06/01/2026
At the beginning of this school year, we asked our teens what they wanted more of.
Their answer was simple: challenge.
What we’ve learned alongside them is that young people are often capable of far more than we give them credit for. They want opportunities to discover their strengths, find their edges, contribute meaningfully, and be seen for what they can do.
This past weekend, a group of our teens gathered for a rites-of-passage camping trip as their final journey together this year. For 36 hours, each teen was invited to camp solo — like spokes extending from a central hearth — tending their own fire through day and night.
We gathered on a beautiful 60-acre property in Nevada City. Our stewardship commitment to the land was to help reduce accumulated fuel by tending and burning piles of debris throughout the weekend. Under the light of the blue moon, surrounded by oak and pine forest, we felt deeply connected to both the work and the place.
When the solo ended, families were there to welcome their teens back.
The experience was physically demanding, emotionally stretching, and deeply moving. It reminded us why rites of passage matter. In a culture that offers few meaningful thresholds into adulthood, young people are hungry for experiences that ask something of them, and that honor who they are becoming.
Growth asks us to put ourselves out there. To have courage. To risk something. To step beyond our comfort zone. To allow ourselves to be held by community while discovering our own strength.
We hope to continue creating opportunities for this kind of challenge, reflection, nature immersion, and reverence for youth. These experiences leave a lasting imprint, inviting young people to meet themselves in a new way.
May we continue to trust our youth.
And may we allow this work to change us, too.
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Special thanks for Jason Spencer for hosting us this weekend, and to facilitators Natascha, Jenna, Kevin, and Ariana for helping make this weekend possible.
