Mother / Daughter
Rite of Passage Info Night
This is an evening to share about Rite of Passage and the Mother / Daughter program we will be running. You will get to meet the facilitators, connect to other parents also interested in this work, ask any questions and discover more about this unique work from our facilitators.
What is a Rite of Passage?
A Rite of Passage is a transition from one stage of life to another, which may include new roles and responsibilities. Eg. child to adult, maiden to mother, mother to matriarch, etc.
A Rite of Passage program is a well held container designed to create and support shifts in the participant's inner landscape, catalysing a new level of empowerment and capability for the new responsibilities ahead. The idea is that life after the camp is not the same as life before; And the camp is designed to mark this transition both for the participant and her community.
The intention of this camp is
This will be a rite of passage facilitating the girls' natural transition into their autonomous selves, an imprinting experience of stepping into womanhood. They will be deeply supported, rewardingly challenged and they will be totally celebrated in their individuality.
As mothers your evolution from mothering a girl to a young woman will be heard, seen, cherished (for your unique style), enlivened, celebrated and enriched. We aim to support you in continuing your growth into a mature relationship with your daughter as she moves into her own self. This is an ancient practice re-remembered in a contemporary context with absolute relevance to these young women now. The camp will be appropriately challenging for both mother and daughter to move through the transition in their relationship to themselves and eachother which is necessary for young women to step firmly forward into their next life phase, with their own feet.
Without such a facilitated process, held in the bosom of diverse intergenerational wisdoms, youth inevitably find their own, often unsupported initiations in life.
Info Night Details
Date: Monday 15th May 2023
Time: 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Doors open at 5.15pm. Please be on time.
Venue: Lyra House, Denmark WA
Cost: $15 per family unit to cover costs of the evening.
(Online Info Night option below for those not based in Denmark)
Who is this for:
The parents or care takers of the daughter who is ready for this initiation, or may be over the next couple of years. We encourage both parents to come if they can. You will NOT bring your daughter to this evening.
What to expect:
Snacks, tea & juice provided
hear a bit about this work and why we do it from the lead facilitators and parents who have been past participants.
What to bring:
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Notepad, pen & water bottle
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Consider any questions you may have for the facilitators in relation to the Rites of Passage work, or the camps, as there will be ample opportunity to ask questions and chat with the facilitators
Facilitators - The Team
The team holding this Rite of Passage is made up of 12 people: 4 lead facilitators, 2 support team, 2 chefs and 4 elders. Each making up a part of the complete leadership container. With a range of ages, styles, skills and life experience we aim to create a process which holds and is relevant to a diverse range of Mother and Daughter participants.
Sarah Martin
I am a mother of two independent young adults, a son and a daughter; And I have been brewing t his camp up since I was a teenager myself.
I started with a degree in cultural and social Anthropology focusing on cross-cultural women's studies, followed by home-birthing and raising two children, mostly as a solo parent. I have been a Birth Doula for 14 years in both home and hospital settings.
I then worked for Relationships Australia counselling parents and children. As a Hakomi Psychotherapy graduate, and counsellor of women, mothers and daughters I support women through the rite of passage of becoming mothers, and through this work, daughters into becoming future mothers and/or community leaders. Over this time I have steadily clarified what it was that was 'missing' from my own transition from childhood to womanhood. I am still a craftswoman primarily, an industrial seamstress and tent builder, I am the creator of our community red tent (2013), and The Red Books (currently 6 books with 18 years to date of sequential birthing stories from local women). I have allowed the understanding of what a mother / daughter rite of passage camp looks and feels like to evolve in my heart for the past 30 years, steadily acquiring the skills, life experiences, mentorship and the team I need to lead this work.
i have held many women's circles and facilitated processes for mothers alongside father/son rite of passage processes.
