Journeymen

What will I get out of this?

Mentoring is an ancient and natural thing. Animals mentor in nature. This explains why people agree that mentoring works, because it is natural. Since it is natural, you can trust your own instincts while you're engaged. Young people respect mentors with instincts and can react to situations fluidly. The more authentic you can be, the more you will resonate with young people. Mentoring is a tremendous opportunity to be authentic, to act from your being.

If a person is genuinely mentoring, wisdom will come into him. So a good reason to mentor is to have an occasional wise moment. If you are really engaged in it, you will find yourself saying wise things that on other days would not have occurred to you. You are a channel, a hollow bone. An intelligence is generated inside us when faced with a youth's adversity. A mentor does not have to be super knowledgeable or perfect. He has to be open to the wisdom that will be catalyzed by the opportunity when it presents itself.

In other words, show up in a boy's life and listen to him; admire him; and encourage him to become the man he aspires to be and in that space, you will continue growing as a man of integrity.

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Is there training for me?

Journeymen is proud to offer what we believe is among the finest possible trainings available to help our mentors be ready to be with their boys in a good way. In our Inner Mentor Awakening Experience, you'll get a gift that you'll treasure for the rest of your life.

First we'll take you back into your own hopes, fears, dreams, and experiences of adolescence. We'll help you identify your own strengths and style of mentoring, and of course we'll share what we know about how to be with boys in an authentic way.

In addition, our mentors come together quarterly in circle to share best practices, increase self-awareness and support each other in our efforts. These mentor support meetings are structured and vital to increase our capacity as men to better ourselves and our community.

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What is the commitment?

a) Attend at least three Out Group meetings during the first six months. Most group meetings last 2 hours.
b) Go through the first available Inner Mentor Awakening (IMA)/Mentor training during my first year. This is a one day event.
c) Upon completion of the IMA, attend at least two Group Meetings every month.
d) Attend at least 3 of the 4 quarterly ongoing mentor support meetings. Meetings are generally 2-3 hours.
e) Supply a background check. We can help you with this.

Monthly Commitment is 4 - 6 hours.

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Is this a religious organization?

No. Journeymen has no religious affiliation or religious teachings. Journeymen supports each boy's individual spiritual tradition. However Journeymen does support values like truth, integrity, and responsibility.

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Do I pick the boy I want to mentor?

No, but you do have input. We work primarily in groups, although we do encourage one-to-one pairings after participating in groups for six months. This pairing is best left up to the boy although it can be facilitated by the man by expressing an interest.

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How is this outfit different from Big Brothers and Big Sisters?

Journeymen offers a Rites of Passage Weekend to the boys. We work primarily from a group model that encourages healthy socialization and strong peer-to-peer bonds in a structured and measurable way. We offer the mentors opportunities for continued personal improvement and support by meeting together quarterly.

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Does race matter?

No. Journeymen's participants come from many races, we do not discriminate based on class or racial lines in our program.

The trouble that young people instigate test and help forge the mentor's inner nobility. This is their job, to help us reinvent ourselves. We are losing bits of ourselves everyday that we don't stand in the fire with the youth. A mother can only go so far in raising the child. The culture has to initiate the child. Only then can this man-boy offer his genius to help reinvent the culture….

The men are back!
We are remembering how to initiate and support young men. Come remember with us.

»»»ARE YOU READY TO BECOME A MENTOR? »»» DOWNLOAD OUR MENTOR APPLICATION TO GET STARTED