Introducing

Rites of passage leadership training

South Africa: 5th - 7th March 2027

Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Day Living

Why Rites of Passage Matter

For most of human history, cultures around the world used rites of passage to guide individuals through life's major transitions.

These processes helped people:

• move from adolescence into adulthood
• step into responsibility and leadership
• develop deeper self-awareness
• understand their role within community

In modern society, many of these structures have disappeared.

The result is that people often navigate life’s most important transitions alone — without guidance, support, or clear markers of growth.

The Rites of Passage Leadership Training reintroduces this powerful framework in a modern and practical form.

Many of us resonate with the necessity for change, and the absence of a practical and accessible framework in which we can navigate this change, individually and collectively as a diverse community….

Do you? If so, keep reading...

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What you will learn

Participants will learn the core structure of rites of passage and how to apply it across many areas of life.

Including:

• Leadership development
• Education and youth programs
• Parenting and family transitions
• Organisational culture
• Community development

The training combines experiential learning, group processes, and practical frameworks that can immediately be applied in real-world settings.

The experience

This is not just a training.
It is also a personal Rite of Passage.

Participants move through a carefully designed process that follows the timeless structure used in traditional rites of passage across cultures.

Preparation
Participants begin by learning the foundational framework of rites of passage and preparing themselves for the journey ahead. This stage builds trust, establishes the container for the experience, and invites participants to reflect on the transition they are currently navigating in their lives and leadership.

Separation
Participants step away from the roles, identities, and responsibilities of everyday life. This intentional separation creates space to pause, reflect, and open to deeper self-inquiry, allowing individuals to temporarily leave behind the familiar in order to explore new perspectives.

Transformation / Threshold
This stage forms the heart of the rite of passage experience. Through highly experiential and embodied processes, participants engage in storytelling, personal reflection, meaningful challenge, and guided group processes. These experiences invite individuals to confront limiting beliefs, explore new possibilities, and clarify a deeper vision for their life and leadership. The process culminates in a powerful moment of acknowledgement and honouring, witnessed by the community.

Integration
The final stage focuses on bringing the insights, clarity, and vision gained during the experience back into everyday life. Participants explore how to integrate their learning into their work, relationships, and leadership, supported by the connections and community formed during the training. This stage ensures that the rite of passage is not just a moment of transformation, but a catalyst for meaningful and lasting change.

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Who is this training for?

This training is for anyone who guides others through change, and is ready to go through their own.

Teachers, counsellors and Life Orientation staff who hold young people’s emotional lives every day and want a framework for doing it well.
School leaders looking for a whole-school approach to wellbeing, transition and culture. Many schools send two staff members together.
Parents of children aged 7 to 18 who want to mark their child’s passages with meaning, not just a party.
Coaches, therapists, psychologists and youth workers who want a time-tested structure for group work: story, challenge, vision, honouring and circle.
Leaders and professionals at a crossroads in their own lives: a career change, midlife, or a new chapter of leadership.

You don’t need any experience of Rites of Passage. You only need a willingness to take part. Past participants have ranged in age from 18 to 72.

Why South Africa, why now

South Africa is home to some of the oldest living Rites of Passage in the world, and many families still honour them. But for many young people today, the moments that mark growing up have become what we might call modern-day pseudo Rites of Passage: the matric dance, a week at Rage, a first drink, a first car. They are real milestones, and they matter to the young people living them. What’s missing is everything that once surrounded a true Rite of Passage:

stepping away from everyday life
a meaningful challenge
elders and mentors who guide and tell the truth
a vision for the person you are becoming
a community that stands up and honours you as you cross the threshold

A party marks an ending. A Rite of Passage prepares you for what comes next.

When those elements are missing, young people tend to initiate themselves, often through risk and often alone. And the adults around them are stretched thin:

A third of 10 to 14 year olds surveyed in Cape Town and Winelands schools show symptoms of depression, and half of all mental health problems begin before the age of 14.
Nearly two-thirds of South African children do not live with their biological father.
Half of our teachers say they are considering leaving the profession, often because they are holding learners’ struggles alone.

Our young people don’t need less challenge. They need the right challenge, held well, by adults who know how to guide them through it. That is what this training gives you.

Why I’m bringing this work home

I am South African, and this is deeply personal for me.

