The Joshua Project is not affiliated with any particular religion, and does not promote any particular religious creed. As its mission statement says however it does “encourage spiritual practices that inform a man’s authentic nature” and attempts to be inclusive to each participant's path to enlightenment.

The Joshua Project is designed as a rites-of-passage program, recognizing the passage from boyhood to manhood, and includes an educational curriculum focusing on mature masculinity. It is not designed as a therapeutic intervention. However, the approximate 2:1 ratio of men to boys participants enables the container to assist young men from many backgrounds to enjoy the benefits of the program.

The Joshua Project is inclusive of gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals. Since the curriculum of the program is designed around the mature masculine, it is particularly relevant to individuals who identify with the male gender and wish to mature in that identification. We acknowledge the particular delicacy and fluidity of gender identity, and encourage interested parties to reach out with more specific questions should they have them.

Currently, the Joshua Project requires participants to be at least 13 years of age, and to have parental consent. Young men in their early 20s who enter the program are able to decide their own participation level, as initiates or as a part of the adult container.

No. The organization is designed to provide a male adult community to welcome and guide young men into a responsible sense of adulthood, but not as a therapeutic intervention for particular issues.

Because the participant ratio is approximately 2:1 men to boys, the “container” for the youth is varied and diverse. The community itself serves as a kind of mentor. Events serve then to introduce youth to men they possibly may admire and seek guidance. But the design of the program is not mentorship but as the vision statement says “providing a vehicle to encourage adult-youth mentoring relationships. Ultimately effective mentors are identified and “chosen” by the mentees, not the other way around.

The organization exists as non-profit (501-3(c)) and is run almost entirely by volunteers, and programmatic costs are kept to a minimum. Fees from participants, as well as generous donations from caring individuals and other organizations allow us to provide camp facilities, food, and necessary equipment for the program events.

A separate fund has been established from generous donations to enable participants, young and old, to attend events when they might not otherwise. Inquiry into this fund needs to be made at the time of registration, so that either a full or partial scholarship might be utilized.

Since this is a coming-of-age program, many fathers wish to participate alongside their sons, and are readily welcomed. But often enough, sons do not have a father available or willing to engage in a program that promotes a deeper intimacy between them. Each young man must have an adult “sponsor” attend each event with him, but the sponsor can be a relative or family friend, or in some cases be introduced beforehand to a current participant of the JP community.

The program is designed to have at most events approximately a 2:1 ratio of men to boys. This is intentional so that the boys might experience the power of a “male container” and have a variety of adult men with which to identify. A youth best experiences being welcomed into a community when that community is both vital and strong. The teachings are more effective and influential, and the “blessings” of the community more deeply felt.

Attendance is decided by the participants on an event-by-event basis, so no commitment is required. We have found however that participants most often decide to make sure that they are able to attend events in each of the four seasons, since the curriculum is designed to address a unique aspect of the mature masculine based on the season (Magician - Fall, King - Winter, Lover - Spring, Warrior - Summer.) Participation in the week-long summer program does have the prerequisite of attendance in at least one other seasonal event. The recommended ideal attendance is for a participant to begin in the Fall, then Winter, then Spring, and finally Summer. But if a weekend seasonal event is missed, usually the youth attends that missed part of the curriculum the next year.

The creation of a modern-day rite-of-passage experiences for young men in a culture where intentional community rituals have become all but extinct requires a deep dive into anthropological history as well as a willingness to reach toward indigenous cultures that have managed to preserve such rites. The Joshua Project recognized the dire consequences of accepting a void of community recognition and guidance into adulthood, particularly for boys. Furthermore this exploration leads us more deeply into Nature and to deepen and learn from our relationship with the Natural world, another aspect that is lacking in the modern Western world.

In our pursuit of these goals, we are inspired by many different practices from many different cultures. With utmost respect and reverence for all peoples and cultures, we respectfully pull from Celtic, pan asian, Native American and western Jungian traditions to highlight a few primary influences.

Whenever possible we work to align with teachers from these lineages to walk in integrity and alignment with the heart of these teachings. We are always open to learning more and continuing the discussion about creating our own nature based traditions fit for the modern age and resting on the shoulders of our ancestors’ wisdom.