Earth As Elder and its ally, Weather, as Initiators©

By David G. Blumenkrantz♥ & the ROPE® Community

What if these weather events are the Earth’s way of initiating humans? A curious possibility.

Earth is a living, sentient organism in an intimate interactive and interdependent relationship with all living species, including human beings - a truly symbiotic association. This is a constantly evolving and adapting ecosystem where Earth and its ally, weather, when needed, serve as an initiator of humans in order to transmit essential lessons necessary for whole planet survival. (more…)

Shift Is Happening- 4 Arguments For The Initiation Of Youth

 M. Kalani Souza, outgoing IKE Hui Steersperson, officiates the appointment of new co-steerspersons Kesner Flores, Jean Tanimoto, David Blumenkrantz, M. Kalani Souza (left to right), Penny Larin, PRiMO and NOAA Pacific Services Center administrative support is in the foreground.

In the March blog I discussed our work with PRiMO - the Pacific Risk Management Ohana, which is a collaboration of local, national and regional agencies, institutions, organizations and academia. Over the past several years a growing number of federal agencies have begun to recognize the essential value of youth engagement and the role of rites of passage. At the March PRiMO meeting a major shift occurred. The Indigenous Knowledge and the Environment Hui (IKE Hui) chose "youth integration" through the youth and community development through rites of passage framework as its project for 2012-13. It was a great honor to be appointed "Co-steersperson" (chairman) of this distinguished group, along with Kesner Flores, Kapay Allaince and Jean Tanimoto, Pacific Services Center. (more…)

Pacific Risk Management ‘Ohana (Primo) Annual Meeting

Go to Pacific Risk Management 'Ohana (PRiMO) Annual Meeting Website »

 David Blumenkrantz and Kalani Souza welcomes the PRIMO group to song at the 2010 Pacific Partners Meeting

David Blumenkrantz and Kalani Souza welcomes the PRIMO group to song at the 2010 Pacific Partners MeetingNational security is dependent upon our education and youth development policy and practices. Youth & community development through rites of passage is one focus of the March annual meeting of PRIMO.

The Center’s Founder and Executive Director and member of the Traditional Knowledge and the Environment Hui, David Blumenkrantz along with the Olohana Foundation’s founder an IKE Hui Steersperson M. Kalani Souza serve as host & convener of conversations at the PRIMO’s annual meeting in Hawaii, March 13-15, 2012. (more…)

Ancestors, Nature & Beyond a Cultural Imperative

An architectural structure for community resilience focusing on youth and community development through rites of passage1 includes twenty interrelated elements. They serve as design principles for individuals in organizations and communities to “co-learn” and “co-create” their rites of passage experience. Two of these elements are:

Connection with Nature – E - # 11
Connection with the Ancestors – E - # 13

For some there are no differences between the two. There is a consciousness of Mitakuye oyasin – All my relations - the perception that we are all connected. There are no distinctions between our biological relatives and all that exists in nature in relationship with us. We are all in relationship, Mitakuye oyasin. That is at the core of this ecological approach to youth and community development through rites of passage. Not only are we in relationship with others and everything in nature, but also all of the twenty elements are in relationship with each other. (more…)