The best way to find out more about the Coming of Age Program is to attend the Parent Information Meeting. We will cover the trajectory of the group, history, curriculum, developmental theory, finances, and answer your questions. This meeting is for interested parents, not the youth.

Please RSVP: shena@steppingstonesproject.org

Locations & Dates: 

Berkeley

Wednesday March 20th, 2013 6:30-8:30pm
Parents of 5th and 6th grade boys and girls
Rudramandir: Lotus Room #114
830 Bancroft Way Berkeley, CA 94710

From 580: Exit University, turn right onto 6th St. Park at 2322 6th St, the sign says “Lighting Systems”, or on Bancroft.  Do not park on 6th or 7th Street, unless directly in front of the Rudramandir building.

Click here for map 

Marin

Wednesday March 27th, 2013 6:30-8:30pm
Parents of 5th and 6th grade boys and girls
Hospice By the Bay: 2nd Floor
17 E Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Larkspur, CA 94939

From 101: Exit Sir Francis Drake, take the first left onto Larkspur Landing Circle, and the next left (before the Marin Airporter) onto Victoria. Come upstairs to the 2nd floor, and the room is on your right.

Click here for map

Dr. Zeff’s book, released in January 2013, contains hundreds of practical methods to help parents raise their son to express his emotions and develop compassionate behavior, as well as specific strategies to help boys navigate through the violent boy culture. The book is available on amazon:  http://www.amzn.com/096607453X/?&tag=hspsurvivalco-20, at Barnes & Noble, or by visiting www.drtedzeff.com

Groups are organized by grade, gender, and geography.   Groups meet six times per quarter, which averages out to two meetings per month. Five of the meetings are two hours long, and the sixth is a daylong retreat (6 hours). The summer quarter has fewer meetings and a minimum two-night wilderness trip. Parents meet with leaders once every quarter for two hours.  Leaders of groups meet with youth and/or parents for 18 hours of time per quarter.  Leaders also have an additional 12 hours of peer consultation, mentoring, and preparation and reporting time.

Quarters:
Fall: September, October, November
Winter: December, January, February
Spring: March, April, May
Summer: June, July, August

b.     When do the groups meet?

The calendar is made by the leaders who work cooperatively with all the families to find dates that everyone can attend. Calendars are generally organized at least 3 months in advance.  Summer trips are generally scheduled in January or the very end of summer for the following year. We set the dates for this important trip many months in advance and ask that this trip be held as a high priority for the family.  It is very important to the success of the group process that all group members be at meetings, especially in the first 6 months and last 6 months of the two year cycle.  These are the formative times relative to group bonding and trust, and the culmination of the group relative to the marking ceremony.  SSP asks that the parents hold this commitment to participate fully for the whole program.

c.     Where do groups meet?

If a family in the group has an appropriate space in their home that is relatively private and separate from the family living space (i.e. a recreation room or converted garage) then the group can meet in a family space. Some groups rotate meeting space as appropriate.  If these options are not available, SSP will find a rental space in a local community center, church or other community space. For this reason the exact town the groups meet in depend on who is in the group and what the group consensus is relative to meeting space.  Meeting space is one of the reasons that groups are formed by geographical region.

The day-long meetings usually take place outdoors in parks or wilderness areas nearby. The summer trips are in parks or wilderness areas throughout Northern California such as Point Reyes National Seashore, Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Basin, Mt Shasta or Mt. Lassen areas.

d.     When do the groups start?

Groups will be started in the Fall or Spring of 6^th grade or the Fall of 7^th grade.  Stepping Stones will not start groups when youth have reached the spring of 7^th grade or the 8^th grade.    Groups will start within the time frames above when:

• there are a minimum of 7 families for the group
• leaders have been assigned to the group
• parents have met the leaders
• parents have made a commitment to the group after meeting the leaders

e.     How long do the groups meet for?

The program is designed to meet for two to three years starting in 6^th or 7^th grade, ending in the marking ceremony in the fall of 9^th grade.  More than a few groups have continued after the fall of the 9^th grade, continuing on into high school.  These groups are dependent on the leaders being able to continue and the desire of the group.

He was a parent in one Stepping Stones Project group, and is an elder in a second.

Rob enjoys biking, hiking, yoga and qi-gong, and is a constantly fledgling musician, singing on key occasionally. He often finds himself in the mountains or on the coast. He visits NJ frequently, and his hometown Adirondacks less so.

Rob is very interested in ritual.