Guidance for Grown-upsTeen Voices Online  
 

Guidance for Grown-Ups
November 2006
Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage (link back to feature)


This Discussion Guide contains the following Activity Sections:

  1. The Answers to Your Questions


  2. Problem Solving: Exploring Options, Giving Advice


  3. Make a Historical and Global Connection: Changing Options



I. The Answers to Your Questions

The purpose of this activity is to introduce teens to the concept of rites of passage.
  1. To better understand rites of passage, ask the teens to read "From Girlhood to Womanhood: Are We There Yet?" by Diana Pelaez, 15.


  2. Ask the group: What counts as a rite of passage? Have the teens witnessed any firsthand? Ask them to journal for five minutes about a rite of passage they would like to celebrate.


  3. Formal rites of passage include an aspect of ritual and often a ceremony. But in American culture, there are other parts about growing up that are less formal rites of passage that mark the transition into adulthood, like being learning to drive or becoming old enough to vote. To continue exploring the concept of rites of passage, ask the teens to listen to "Rites of Passage: When Are You an Adult?" by Neal Conan for Talk of the Nation on NPR at www.npr.org.


    Film
  • Devil's Playground
    When they turn sixteen, Amish girls and boys are allowed to live free of the strict Amish codes of conduct until they decide whether or not they want to be baptized and join the church. This period of time is called rumspringa. Documentary filmmaker Lucy Walker lived among Amish teenagers who were testing the boundaries of their new freedom. 2002. 77 min. Not Rated. Directed by Lucy Walker. Available for rent through Netflix and other outlets.

II. Problem Solving: Exploring Options, Giving Advice

The purpose of this activity is to take a closer look at gender-specific rites of passage into adulthood.
  1. There are some transitions into adulthood only girls experience. Menstruation is one example. Another is buying the first bra. Boys, on the other hand, undergo voice change. Ask the teens to brainstorm any other transitions that are girl-only, boy-only, or neutral. Ask them to include less formal rites of passage as described above, or events that all teens have to face whether good or bad. Examples include "getting teased," "getting picked last for a sports team," "getting a tattoo," "the first kiss," or "first job."


  2. Next, ask the teens to put a plus (+) sign by the rites of passage they think are positive, or a minus (–) sign next to "rites" they think are negative. Do girls have more, less, or about the same amount of pluses as boys?


  3. One rite that could have a plus OR minus next to it is menstruation. Some girls can't wait, and when they get their period they tell everyone they know. Other girls wish it would never come, or just feel it's a nuisance. With this in mind, ask the students to read, "Love Your Blood" by Lauren Druss, 18. For further discussion, watch the film "A Period Piece" by Camille Holder-Brown (description below).


  4. Can anyone think of a rite of passage to go along with getting your period that could accentuate the positive? A real celebration for all girls and women?
    Websites
  • One example of a mother-daughter ceremony to celebrate menstruation. www.celebrategirls.com This site also has a good book list and explanation for the need for a ceremony.

  • For a unique collection of thoughts and history on menstruation, visit the online Museum of Menstruation.
    www.mum.org

  • Teens can ask all kinds of questions about their bodies by visiting Teen Wire, a sexual health site run by Planned Parenthood. Too afraid to ask? Search the archives!
    www.teenwire.com


    Resources
  • To learn about the challenges facing girls in Ethiopia, read "Another School Barrier for African Girls: No Toilet," by Sharon LaFraniere from The New York Times, December 23, 2005. www.nytimes.com


    Films
  • A Period Piece
    Sixth grade Sionne does not want to get her period. Watching a film about menstruation at school triggers her anxiety and leads to a series of embarrassing moments that every girl faces - hearing other girls' drama-filled period stories, running into boy classmates while buying pads, and suffering through a clerk's store-wide price check. Includes vintage footage from health films and funny dream sequences. Girls may be reassured to know that uncertainty about their changing bodies is as natural as menstruation itself. 2005. 20 min. Not Rated. Directed by Camille Holder-Brown. Available by contacting camilleduhape@yahoo.com.

  • Kinaalda
    The Kinaalda ceremony is a four-day event performed to guide a young girls' ascent to womanhood. Navajo filmmaker Lena Carr reflects on her own upbringing by documenting her 13-year-old niece's Kinaalda. 2000. 56 min. NR. Directed by Lena Carr. Available at Women Make Movies, www.wmm.com.


III. Make a Historical and Global Connection: Changing Options

The purpose of this activity is to understand how rites of passages for American youth compare to rites of passage for youth from other parts of the world. What do the similarities and differences reveal about each culture's values and priorities?
  1. Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been a controversial rite of passage for girls all over the world. Read one point of view by Anayat Durrani, "Speaking Out About FGM" at www.teenwire.com. Can teens find testimony that represents an alternative point of view?


  2. How well do the teens recollect the earlier reading that described several rites of passage from around the world? Have them take the quiz, "Find the Right Rite" to find out.


  3. Now the teens can focus their energy on creating a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) rite of passage. Ask the teens to read "Creating Your Own Ceremony." Working in small groups, ask the teens to create or choose at least three elements for their rite and a timeline for making it happen!


    Film
  • Quinceañera
    On her 15th birthday, Magdalena finds out she is pregnant. Her middle-class parents turn their backs on her so she takes refuge with her great-granduncle and a gay cousin. 2005. 90 min. Rated R. Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. Not yet released on DVD.


Have you used Guidance for Grown-ups with your class or teen group? Tell us which ones you used and what kind of success you had with it. Did you put your own spin on it? Let us know.

Become a Member Today  |   Learn more about Guidance for Grown-ups

The Publisher
Teen Voices
P.O. Box 120027
Boston, MA 02110-0027
phone: 888.882.TEEN (toll free)
fax: 617.426.5577
email: teenvoices@teenvoices.com