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News Archives
June 1, 2006 -- Rights of Passage - 20 Years in the Making
 This year marks a historic event at Covenant House New York. The Rights of Passage Program will celebrate its 20th Anniversary. On May 18, 2006, Covenant House New York will hold a ceremonial graduation intended to highlight the success of former and current clients. Covenant House is honored to have provided so many youth with the opportunity to change their lives and their futures.
Rights of Passage --
“You don’t get to come to Covenant House if you have the required support and guidance while growing up. You come to Covenant House when those fundamental necessities are absent” stated Bruce J. Henry, Executive Director of Covenant House New York and Founder of Rights of Passage.
With each passing day, the choices that an individual makes form the path of his or her life. For the youth that come to Covenant House, the opportunities to make those choices are missing. The term ‘Rite of Passage’ is a ceremonial transition from childhood to adulthood. Here at Covenant House, our ‘Rights of Passage’ program offers a similar transition for our youth although they are expected to grow within a shorter amount of time. To their credit, our youth realize their potential and strive towards success and adulthood within that given time frame. As an example, here is Christopher’s story. Christopher entered ‘Rights of Passage’ one year ago with a lack of direction. Coming from a foreign country, he was unfamiliar with the world around him and lacked the skills needed to survive. He did not have a basic support system and feared that his life was heading in the wrong direction. After taking advantage of all the services offered to him, he was able to obtain employment and attend college. He currently is looking for an apartment and is ready to enter the world. When asked to describe what ‘Rights of Passage’ meant to him, he stated “a chance for me to fulfill my dreams.” The Meaning --
'Rights of Passage’ is spelt R-I-G-H-T-S because, at Covenant House, every youth has the right to fulfill his or her dreams. Everyone is given the same opportunities to develop the skills needed to succeed: vocational training, educational opportunities and the life skills necessary to become self-sufficient and independent. ‘Rights of Passage’ provides a safe and secure environment that allows our youth to be themselves while helping them to succeed. Many youth, former and current, refer to ‘Rights of Passage’ as a guiding hand that points them towards to right path. The Beginning --
Prior to 1986, Covenant House was primarily a Crisis Center providing immediate assistance, such as food, shelter and clothing, to all homeless and at-risk youth. The number of youth served day-to-day increased rapidly and a single question arose throughout the agency: “What more can we do for these kids?” The answer was to design a program for the young adults that would provide career training and educational opportunities in a stable, secure, and supportive living environment. This program coined the name ‘Rights of Passage’ because it was believed that these youth had the right to succeed and the capability to accomplish anything when given a chance. In March of 1986, five young males entered ‘Rights of Passage’ and embarked upon Covenant House New York’s most innovative and unique program. From the beginning, this program had enormous potential to turn lives around. By October of 1987, the Women’s Rights of Passage Program officially opened with nine young women at a facility located on 52nd Street. One month later, the first young mother and her baby also entered the program. From that point, the success and rapid growth of ‘Rights of Passage’ resulted in Covenant House opening its facility located on 17th Street in March of 1988. The Present --
Covenant House, the leader in transitional living housing, serves more than 350 youth yearly. The Rights of Passage Program graduates 150 youth annually. From the moment that a youth enters the program, his or her goal is to develop skills for the real world. This program offers a guiding hand to ensure that each youth will never return to the situation that brought him or her to Covenant House in the first place. The most remarkable aspect of this program is seeing where the graduates are today. The celebration of ‘Rights of Passage’ 20th Anniversary is a testimony to the success of all the youth who entered the program. It is Covenant House’s honor to have served those individuals who now make a significant difference in today’s society. Everyone deserves and has the RIGHT is a better life. The Rights of Passage Program has been able to provide that service for 20 years and looks forward to continuing its vital work for another 20 years.
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