Rites of Passage. Indigenous and traditional communities had for thousands of years created ceremonies to acknowledge, support and celebrate young people becoming adults. These ritual events were designed to help young people transition in a healthy way into the world of adults.
Dr Arne began researching Rites of Passage as a tool to assist teenagers as they transition from child to adult in a safe and healthy way, while maintaining strong family relationships and passing on critical wisdom and knowledge. This process can set them up for genuine long term success and healthy relationships and address some of the major issues we are seeing today including the crisis of toxic masculinity, the need for gender equity and female empowerment.
In 1993 Dr Arne ran his first Rites of Passage father and son camp, a life changing three day process for all who attended. A few years later he stopped working as a medical doctor and moved full time into creating Rites of Passage programs.
