From the Director of Identity and Formation

A Journey of Connection: The Rite Journey Father/Significant Male + Son Walk

There are some conversations that do not always come up naturally between fathers, significant male figures and teenage boys, particularly questions such as: What is the purpose of life? or why do bad things happen?

As we have learned through The Rite Journey program over time, sometimes all it takes is a walk, a few well-placed questions and no easy escape route.

In Term 3, our Year 9 students took part in the Father/Significant Male + Son Walk, an important part of The Rite Journey (TRJ) program. Building on the Mother/Significant Female + Son Walk held in Term 2, this experience shifted the focus to "Relationship with Spirit", encouraging our young men to think more deeply about happiness, belonging, meaning and purpose.

Fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, mentors and other significant male figures joined our students for the walk, creating an opportunity to step away from the usual busyness of life and simply spend uninterrupted time together.

To help guide the conversation, each pair was given a series of questions to consider:

• Do you consider yourself a happy person?
• Is it possible to be happy even when ‘bad’ things are happening?
• Do you have an explanation for why ‘bad’ things happen?
• Have you ever experienced an awe-inspiring moment?
• Do you ever mould yourself to fit a particular group?
• What do you think the purpose of life is?

While there may not have been a definitive answer to the meaning of life by the end of the walk, there were plenty of stories shared, opinions exchanged and a few discoveries made about one another along the way, which really is the point of this activity.

The walk is not about finding the right answers, but rather about creating the time and space for conversations that we often intend to have but do not always get around to having.

Afterwards, everyone gathered for light refreshments and the chance to continue the conversations. Sometimes, the most valuable part of an experience like this is simply being together, without phones, work, school or the next commitment competing for attention.

The Father/Significant Male + Son Walk reminds us that The Rite Journey is exactly that, a journey. Our young men are continuing to discover who they are, what they value, what they believe, and the kind of person they hope to become. The significant adults who walk alongside them remain an important part of that journey.

A sincere thank you to everyone who joined us and was willing to walk, talk, listen and tackle some rather big questions along the way. Your commitment to supporting these young men on their Rite Journey has significance and meaning that will remain in their hearts and minds for years to come.

Following these two events, we now look forward to bringing our whole Year 9 community together in Term 4 for the final ritual of the program, "The Return and Homecoming", to be held on Monday 23 November from 6.00pm to 7.30pm. Please look out for further information on REALM in the coming weeks.

This special evening provides an opportunity to celebrate how far our young men have travelled throughout the year and to recognise the people who have walked alongside them. We ask all Year 9 students, parents/carers and mentors to attend so that we can finish this journey strongly and together.

Father/Significant Male + Son Mentor Walk