Orita rites of passage
for youth in the African diaspora
Marilyn Maye, Ed. D.
Warren Maye, M. A.
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Orita rites of passage
for youth in the African diaspora
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A strategy for valuing our children
A strategy for positive youth development
A program of supplementary education
A strategy that helps youth acquire different
types of capital that they need for success
A strategy that’s biblically based
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“… where there is no vision,
the people perish…”
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Why do so many young people fail to
achieve their potential?
…because not everyone brings to school /college the
same types of “capital” [Bourdieu(1986), Gordon (1989)]
Although they may attend the same schools, students
from different communities may perform differently
according to the types of capital they bring to school.
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Ensuring they reach their potential
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Human
capital –
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Social
capital –
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Health
capital –
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adults in children’s lives who know a lot
about and function skillfully in American life.
(e.g. classroom teachers, parents, community
members, etc. )
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networks of people who take a strong interest
in children’s academic success and try to
motivate them to work hard in school; friends
who are academically oriented.
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physical and mental health that support, not
undermine, prospects for academic success
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Ensuring they reach their potential
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Financial
capital
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savings and income that can buy
health care, buy homes in
communities with good public
schools, or pay for supplementary
education services such as
tutoring.
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Ensuring they reach their potential
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Cultural capital –
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Educational capital –
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Personal capital –
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being familiar with the best of the
collective knowledge, techniques and
beliefs of their culture
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having supports for appropriate
educational experiences in children’s
homes, schools and communities
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belief in your own power to be
successful in school and life
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Reaching their potential
Your son or daughter can succeed
in school, college, and adulthood if (s)he can acquire and maintain:
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Faith in the possibility of a successful future
Resiliency in the face of academic and social
challenges and setbacks
Strong motivation to master his/her studies
Spiritual and cultural moorings
Emotional and physical health
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A Partnership
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Your church family can help support you and
your child, by providing some of the kinds of
capital he or she needs to be successful in
school, college, & adulthood.
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The process will work best if there is a
partnership between parent, student, and church
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Church – parent partnership
Is your church committed to supporting you and your
child in key ways?
1)
2)
3)
4)
Spiritual growth and development
Academic support
Supplementary education – rites of passage
College prep timeline and coaching
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Challenges to our family-church partnership:
 Street gangs
 pregnancy
 prison
 drug, alcohol abuse
 sexual promiscuity
 compulsive behaviors
Between ages 7 to 11 - Prevention programs
OR
From ages 12 and up - Intervention programs
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Orita: rites of passage
for youth of African descent
by Marilyn and Warren L. Maye
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Vision Statement
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Orita is an opportunity to make an even better
life for our youth than we have experienced.
The Orita process helps prepare participants
so that their lives will make a difference in the
world.
Orita provides a positive conversation, an
alternative to the negative one they often
engage in and hear about themselves.
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Objectives
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Create a course of study, designed and led by
parents and guardians, to make youth aware of
the responsibilities of adulthood and expose
them to their religious and family heritage.
Conclude with a final recognition ceremony that
formally acknowledges them before a
community.
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Orita program components
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Launch
Study
Physical Challenge
Honor
Celebrate
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Seven principles of Kwanzaa provide a unifying
theme and are supported by research and by
Scripture
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unity of family
self determination
collective work, responsibility
cooperative economics
sense of purpose
creativity
faith
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Implementation in your setting
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Phase 1: Create the vision
Phase 2: Plan strategy
Phase 3: develop tasks
Phase 4: execute and monitor
Phase 5: Finish
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Contact us at
www.oritaritesofpassage.org
Or
By email at orita1@aol.com
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