Bonnie Farrell
Rites of Passage Facilitator, Holistic Life Coach, Art Workshop Facilitator and Yoga Teacher
Bonnie has a multi-dimensionality to her as she has transversed different career paths. Starting her journey in high level corporate for 7 years, she discovered the potential that sits within us when we really go for something and also the importance of learning how to care for your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing due to the stressful environment she was in. Throughout her time in corporate she was focused on cultural change, leadership development and supporting her team members to thrive.
She realised her passion for supporting personal development, emotional intelligence and empowerment and so stepped into a new path becoming certified as a Rites of Passage facilitator and leader, a yoga teacher and a holistic life and health coach. Over the past 5 years she has been working in these fields, completing trainings and doing her own inner work. Bonnie has been working with schools creating/running workshops and Rites of Passage programs and also doing her own business running adult retreats, coaching and workshops focused on creative transformation and initiation.
Freya Parre
Freya has a deep passion for walking with girls into womanhood as both a mentor and friend. She believes that having older positive role models to guide girls into their next phase is essential as well as community led ceremony to celebrate them and honour their transition. Freya has spent the last 10 years working in nature settings as a mentor and Rites of Passage facilitator for young girls/women.
Silva Lehmann
Theatre Director, Community Group Facilitator
Silvia holds a BA and Graduate Diploma in Theatre Directing, Victorian College of
the Arts, Melbourne Australia (1995). She has lived in the Denmark community for 15
years and has facilitated many community performance projects, including Living
Testament (2016), The Fisherman and His Wife (2018), and The Spindle of Spoken
Story (2019). Silvia is currently working on a multi-artform staging of The Fairy
Queen, an opera by Henry Purcell with Denmark Baroque Inc, for March 2024.
Silvia is a talented theatre professional and group facilitator, who brings a wealth of
experience to holding a safe, nurturing, yet fun and enriching space for participants
from all walks of life and experiences. Having participated in last year’s Rite of
Passage camp with her own daughter, Silvia brings a finely feeling perspective to this
work and will fully support and help hold your journey with your daughter through the
threshold into adulthood.
Clare Young
Clare is a yoga teacher who creates safe, welcoming and nourishing classes inviting exploration of body, mind, heart and spirit. She has studied, practiced, trained and taught throughout Australia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
"I can distinctly remember the time in my life (not so long ago really) when I was a girl, trying to make sense of what it means to be a woman. It was a challenging chapter, and my experience is a part of what draws to Rites of Passage work, illuminating the value of both the framework & processes. I see too the void left by a culture inept at deeply acknowledging transitions and feel so inspired to be a part of a movement that is birthing new stories for young women & their mothers. "
And our elder women...
On each program we will have 4 Elders who join us. These are women in the Denmark community whose job is to simply be present in their position as elders, to offer input when asked, and as a critical part of this work, to sit back and bear loving witness to the process we are all journeying through.
Next Camp Key Info
22nd - 27th Sept 2023
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We begin after school on the final day of term 3.
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Accepting young women of age 15 - 18
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Mother or "Aunty" (predominant female support) attends along side the young woman
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5 nights camping at a stunning location in the nook of the Frankland river north of Walpole. There are 5 chalets we will use for all amenities and we will be sleeping in tents close by.
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Healthy, well rounded and lovingly prepared meals all included.
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The five days will be a full journey from beginning to end, you will be well held both in your mother/daughter relationship and as individuals. The process is uniquely crafted to support your daughter in her transition into young womanhood. topics covered are self awareness, self regulation, women's health, and our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. Your own journey as mother letting go of your daughter into her own independant woman self will also be thoroughly attended to and lovingly held beginning with 4 zoom mother's 'circles' leading up to the camp.
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$1,850 includes both mother & daughter
Testimonials
"I didn't want to be here at first but this (camp) feels like the most real place I've ever been. I'm so happy Mum brought me here."
"I'm really excited about being a woman now, thank you SO much!"
“I feel really changed and ready to step back into some of the more difficult things going on in my life at home.”
