Centre for
Rites of Passage
A young person leaping into a mountain lake beneath steep green crags

Centre for Rites of Passage

Igniting a movement to empower a generation.

Young people are not a problem to be solved. They are showing us what's missing.

Get in touch

Why this matters

A generation is telling us something.

  • 1 million

    young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training.

    Milburn Review, 2026
  • 20%

    of young people now live with anxiety or depression.

    YoungMinds, 2023
  • One in eight

    are no longer even looking, the risk of a "lost generation".

    Milburn Review, 2026

Mental health. Unemployment. Disengagement. Loneliness. Disconnection.

One crisis wearing different clothes.

What a rite of passage is

Find your voice. Discover your path. Bring your self.

A rite of passage is an invitation to an adventure. The path to ourselves, to each other, and to the natural world. It's a journey in three parts.

  1. Walking boots in a circle, seen from above

    Preparation

    Practical and inner preparation. Time to break old patterns. Leaving the familiar behind.

  2. A group standing together on a hillside, silhouetted against the sunset

    Threshold

    A guided time of change, immersed in nature: walking, weather, fire, sleeping outdoors, solitude and reflection.

  3. A group of young people walking down a grassy hillside under a big blue sky

    Return

    The story is told and mirrored back, received and witnessed by family and community. Knowing yourself and your path.

Sunlight breaking through tall woodland trees

What lasts

Gifts that last a lifetime.

  • A sense of belonging

    With ourselves, with community and with the living world, without dissolving into any of them.

  • Voice

    Knowing that our voice and our actions matter, and that there is a place for us.

  • Inner compass

    A grown sense of self that helps us navigate change and uncertainty, and can never be taken away.

  • Nature as guide

    A support and a guide we can return to again and again.

  • Stretch

    The wisdom to embrace challenge and feel OK in discomfort.

  • Community

    Shared wisdom, learning from each other and from trusted family and elders who see us for who we are.

"A week later and the woodsmoke has gone from her hair, but she is left with something so wonderful: a fearlessness about being herself."

Parent
A bell tent pitched beneath the spreading branches of old trees

Working upstream

Beyond fire-fighting.

Mental health services are being pushed to breaking point. Rites of passage build protective factors into the fabric of young people's lives.

The evidence most consistently links youth wellbeing and resilience to:

  • Belonging
  • Trusted relationships
  • Identity development
  • Nature connection

Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Belonging Barometer, 2024; U.S. Surgeon General, 2023; NHS Green Social Prescribing evaluations.

In their words

What young people and parents tell us.

  • "Being brought into a community of absolute love, acceptance, no judgement."

    Belonging

  • "Being alone and realising that I can take my safety as my own responsibility has been strangely liberating."

    Meaningful challenge

  • "Now I see her standing firm, rooted and glorious and the beginning of a quiet authentic leadership in her."

    Community recognition

  • "I felt listened to, loved and comforted. I loved it. All young people should have this experience!"

    Feeling seen, heard and emotionally safe

  • "The mentorship has been wonderful and she has gained practical skills and emotional insights."

    Trusted adult relationships

  • "It has made me see the beauty inside of me... helped with my self-confidence and stopped so many of my doubts about myself."

    Identity development

  • A group of young people standing in a circle beneath tall trees beside a river
  • A young person with a rucksack, seen from behind, looking out over a wooded valley
  • A group walking in single file along a rocky riverbank under green trees
Looking up a great tree from its spreading roots to its branches

What we're building

The work already exists.

What doesn't yet exist is the structure that could carry it to a generation.

Creating change

A programme reaches hundreds. A movement reaches a generation.

  • Programmes young people actually choose

    Adventure, belonging, discovery, transformation, community.

  • A national story

    So communities, schools and families come to expect this for our children.

  • Strong foundations

    Trained guides, safeguarding, safety standards, licensing and research, so schools, parents and health systems can trust the work.

Our focus areas are national visibility, regional hubs, schools and colleges, and rite of passage training for youth leaders, teachers, healthcare professionals and outdoor educators.

Our vision

Rites of passage are available to all young people, and a nation is demanding it.

Held by community, connected to the living world, alive with possibility.

The founders

Built on decades of research and guiding experience.

  • Israh Goodall, co-founder of the Centre for Rites of Passage

    Israh Goodall

    Co-founder

    Qualified Mountain Leader and rites of passage guide, leading youth expeditions around the world. More than 15 years of international rites of passage research. Twelve years as an NHS midwife. Trained at the School of Lost Borders and Schumacher College. Designed and has led Wild Time since 2014 and Catalyst since 2022. Co-founded the Transitions & Thresholds international practitioner gatherings.

  • Miriam Jones, co-founder of the Centre for Rites of Passage

    Miriam Jones

    Co-founder

    Co-founder of the Open Circle Foundation and Full Circle Futures, delivering rite of passage programmes and guide training worldwide. Former Co-Executive Director of the Ojai Foundation, supporting land-based wisdom and contemporary rites of passage. Co-founded Be Learning, growing it into a $20M, multi-award-winning learning and development company.

Contact

Get in touch

Whether you're a parent, a young person, a school, or someone who'd like to support the work, we'd love to hear from you.

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