Rites of Passage at BMC

This week, Black Mountains College and the Centre for Rites of Passage, led by Israh Goodall and Miriam Jones began a pilot that will bring rites of passage into the students’ journey through all three years of their degree. 

At BMC, students learn to understand and respond to change in the world. BMC invited the Centre for Rites of Passage to help explore another part of that learning: practices for listening when the way ahead is uncertain, becoming more aware of our inner terrain, and staying connected to ourselves, one another and the land.  

This three-year pilot began because BMC students were asking for something more from their college experience: more space to arrive, more opportunities to connect and find their place in the community.  

Our first days brought the whole degree cohort together. Students from all three years, teachers and an elder from the local farming community gathered to mark the beginning of the academic year and the start of this work. Teachers had a session to experience some of the practices for themselves and consider how they might support students through times of transition. 

The second and third years spent time on the land marking their return – each group is at a different point in their journey. The second years are approaching the middle of their course, where questions about uncertainty, direction and what is emerging may become more present. The third years are moving towards a graduation threshold later in the year: a chance to honour what they will leave behind and consider what they are stepping towards. Their experiences during this first week began to give them practices they can carry into the months ahead. 

For the new students, we created a two-day threshold experience. They spent time together and alone, listening, sharing stories and getting to know the land and one another. The intention was to give them a grounded beginning: space to notice the journey that had brought them to BMC, to meet the community they were joining, and to consider how they wanted to enter this next chapter. 

Their first reflections have stayed with us.

One student described gaining “a feeling of trust and freedom of expression to be authentic with my peers.”

Another wrote: “Felt truly alive, one of the most amazing experiences of my life so far.”

Others spoke about how quickly the group bonded, the value of stillness, and feeling more able to express themselves. These are reflections from the beginning of a longer journey. We will return to the students to hear what has stayed with them and what support they need as the year unfolds. 

At BMC, learning to guide change runs across the disciplines. This pilot brings an embodied dimension to that learning. It asks how students can grow their capacity to meet uncertainty, recognise transitions, and support one another through change. We hope the practices they make their own here will travel with them into their lives, communities and future work. 

We are grateful to everyone at BMC who helped make this beginning possible, and excited to discover what this partnership becomes over the next three years. 

By Israh Goodall, Centre for Rites of Passage