About a year and a half ago, we received a request from two men from the Mohawk people, Vern and Kevin, to participate in a Vision Quest in Death Valley.  It was going to be difficult financially for them to come out to California, so we asked you, the Rites of Passage community, to help with tuition and airfare.  In a very short time you donated their full tuition and funds towards airfare, a total of over $2300!  More importantly, they came on the program, found real value in our work, and shared their own experiences and their rich culture with us.  I'm sure we gained as much as we gave on that trip. 
 
Now we've been asked to share our way of working with young people by our Mohawk friends, this time by traveling to their community of Akwesasne in upstate New York.  (Munro Sickafoose, my co-leader in this work, wrote an article about this which appeared in our last newsletter.) The Mohawk people initiate young people in a traditional way, with Uncle's and Aunt's councils holding the responsibility, but upon returning the young people face challenges, like youth everywhere, that relate to the difficulty of living in the modern world with spirit and soul intact.  Risks include substance abuse and the disorientation and confusion of re-entry after spending time in the sacred world. We hope to share with the Uncle's and Aunt's Councils some of the tools we use with young people, such as Youth Council circles and of Mirroring.  
 
We're turning to you, the Rites of Passage community, to ask for support for this journey.  We are doing this as a give-away and an expression of reciprocity:  we've received a great deal from First Nations teachings and it's important to give back what we can.  We've raised about $1000 for the journey and are hoping to raise about another $1000 before we depart on April 15 for Akwesasne.  All donations are tax-deductible, of course.  You can donate online using PayPal by going to the Donations Page of our website, just put "Mohawk trip" in the message field.   You can also donate by check, made out to "Rites of Passage" and mailed to our address (found at the bottom of this mailing).
 
We thank you from our hearts for your generosity!