*Parent Info Session, June 15th, 5:00pm MDT Zoom - Register here

Program Details

• Monthly Tuesday Gatherings: 4:30-8:30pm (Dates below) + Zoom Council on every other Tuesday

• Location: Private Residence in North Boulder

• Parent Meetings: Two 1.5 hour meetings, in September and February

  
  

An Invitation for Your Jewish Teen

Being a teenager in these wild times is fairly hard, and being a Jewish teenager can be even harder.

In the struggle of adolescent identity to belong and find one’s authentic self, staying connecting to one’s ancestry, culture and tradition can be challenging.

Today many Jewish teens age out of meaningful Jewish community after bar or bat mitzvah. At precisely the age when young people begin wrestling with identity, belonging, friendship, technology, responsibility, and the transition toward adulthood, there are often very few spaces that support them in grounded, authentic, and relational ways.

Shomrim HaZmanim, “Guardians of the Times,”  was created to help meet that need.

The name reflects both the Jewish relationship to sacred time and the growing role of young people as future stewards of community, culture, relationships, and the living world. As teens move toward adulthood, they are not only inheriting these times, they are learning how to care for them.

Rooted in the Jewish value of Shleimut - wholeness and integrity of self -  the program supports healthy teen development through mentorship, Jewish community, nature connection, leadership, and meaningful challenge. Through monthly gatherings, teens build meaningful relationships, deepen connection to Jewish identity and ancestry, strengthen confidence and communication skills, and explore what it means to grow toward adulthood in these times.

The program is guided by experienced Jewish mentors with backgrounds in teen mentorship, wilderness leadership, rites of passage work, emotional development, Jewish learning, and community-building.

Monthly Gatherings

One evening each month from September–May, the group gathers for mentorship, community-building, seasonal Jewish teachings, and nature-based learning. We will do some sort of simple dinner each gathering as well as a variety of the activities below.

Gatherings may include:

• Fire tending and outdoor skills

• Nature crafts and camp skills

• Council and guided conversations

• Games and collaborative challenges

• Jewish seasonal teachings and ritual

• Torah stories and ancestral reflection

• Leadership development

• Communication and conflict resolution skills

• Community music, and song

• Time outdoors away from screens and social pressure

  
  
  
  

On another Tuesday evening the group will touch-in and keep deepening through a zoom council. Throughout the year, the teens will develop stronger relationships with themselves, one another, the natural world, and Jewish community and tradition.

Our intention is not to recreate school or a conventional youth group model, but to offer something more rooted and relational; a space where teens are genuinely known, challenged, and supported.

Core Areas of the Program

Community & Belonging

• Build meaningful peer relationships rooted in trust, honesty, and mutual respect

• Experience mentorship from grounded Jewish adults

• Develop confidence participating in dialogue, collaboration, and group process

• Practice showing up for oneself and others through consistency and shared responsibility

  
  
  
  

Jewish Life & Identity

• Explore relationship to Jewish identity, ancestry, culture, and tradition

• Experience Jewish life through ritual, storytelling, seasonal practice, and community

• Learn the cycles of the Hebrew calendar and engage Torah and ancestral teachings in accessible and relevant ways

• Develop personal relationships to practices such as brachot (blessings), Shabbat, song, prayer, and reflection

  
  
  
  

Nature Connection & Stewardship

• Deepen relationship with the natural world through direct experience

• Learn wilderness and outdoor living skills, including fire tending and nature-based crafts

• Cultivate awareness, responsibility, and care for the places we inhabit

• Experience time away from screens, speed, and performance-driven environments

  
  
  
  

Leadership & Maturation

• Practice communication, accountability, and conflict resolution skills

• Take on meaningful responsibility within the group

• Build resilience and confidence through challenge and mentorship

• Reflect on values, choices, relationships, and the transition toward adulthood

  
  
  
  

Emotional Wellbeing

• Develop greater self-awareness and emotional literacy

• Practice healthy ways of asking for support, giving feedback, and caring for peers

• Learn grounding and self-regulation tools through nature connection, reflection, movement, and group process

• Deepen understanding of love, attraction, romance, and eros, and explore how to engage these powerful energies with integrity, care, responsibility, and respect for self and others

• Experience spaces where teens can speak honestly and be met with respect

Inclusive Jewish Community

• Welcome teens from diverse Jewish backgrounds and relationships to Jewish life

• Support teens from interfaith families and a wide range of cultural experiences

• Create an environment that welcomes LGBTQ+ teens, gender-expansive youth, and teens of all backgrounds

• Encourage curiosity, compassion, and respectful engagement across difference

  
  
  
  

Parent Participation

Parents are an important part of the broader support structure for adolescent development, and parents necessarily are undergoing their own rites as their children walk towards adulthood. An important part of our culture-building is creating a community of mutual support amongst the parents. Thus we will gather as parents twice during the year.

