Youth explore the various cultures of Washington's Puget Sound region through 600 miles of bicycling, community service, participation in cultural events, and various ceremonial activities designed to foster citizenship in a diverse world. The Vision Quest is for high school students. Mind, spirit, and body are challenged. Youth are guided to trust nature as land-based peoples did. Reflection, dialogue, and sweat lodge purification prepare the youth for a three-day solo vigil in the wilderness.
Rites of passage can also bring deeper meaning to existing youth programs.
In Fall Creek, Wisconsin, the Sons of Norway offer a camp with Viking Age crafts, sports, and storytelling, along with more modern aspects of Norwegian culture such as language, music, and food. This year for the first time, the Viking theme was taken to a new level with the introduction of the idrottir and the Fellowship of Yggdrasil . Pursuit of one or more idrottir was voluntary, but the campers who reached their goals in three or more skill areas were initiated into the Fellowship of Yggdrasil on the last night of camp. In the following articles, youth who have participated in these programs tell their stories and highlight the impact and significance of entering ceremonial space and sacred time to honor life transitions. This section concludes with an explanation of wilderness rites, their origins, and the elements of typical modern quests.