By Brian Childers
I’m writing this on Thanksgiving eve 2009 and reflecting a bit on what I have to be thankful for. For seven years now a group of volunteers has been producing the Boy’s Rites of Passage (BROP) camp for young men from the north Georgia area.
This labor of love does not just serve the boys, their families, and their communities. Indeed this work actually serves our society. It delivers young men who have learned a sense of themselves with a purpose and a code of honor. These young men have tested themselves and each other in a supervised wilderness setting. They’ve learned how to trust themselves when things aren’t going particularly easy for them. They’ve learned to work as a team, for the common good.
The world today is moving at a very fast pace – much faster than when I was a kid. Life isn’t waiting for a young man to find himself before things such as drugs, weapons, and gangs start finding him. We need young men to grow up to be secure men, confident in their ability to live with honor and trustworthiness. We need young men that are sure enough of themselves that they can treat our young women with respect and allow them to grow separately yet in partnership.
I am a member of a larger, international men’s organization. Its purpose is to Cause greatness by mentoring men to live with excellence and, as mature, masculine leaders, create successful families, careers and communities. BROP is an organization like mine – preparing young men to cross the bridge into manhood. A lot of full-grown men have yet to develop some of the basic skills and confidence that the BROP graduates have already learned.
In the end, we enjoy and have a lot of fun and camaraderie in both of these organizations. But, it isn’t about the organizations themselves. It’s about what they produce and who benefits. I was able to attend the graduation ceremony this last year. The feel of the moment was tangible. I could see the confidence and team spirit present in their faces and their carriage. I could see the recognition and gratitude in their family member’s faces. A new crop of young men was sent back to the world – better prepared than when they arrived – and proud of it! My wife, Terri, and I are proud to be charter supporters of the Boy’s Rites of Passage program and intend to continue our support. Thanks for letting us serve.
