THE YEAR 9 RITE JOURNEY PROGRAMME IS A WATERSHED MOMENT IN THE CBC JOURNEY, BUT IT IS ONLY A PART OF THE BIGGER PICTURE...
COMPASS ON THE JOURNEY Camping under the stars solo before embarking on an arduous hike while carrying your pack sounds like a challenge more at home at Campbell Barracks than in the golden fields of CBC’s sibling school, Edmund Rice College, but the adventure was all part of the Year 9 experience in 2018. The Rite Journey (TRJ) camp in Bindoon, known as The Abyss, included spending 18 hours alone in a tent overnight to encourage reflection on the future aspirations and dreams of the developing young men. After a year of activities designed to challenge the students and create a sense of achievement and belonging, the culmination of the TRJ
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touchstone | Vol 7 No 1 Winter 2019
programme also included a Retreat on the banks of the Swan River to encourage a deeper connection with the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Rite Journey is part of the College’s focus on the transition from today’s boys to tomorrow’s gentlemen, and helps Year 9 boys develop their own inner compass to be able to choose the right direction and make appropriate decisions towards becoming a positive male in society.
National acclaim Appropriately then, last year TRJ at CBC came to the attention of producers of the ABC TV programme, Compass, who chose to focus on the College’s rites of passage for a whole half-hour episode.