The parent program includes:

• A parent gathering at the beginning of the year

• A parent gathering 2/3rds of the way through the year

• Occasional individual parent check-ins as needed throughout the year

  
  

These meetings help create communication, trust, and shared support around the developmental journey of the teens.

Wilderness Journey

The year culminates in an optional wilderness-based backpacking and leadership journey, with dates and details to be announced.

The wilderness journey offers teens an opportunity to deepen their connection with themselves, one another, and the natural world while experiencing the confidence and perspective that come from meaningful challenge and shared adventure.

While participation in the trip is not required to be part of the program, it is strongly encouraged.

Mentors (more TBD)

John Wolfstone

John Wolfstone is a rites of passage guide, wilderness mentor, and Jewish educator with over fifteen years of experience working with teens, young adults, and community leadership programs.

He previously led a Jewish teen rites of passage program with Wilderness Torah and has guided numerous Jewish teen wilderness journeys and backpacking trips through both ALEPH and Wilderness Torah.  He is steeped in the 8-Shields Nature/Cultrue Mentoring pedagogical model His work weaves together Jewish tradition, nature connection, mentorship, emotional development, storytelling, and community-building.

John is also co-founder of the School of Mythopoetics and has spent many years facilitating men’s work, wilderness initiations, grief rituals, and intergenerational mentorship programs rooted in both Jewish and earth-based traditions.

Additional mentor bios coming soon.

Dates

In-Person Gatherings (4:30–8:30pm MST)

• Sept 8

• Oct 13

• Nov 3

• Dec 8

• Jan 12

• Feb 9

• March 9

• April 6

• May 4

Teen Zoom Councils (6:30–8:00pm MST)

• Sept 22

• Oct 27

• Nov 24

• Dec 15

• Jan 26

• Feb 23

• March 24 (Wednesday due to Purim the previous day)

• April 20

Two parent gatherings will be held during the year (exact dates TBD):

• One in September

• One in March

  
  

These gatherings help cultivate communication, alignment, and shared support around the developmental journey of the teens.

Info Session

• June 15th - 5:00–6:00pm MST

Register for the info session here

Email John - john@thresholds.earth for any questions

Tuition & Accessibility

We are committed to making the program financially accessible while also supporting the real costs of sustaining high-quality mentorship, small-group attention, experienced guides, and nature-based programming.

If your family is able, we strongly encourage choosing the Standard or Supporter tier, which helps strengthen the long-term sustainability of the program and makes lower-cost participation possible for other teens.

Supported Tuition — $2,200

A limited number of supported-rate spots are available.

This tier is intended for families who would benefit from a lower tuition option while still contributing meaningfully to the program’s sustainability.

Standard Tuition — $2,600

This tier reflects the actual baseline cost of sustaining the program and is the recommended tuition level for families who are financially able to pay the standard rate comfortably.

Supporter Tuition — $3,100

This tier is for families who are financially resourced and able to contribute toward the broader accessibility and long-term health of the program community.

Supporter tuition helps make lower-cost participation possible and strengthens the sustainability of the program for years to come.

Scholarships & Payment Plans

A small number of additional scholarship spots are available for families with significant financial need. Please reach out directly to begin a conversation.

Payment plans are also available. We do not want finances alone to prevent the right teens from participating in the program.

Registration

Space in the program is limited in order to maintain strong mentor-to-teen ratios and a grounded group culture.

We anticipate a cohort of approximately 18–22 teens for the inaugural year.

To register your teen please fill out this registration form

For questions, scholarship inquiries, or to schedule a conversation, please contact:

John - john@thresholds.earth

We look forward to gathering with the next generation of guardians of the times.