David Blumenkrantz, PhD, MEd
Co-Founder & Executive Director
President
Brian Evarts, MSS
School Social Worker
Ellington Public Schools
Ellington, CT
Rite of Passage Community Organizer and Guide
Vice President
Marc Goldstein, PhD
Professor, Dept. of Psychology
Central Connecticut
State University
West Hartford, CT
Rite of Passage Community Organizer and Citizen Participatory Research Coordinator
Secretary/Treasurer
Louann M. Virgil
Vice President
Travelers Insurance Company
Hartford, CT
David Blumenkrantz, PhD, MEd
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Center for Youth & Community, Inc.
Glastonbury, CT
Alan Daniels, J.D., LLM
Orlando, FL
Consultant
Hyacinth
Douglas-Bailey, JD
South Windsor, CT
Rite of Passage Community Organizer, Youth Development Specialist
William Lavine, DMD
Dentist-Oral Ecologist
West Hartford, CT
System’s Thinker,
Human ecology visionary & consultant
Leah Beth Maille
Middletown, CT
Rite Of Passage Experience© ROPE® Guide
Seymour Sarason, PhD (In Memoriam)
Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Huichol yarn painting depicting the hummingbird.
Ancient cultures, like that of the Huichol (pronounced Wee-chol) Indians of Mexico, recognize the importance of rites of passage to mark the transition from childhood to adulthood, and often use animal symbols to communicate complex ideas. For the Huichol, the hummingbird is a symbol of transformation. She is the first teacher of children. In visions and dreams, she guides children through the doorway from their ordinary world to magical places of power and knowledge. It is through these journeys that children begin to understand what it means to be contributing members of their community.
