The seeds for
the Rite Of Passage Experience® initiative were planted
during the 1960s when, Dr. Blumenkrantz, the founder of The Center
for the Advancement of Youth, Family and Community Services, and
creator of ROPE® began working with youth as a summer camp counselor.
These early seeds were nourished by Dr. Blumenkrantz’s
early professional experience with at-risk and delinquent
youth, and subsequently as director of a city’s youth and
human services department.
During his academic training and research
for his masters in educational psychology and his doctorate degree in community psychology & social policy, he became familiar with the theories and practices of
youth and community development as well as the human history of
rites of passage. This led him to explore and experience some of
the ancient rites of passage that are still practiced today, ranging
from the Drum & Harvest Festival and Vision Quest ritual of
the Huichol Indians of Mexico to the Sabbath and Bar Mitzvah rituals
of the Jewish faith.
During Dr. Blumenkrantz’s quest to discover
and create the best ways to help modern youth come of age,
he was continually struck by the power of these rites of passage
experiences to integrate youth into the fabric of a community. In
1981 he began his first pilot project of The Rite Of Passage Experience®
and in 1990 he founded The Center.
Today’s ROPE® initiative grew out
of the experiences of thousands of youth and adults across
the country, who helped share its evolution. It has a demonstrated
history of success and is recognized nationally as an effective
approach to promoting youth and community development.
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