Creating a rite of passage in the 12 tasks

An interview with Jack Taylor

Your new books, called the 12 Tasks, claim to be about creating a rite of passage for those entering their teen years. How did you come up with this idea? 

Jack: Credit for the idea goes to missionary friends of mine in Kenya. Kym and Shel Arensen who, in the early 90’s, noted that while the African tribes around us had rites of passage to transition children to adulthood status, we, as western missionaries did not. 

We picked up on the idea and modified it for our own children. Most of us stumble into adulthood and we wanted to walk the journey with our children. Both families had been reading the 12 Tasks of Asterix (a comic book) and translated that into our own needs. There were also 12 months in the year which made it convenient to design one task per month. I asked Shel to co-author the 12 Tasks How To Manual with me. Shel has written a children’s book called The Tribal Challenge and I’ve written a companion novel called the 12 Tasks of Manhood. 

Why do you think it’s relevant for this younger generation?

Jack: The books are relevant for families today because the younger generation is wrestling with issues of identity, confidence, maturity, and family relationships in new ways. Shel and I have taken our children through this and now our grandchildren are completing the challenges. The 12 Tasks focus on setting up tasks that will enhance strengths, build up growth areas and establish stronger parental-child relationships as the young teen heads into the turbulent phase of negotiating peers, cultures, faith,  education, media and their own internal brain changes.

How does the 12 Tasks work? What if a parent is single?

12 Tasks is designed to work within the family structure, whatever that may be. Ideally, a group of parents and their children will engage in a one-year commitment to design and complete 12 specific challenges which will solidify the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional maturity of their children. This is often done starting at the 12th birthday and finishing at the 13th birthday but it can be modified for individual needs. Each parent designs tasks unique to their own child but the community can provide the support and encouragement of doing the challenges together. Some of the challenges (such as an outdoor mountain climb or camping trip) may be accepted as a culminating event for all participants. At the end of the time there is a celebration where key mentors will speak words of life into the young man or woman.

What did you see in your own children from doing these tasks?

My son Richard, who is VP of Student Life at Trinity Western University, was our guinea pig after the Arensen’s oldest son launched his tasks. He says, “for me, the power of the 12 Tasks was not as much in the specific tasks, but rather in the principles behind them, and the process I went through to accomplish them…. My parents put a lot of thought into choosing tasks that were appropriate for me. Some tasks leveraged strengths in writing, critical thinking and relationship building. Other tasks helped me to confront areas where I lacked confidence, such as my mechanical abilities and my athletic skills. Together, the tasks attempted to build qualities like a strong work ethic, discipline, spiritual commitment, compassion for others, cultural understanding and leadership into my life. Eighteen years later I can see clearer how appropriate the tasks were.” My daughters have their own take on their experiences.

Why Should Parents Take up This Challenge?

I list several reasons in the book. You believe that healthy young adults matter to our future; You clearly see a growing crisis among our youth; You recognize the crucial role of a parent or adult figure in helping a young teen transition into adulthood; You understand that many cultures which last find markers to transmit their values and beliefs; You are willing to invest time and energy into your own young teen’s future; You want something tailored to your own young teen, which will bring out their strengths and giftings; You realize the important of community in raising our next generations; You want to build positive virtues and critical skill sets into your young teen; You want to encourage spiritual growth and development into the heart of your young teen; You recognize that you are an ordinary adult with something to share and something to learn with your young teen; You want to encourage parents and young teens to care for others through shared experiences; You enjoy sharing ideas and experiences with others who are in the same stage of life.

How do we find these books?

The easiest way is through Amazon although I have books if people are close. I hope to set up a Facebook group to assist parents going through this. You can send questions to jackataylor@live.ca.