The Aim of a Humanist Coming of Age
A Humanist Coming of Age is a good event to prepare a teenager for the adulthood to come. The idea is not that the participants must be or become humanists to attend, but rather to prepare them to make use of their freedom and rights.
Growing up means making choices, and the aim of the Humanist confirmation should be to help and to strengthen awareness of ones situation and the choices one must make, not as a teaching of dogmas, but as an acknowledgement of rights and responsibilities in society.
This may be done by not only organizing a celebration or ceremony, but also having a course leading up to the ceremony. The young persons attending may be presented with moral dilemmas, given an introduction to Humanist lifestance, values and ethics, and trained in human rights. The aim could be to strengthen their ability for independent thinking and ethical actions.
As a humanist organization or member group, offering a coming of age may also have the positive side effect of strengthening humanist values in the society and local community.