For nearly six years I have co-facilitated the Rites of Passage Leadership Training alongside Dr Arne Rubinstein in Australia. Training after training, I have watched what this work does for people: teachers, parents, coaches and leaders who arrive carrying the weight of holding others, and leave with a framework, a community and a renewed sense of who they are.

Before this work, I spent more than 15 years in corporate banking. I saw how easily people end up working in silos, disconnected from one another and from what matters. The Rites of Passage framework offers what I was looking for then. It is practical and accessible. It is secular, so it welcomes people of every culture, faith and background. And it builds genuine community and breaks down the walls between us, through the oldest human practices we have: circle, story, challenge, vision and honouring.

I have felt the pull to bring this home for a long time. Now the moment has come. Dr Arne Rubinstein’s framework has reached more than 450,000 people in over 20 countries, and in March 2027 it comes to the Western Cape. South African educators, parents and leaders can learn it here, together, and take it home to their schools, families and communities.

Sources: UCT / Health-e News (2024); Stats SA via The Citizen (2023); Stellenbosch University Teacher Preferences report (2025).

Meet Your Facilitators

Paula Conroy

Paula is a transformation specialist, facilitator and mentor dedicated to guiding individuals and communities through meaningful life transitions. Before stepping fully into this work, Paula spent over 15 years in senior leadership roles in the banking sector, where she developed deep expertise in leadership, strategy, and organisational development. Her work today brings together this professional background with her passion for human development and rites of passage.

Paula is also the proud custodian and parent of two remarkable children, Leo and Isla, whose presence continues to inspire and deepen her understanding of growth, responsibility, and the importance of guiding the next generation with care and wisdom.

Dr Arne Rubinstein, OAM

Arne has over 30 years experience as a medical doctor, counsellor, mentor, speaker and workshop facilitator. The programs, seminars and camps he’s helped to develop have been attended by more than 450,000 people globally, while some of the largest schools in Australia have implemented the framework effectively. The programs are designed to support boys and girls successfully make a safe, healthy transition into adulthood.

His goal is to make Rites of Passage mainstream once again. With the intended result to see more connected communities and families supporting each other and developing in healthy ways. Dr Arne is the proud father of two wonderful young men and a mentor to many others.

AGENDA: An immersive 3 day experience

Day 1: The power of story and safe spaces

Embark on your journey by stepping into the role of both storyteller and listener. Discover how to use the power of story to pass on wisdom and knowledge, foster connection, and create transformative experiences. You’ll explore the foundations of the Rites of Passage Framework and learn how to build safe, supportive spaces where real growth can happen.

Day 2: Challenge and Resilience

You’ll experience and understand the role of challenge in any Rite of Passage. Learn how to design meaningful challenges that help participants grow in courage, resilience, and self-belief. You’ll gain tools to provide the guidance needed for people to step beyond their comfort zones in a safe and empowering way.

Day 3: Bringing the Vision Home

The final day is about integration – taking what you’ve learned and preparing to bring it into your own life, family, or community. You’ll craft a clear vision for how to apply the Rites of Passage Framework in your unique context, and leave with practical steps to create long-lasting impact.

see what the numbers say

20+

Countries use our programs

450,000

lives impacted

32

years of experience

The Origins of this training

Dr Arne Rubinstein, OAM, is internationally recognised for reintroducing Rites of Passage into modern communities.

Drawing on over three decades of experience, his work has impacted more than 450,000 people worldwide, bridging ancient wisdom with practical, contemporary frameworks for healthy transition and leadership.

The foundation of this work can be traced to anthropologist Arnold van Gennep, who identified the universal three-stage structure of rites of passage: separation, transition, and return. While this model has existed across cultures for generations, Dr Rubinstein’s contribution has been to bring depth, clarity, and application to the often-overlooked transition stage — the critical space where identity shifts and transformation occurs.

A rite of passage is, at its core, a ritualised and intentional process of crossing from one stage of life into another. It is not simply a moment, but a guided experience — one that involves sharing stories and holding integral circles for the purpose of personal sharing, passing down wisdom and knowledge from the elders to the young ones and the power of myths and legends. the inherent challenge that is always present in transition and how to navigate this with more acceptance, grace and ease. The opportunity for reflection, and creating a new vision for oneself, family, community and humanity. And ultimately, being recognised by the community for each of our unique gifts and talents.

