by Dylan (Journeyman), June 2008

This past weekend, I had the privilege of taking part in an RTF (reclaiming your teenage fire) weekend. Here’s a basic overview of my experience.

The energy as soon as we began our work with the men was tension, almost as if some of the participants were reluctant for whatever reason to try to socialize with the j-men. As the weekend continued and we all steeped into leadership roles, the participants opened up more, whether it was Tim diving into the woods to catch a Frisbee or Keith rocking my mirror shades. The container we all created was one in which every man could freely express his truths, without fear of not being accepted or being wrongfully judged. It was a safe place. The highlight of my weekend experience was when we all came together atop a hill where an immense field served as the perfect location for an intense couple of dodge ball games. Then there was ultimate Frisbee, ultimate being the perfect word for the game. During this play time, there were no middle-aged men, only a group of teenagers going wild. The participants all found their teenage fire, lighting extinguished flames and sparking spontaneity so that they could associate with our age group. They also revisited a part of themselves that had been lost, establishing better grounds for a connection among today’s teens. To reflect in one word on the weekend, one could only call it magical.

Peace...
Dylan
Courageous Wolf
Montreal,Quebec