Program Description

Accessing this Home Page, indicates an interest in transition programs for elementary and middle school students. These programs, that often include trainings and ceremonies, are called Rites of Passage or Coming of Age events. Included in this process are a variety of activities. Some are of a practical nature, such as learning how to hunt or sew. Others involve rituals and ceremonies that convey history or tradition, and transmit cultural mores and values, while still others offer challenges that test strength and endurance. This process is archetypal in nature since it is present in some form in all cultures. Transition programs play a crucial role in helping older children become responsible adults in their community.

In modern, western culture, this important transition process has either been eliminated or reduced to vague, fragmented, or meaningless pursuits. Traces of its existence remain in specific subcultures at varying levels, but are vulnerable to erosion by the influence of the dominant culture. Common rites of passage events occurring in American culture today include getting a driver’s license, voting for the first time, one’s first sexual experience, or perhaps for a few, being accepted into a gang. It is ironic that the most obvious and effective application of the passage model presently found in our culture is associated with entering a gang structure, which requires tests to surmount, skills to learn, and a final induction ceremony. Within families, elements of rites of passage can be very gradual or can happen abruptly, triggered by an event or crisis situation. They may take the form of allowing greater freedom to make choices, date, stay out later, travel alone around the city, etc.

In our schools, a visit to the new school at the end of the year or older students and teachers answering questions on a visit to a transitioning class is often the only formal attempt to aid students in moving from one developmental stage to another. If the situation turns negative for a student going through this change, interventions seem limited to disciplinary action, counseling, and assignment to special programs. To influence and guide children to become responsible and successful adults, individual families, schools, and communities should consider adopting formal transition programs.

Transition programs are connected to values, citizenship, responsibilities, health, and behavior of the emerging young adult. Children arrive at this stage of life with many different cultural backgrounds and family standards of behavior. They emerge from the transition faced with a multitude of choices and alternative ways of being an adult. Because every student is “at risk” during this challenging time, the RAMS Life Adventure Program focuses on a preventative model to successfully guide them through this, sometimes difficult, period.

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1. The Life Adventure Program is provided on the RAMS web site to insure ease of access and distribution without hard copy duplication and mailing costs and can be printed in hardcopy for practical study and use.

2. The RAMS Life Adventure Program is designed for use by adults and education professionals. Some students, especially older ones, may be able to use it, but it requires some awareness of family needs, school structures, the transition process, and cultural values. Most school age students have yet to acquire this background. Everyone is welcome to explore this topic. Persistence will yield a more complete understanding of transition programs.

3. The program is designed with an open structure that will enable families and schools to use the parts of the model that make most sense and are practical to implement in a given situation. Continued application of the model will enable a fuller and more complete utilization of the whole program. It is organic in nature and will evolve with use. Insights will arise as each year the school will build upon the experience of the previous years. You’re encouraged to share your ideas and experiences using the model on the Bulletin Board. Please notify us by mail (About Us) if you are using the model.

4. The structure described in the model is a base on which to create specific activities and lessons. It is up to individual educators, parents, students, or others using the model to choose particular experiences or extract specific areas of interest to assemble a tailor-made curriculum. When creating transitions curriculum, note that the structure of this course and choices of areas of concentration are comprehensive. Whatever specific activities are chosen this comprehensive approach should be maintained.

5. All those who use the model are encouraged to go beyond using the Naval Metaphor to plan specific sailing activities in the water environment. Sailing is a great sports activity that students may not have discovered. Given the context created by a transitions program, some students, if encouraged, may choose to make sailing a greater part of their life.

6. The RAMS Life Adventure Program is divided into two parts represented by the “tabs” at the top of the web site. The first part is Getting On Board that describes the factors that are preparatory to implementation of this transition program while the second part, Program Model, describes the model itself.

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