Wild Guys Playing and A Rite of Passage in the Woods - The 2013 YMAW

This coming July, from the 11th to the 15th, it will be time again for the Young Men's Adventure Weekend, or YMAW. For a number of years now I've watched from a distance as a slightly wild pack of 40-50 men and 40-50 adolescent males all went to the wilderness, hung out, played games, built things, learned skills, sat around fires, and had straight-talking conversations about manhood. I can no longer stand being an observer to all this fun, and this year I'm going to Vancouver and joining in the adventure!

I have written about the YMAW in the past. I love this particular model of a Rite of Passage weekend for a bunch of reasons. The enormity and diversity of the assembled male tribe, the beauty of the remote location in the forests of British Columbia, and the passion and creativity the men bring to insure the young males have a fun but important experience. I especially love what happens as magic of the experience gradually has it's way with all the males involved. I know that everyone leaves the YMAW experience a better person for their involvement, and I want that for myself.

I know that everyone leaves the YMAW experience
a better person for their involvement,
and I want that for myself.

To get a sense for the power of these weekends to help positively shape young males, listen to the young men in the video below share just some of what they have gotten from their YMAW experiences. What they've learned about themselves, the attributes of the man they want to become, and what they liked most about their weekend adventure. By the end of this clip you'll have a better understanding of why this Man-Making work is so important.

If the clip doesn't show up use this link.

Just below, I'm re-posting the recorded interview I did with Brad Leslie, prior to the 2011 YMAW. Brad is the man in charge and largely responsible for the event. If I have my data correct, this will be year 23 of involvement for Brad. In this podcast, I talk with him about how a YMAW is organized, and what it's like both for the young men and the older men that are involved. You'll learn about topics such as the "mentoring bone," going into the "basement" of a man's life, and how the men welcome the young males into men's world.

Click the arrow to start play!
If the player isn't visible, click on this direct link.

If you want to see more photos and videos, visit the YMAW website at, ymaw.com. If you or/and a young man you know want to join me and be part of this July's YMAW, call Brad Leslie at: 800-663-2723, or send him an email at bradleslie@telus.net. It will probably change your life.

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Wild Boys, Wilderness, and Woodcraft Rangers

After the recent blog post with a discussion of boys and Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD), Tim Wernette, a regular Man-Making Blog contributor, emailed me about Woodcraft Indians. In my research into that organization, I learned a lot more about the history of NDD. I also learned how, in the early 1900’s, one man's attempt to do something about boys and NDD resulted in the formation of the Boy Scouts, the Brownies, and the creation of a multitude of other organizations that are still helping kids a hundred years later.

The man was Ernest Thompson Seton. The full name for the organization he started was The League of Woodcraft Indians because they borrowed heavily from Native American culture, and their goal was to get young males into the woods.  The organization was clearly for non-Indians, but it was very successful in getting American boys into the wilderness.

The first U.S. Woodcraft Tribe was set up in 1902. It was a direct result of Mr. Seton’s property being vandalized by neighborhood boys. As the story goes, after numerous repairs to his property, Mr. Seton went to the local school. Instead of looking to punish the young vandals, he invited them to a weekend campout on his property. During this time he told them about Native Americans and their connection to nature. He spoke about Native American language, lore, and culture. He taught them some basic wilderness skills, and I’ll bet some time was spent sitting around a fire and telling exciting stories of the then not-so-old west.

Out of this one weekend experience, The League of Woodcraft Indians evolved, and soon there were Woodcraft groups all across the United States. If you want to read a complete and detailed operating manual for a Woodcraft Indian group, take a look at Seton’s Birch Bark Roll (PDF document from the New York Public Library or this online version.)

If you don’t worry about political correctness and can allow for the era in which it was written, the Birch Bark Roll, in amazing detail, lays out the perfect template for a boy-literate organization. It describes the organizational structure with Native American names for the various positions. I especially love the chapters on, The Child Spirit of Woodcraft, Twelve Secrets of the Woods, Tribe and Council Activities (games), and even songs to sing around the campfire. Songs have titles like, Zuni Sunset Song, Ghost Dance Song, and a blessing song called, Prayer of the Warriors Before Smoking the Pipe, all with sheet music included!