Over the past 30 years, this work has evolved into a robust and widely applicable framework, supporting young people, parents, educators, and leaders to navigate life’s key thresholds with greater awareness, resilience, and connection. By restoring structure, meaning, and community to these transitions, Rites of Passage are once again becoming a powerful pathway for developing healthy individuals and thriving communities.

“Rites of Passage give structure and meaning to the transitions that shape our lives.”

– Dr Arne Rubinstein OAM

For more information on the Rites of Passage global programs, school consultations and keynote addresses available, check out www.theritesofpassageinstitute.org

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Key Benefits

Learn the Framework

Learn the basics of a Rite of Passage so you can apply it anywhere in your life and enjoy the positive benefits.

Experience Your Rite of Passage

Experience your very own Rite of Passage. It may be the first facilitated one you’ve encountered. Feel the impact personally.

Connect With Other Leaders

Meet other like minded leaders on their own path. Become more inspired from their aspirations and make new connections.

Break Limiting Beliefs

Explore your own beliefs and see how they shape your reality. Then you can release those no longer serving you.

Breakthrough Your Blindspot

See your own blindspots and boundaries that you’ve imposed and learn to overcome them or strengthen them.

Highly Experienced Teaching Team

Learn from a globally recognised expert in Rites of Passage with over 30 years experience.

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The Reviews are in…

Listen to the voices of those who have experienced the training

Through their stories, you’ll feel what has shifted — in themselves, in their leadership, and in their understanding of how this work can ripple out to strengthen communities for generations to come.

Walking Together: Rites of Passage with the Butchulla Community

This project reflects the heart of The Rites of Passage Institute’s work—walking alongside communities, schools and families to support young people through intentional, culturally grounded Rites of Passage. Developed in collaboration with local leaders, Elders and facilitators, the work honours place, story and relationship, recognising that healthy adulthood doesn’t emerge by accident but through guidance, belonging and challenge.

Still have some questions?

Check out the FAQs

The training will take place at Cherry Glamping in Elgin - 1 hour from Cape Town.
Website: https://www.cherryglamping.co.za/
The closest airport is Cape Town International Airport. This is situated approximately 70-80 km away (1 hour 15 minute drive).
The best way to travel from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Cherry Glamping in Elgin (approx. 52 km) is by rental car or private transfer/Uber via the N2 highway. If you are interested in carpooling from the airport, please let us know and we will put you in touch with other people who are available.
We start at 10am on the Friday and finish at 2pm on the Sunday.

It is essential that you arrive on time so please keep us posted if you are delayed, via WhatsApp call on +61435465504.
Our training takes place close to nature, to experience the magic of waking to bird song and the elements. Participants will be staying in luxury, spacious bell tents. A twin share bell tent is included in the training price. Participants can select a private bell tent for an additional R1,125.
Tents are fully equipped with comfortable twin beds, cotton linen, towels, extra blankets, luggage rack, bed-end table, bedside tables with lamps, chairs and coat hook. There are 4 shared bathrooms.
Our trainings are fully catered and accommodate dietary requirements (and yes, we also have tea and coffee!). You may have nominated dietary requirements in your initial registration however if anything has changed, you can let us know.
As we supply all food, please do not bring other food or snacks (unless for medical reasons).
Some things to consider bringing include:
– Torch
– Water bottle
– Sun protection (hat, sunscreen)
– Insect repellent (mozzies and midges are getting around)
– Sturdy walking shoes
– Swimwear as we have a pool you can use
– Clothing for the outdoors
– Toiletries and a towel
– Warm clothes for evenings
We have full days planned so please do not bring sporting equipment or games, there is also very limited phone reception so electronic devices should also be left at home/in your car.
If you need to cancel or change your booking, please email hello@thefrequency.global. More than 10 weeks before the program: R500 administration fee. 6 to 10 weeks before: 30% of the program cost. 4 to 6 weeks before: 50% of the program cost. Within 4 weeks: no refunds or transfers are available. Full terms and conditions:
https://www.thefrequency.global/termsandconditions
We understand that sometimes things happen which may affect your ability to attend. We strongly encourage you to take out travel insurance, which will cover you if you need to cancel or postpone for most reasons outside your control. Policies can cost a nominal amount and cover airfares, accommodation and program costs. Our cancellation policy is set out in the question above.
You should undertake your own research to find a policy that suits you.
Please send an email to hello@thefrequency.global and we will get back to you within 24-72 hours.
Otherwise we look forward to seeing you there!