While the details are complicated, in 1910, Mr. Seton, along with Daniel Beard, the man who had started The Sons of Daniel Boone, were instrumental in the founding of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Seton became the Chief Scout of the organization for its first five years. Because of disagreements about the more militaristic direction Seton felt Scouting was moving, he left the BSA in 1915 and re-established the Woodcraft Indians separately. Later he renamed his organization The Woodcraft League of America, and claimed he never really merged the group into the BSA.

Today, there are still Woodcrafters who are active in the movement. One of the better known groups in the U.S. might be the Woodcraft Rangers in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1922, this group modified Seton’s original emphasis on outdoor life and is working to support urban Los Angeles kids. Currently, the Woodcraft Rangers serves over 18,000 underprivileged youth annually in after-school and summer camping programs.

If you want to know more about the large and rather amazing web of international organizations launched by one man’s interest in what we now call Nature Deficit Disorder, and his willingness to show up for the boys in his hood, just do a Google search for Woodcraft Indians. The result of that search takes my breath away, but then I just love the, What One Man Can Do, stories.

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Smart Moves Night - Heros

My friend, personal hero, and star man-maker, Mustafa Mahdi, is the Founder/Director of The Rising Son, Inc., Young Men's Development Center in Jonesboro, Georgia. He and his band of dedicated mentors are constantly coming up with ways to entertain, guide, and inspire the young males in their care. Here is his description of one of their programs called Smart Moves Night.

I wanted to update you on activities at The Rising Son. Our "Smart Moves" Friday Night Chess and Mentoring Program has been a great success. Each Friday from 7-10pm for the past three weeks we have had between 10 and 20 boys show up at our center to learn to play chess. As the name suggests, "Smart Moves" is about making good choices in life. Each Friday night the Mentors spend the first hour discussing how the boys are doing in school and at home. Most of our members don't have a father in the home, so the Mentor assumes many of the responsibilities of the absent father...encouraging the boy to respect his mother, to do his best at school and to complete his chores at home.

Each boy also completes a Grade Level Based Assessment to determine where he is academically and if tutoring is needed. We also have group discussions on a variety of topics including Career Planning, Goal Setting, Conflict Resolution, Manhood, Fatherhood, Domestic Violence Prevention, Pollution/Conservation, Global Warming, etc.

The second hour is dedicated to teaching each boy to play Chess. We knew that many of our boys were spending hours playing video games that overstimulate aggressive behavior, promote competitiveness and shorten attention spans. We chose chess because it teaches analytical skills, strategy, patience, and gives our boys the ability to focus for extended periods of time . . . skills that are readily transferable to the classroom and life. We have both beginners and intermediate players. Our goal is to eventually establish a traveling Chess Team to compete with other organizations. The boys play chess with both peers and Mentors.

The intangible benefit for me has been observing the boys as they teach each other to play the game, watching them display sportsmanship, and the wonderful interaction between men and boys.

The Rising Son is a great model for men in communities everywhere. I hope you find their work as inspirational as I do. Check out The Rising Son website for more information and their whole story.

AND BY THE WAY . . . Mustafa is operating on a shoestring budget. He informed me that, . . . our old 1985 Ford Van's transmission has finally broken down. I'll be leaving shortly to try to find a mechanic who will tell us if it can be repaired. Our challenge as always is the money to pay for repairs. Summer Day Camp begins in less than 8-weeks and we desperately need our van to pick-up our After-School Program members for the remainder of the school year . . .

If you are looking to donate to a good cause, a little cash, or even a donated van would be put to VERY good use by this group. You can see their Wish List at this link, or contact Mustafa at mfmahdi@yahoo.com, or at (678) 933-9677.