rite of passage Wilderness Adventure Camp
We Can Help Your Son Become Happier & More Resilient
Young Men’s
Ultimate Weekend
YMUW has graduated thousands of young men - just like your son - who are now better prepared for the challenges of the Young adult world
Next YMUW: 2026 – Date Coming Soon
Eco-Camp, Lake Berryessa, Napa CA
(7850 Berryessa Knoxville Rd, Napa, CA 94558)
We Can Help Your Son Become Happier & More Resilient
rite of passage
Wilderness Adventure Camp
Young Men’s
Ultimate Weekend
YMUW has graduated thousands of young men - just like your son - who are now better prepared for the challenges of the Young adult world
Next YMUW: 2026
Date Coming Soon
Eco-Camp, Lake Berryessa, Napa CA
(7850 Berryessa Knoxville Rd, Napa, CA 94558)
YMUW Was Featured on
CNN's Award Winning Show,
"This is Life with
Lisa Ling"
Also featured on
YMUW Was Featured on
CNN's Award Winning Show
"This is Life with
Lisa Ling"
Also featured on
I'd like to personally thank all of you for giving my young man a great weekend. He talked for hours about it and had a great time. I was proud of him, and proud of YMUW for pulling off this experience for him. Well done to you all, and thank you for taking such great care of my young man.
Marty Wells, Father
Before YMUW, my 20-year-old son felt lost and said he wasn’t ready to live on his own. After the weekend, something had clearly shifted. He spoke highly of the experience, wanted to return as a volunteer, and within days he’d moved into a new apartment, landed a job on the spot, and started supporting himself. He even gave up video games, which he once felt addicted to.
If you’re unsure about sending your son — don’t be. He’ll thank you.
Sarah Caveney, Mother
The day following my son's return from the YMUW, he heard me when I made an observation about his behavior, looked at me and said "I'll pay attention to that", which was a departure from previous conversations we'd had. He has also appeared more willing to take responsibility for himself. He has always been a fine human being and I see him embodying this in a deeper way.
Lis Addison, Mother
Learn About YMUW From The Founder
Join a Group Zoom Preview Call with Dr. Mark Schillinger, Founder of Young Men's Ultimate Weekend.
My teen son was verbally aggressive, giving me the finger and thinking he did not have to do anything he didn’t want to. This behavior has largely disappeared, being replaced with cooperation and increasing personal responsibility. He has become open and caring.”
Marty Wells, Father
Before YMUW, my 20-year-old son felt lost and said he wasn’t ready to live on his own. After the weekend, something had clearly shifted. He spoke highly of the experience, wanted to return as a volunteer, and within days he’d moved into a new apartment, landed a job on the spot, and started supporting himself. He even gave up video games, which he once felt addicted to.
If you’re unsure about sending your son — don’t be. He’ll thank you.
Sarah Caveney, Mother
Before YMUW, my 20-year-old son felt lost and said he wasn’t ready to live on his own. After the weekend, something had clearly shifted. He spoke highly of the experience, wanted to return as a volunteer, and within days he’d moved into a new apartment, landed a job on the spot, and started supporting himself. He even gave up video games, which he once felt addicted to.
If you’re unsure about sending your son — don’t be. He’ll thank you.
Sarah Caveney, Mother
Learn About YMUW From The Founder
Join a Group Zoom Preview Call with Dr. Mark Schillinger, Founder of Young Men's Ultimate Weekend, and Other Parents
What Happens at The Young Men’s Ultimate Weekend?
Since 2000, the Bay Area non-profit, Young Men’s Ultimate Weekend (YMUW), has helped thousands of our young men - just like your son - successfully launch into young adulthood. With the unwavering support of hundreds of devoted volunteers, YMUW has helped young men of all social, economic, academic and athletic backgrounds become more responsible for their own well-being.
By combining fun, recreational activities with training that builds confidence, accountability and resiliency, the YMUW wilderness adventure camp helps your son learn how to accept life on its terms while also passionately pursuing his own life’s ambitions.
Using physical, mental, and emotional challenges, the YMUW is designed to stimulate all of the parts of the brain that adolescent young men must develop. The YMUW agenda provides experiential learning so that young men can increase their ability to solve problems, work cooperatively with others, calm their minds quickly and make thoughtful decisions - all while having fun.
Because our sons spend too much time in the constant participation and instant gratification that their digital devices provide, their natural biological urge to move into the adult world is being stunted. Away from these distractions, the YMUW gives young men, ages 13 - 20, opportunities to connect with their healthy masculine wisdom and then channel their energy while engaging in activities such as these:
- Making hip hop beats
- Conquering an obstacle course
- Playing sports
-
Water Activities
-
Learning martial arts & yoga
-
Developing leadership skills
-
Sweat Lodge
- Working cooperatively in teams
- Managing stress & anxiety
- Releasing anger safely
-
Overcoming fears
-
Building emotional intelligence
- Having lots of fun
What Happens at
The Young Men’s Ultimate Weekend?
Since 2000, the Bay Area non-profit, Young Men’s Ultimate Weekend, has helped thousands of our young men - just like your son - successfully launch into young adulthood. With the unwavering support of hundreds of devoted volunteers, YMUW has helped young men of all social, economic, academic and athletic backgrounds become more responsible for their own well-being.
By combining fun, recreational activities with training that builds confidence, accountability and resiliency, the YMUW wilderness adventure camp helps your son learn how to accept life on its terms while also passionately pursuing his own life’s ambitions.
Using physical, mental, and emotional challenges, the YMUW is designed to stimulate all of the parts of the brain that adolescent young men must develop. The YMUW agenda provides experiential learning so that young men can increase their ability to solve problems, work cooperatively with others, calm their minds quickly and make thoughtful decisions - all while having fun.
Because our sons spend too much time in the constant participation and instant gratification that their digital devices provide, their natural biological urge to move into the adult world is being stunted. Away from these distractions, the YMUW gives young men, ages 13 - 20, opportunities to connect with their healthy masculine wisdom and then channel their energy while engaging in these activities:
- Making hip hop beats
- Conquering an obstacle course
- Playing sports
-
Water Activities
-
Learning martial arts
-
Practicing yoga
- Working cooperatively in teams
- Managing stress
- Releasing anxiety
-
Overcoming fears
-
Building emotional intelligence
- Having lots of fun
YMUW Graduate
YMUW Graduate
YMUW Graduate
Everything I do revolves around the values gained from the YMUW. Today, my life is about what I can do for others. I have helped produce six Weekends and mentor young men daily."
Nick B.– YMUW Graduate
Before YMUW, I valued comfort and privacy. But those few days in the woods stripped away distractions and helped me shed my outer identity. Returning home, I felt like a triumphant hero—more compassionate, courageous, and grateful. That experience still fuels me today and has made facing challenges easier ever since."
Sebastian K.- YMUW Graduate
I have learned what it means to be a balanced young man who contributes to society and how to keep learning to expand my world. Thank you YMUW and the men that give their time to it!”
Ryan A. – YMUW Graduate
YMUW Graduate
YMUW Graduate
YMUW Graduate
Everything I do revolves around the values gained from the YMUW. Today, my life is about what I can do for others. I have helped produce six Weekends and mentor young men daily."
Nick B.– YMUW Graduate
Before YMUW, I valued comfort and privacy. But those few days in the woods stripped away distractions and helped me shed my outer identity. Returning home, I felt like a triumphant hero—more compassionate, courageous, and grateful. That experience still fuels me today and has made facing challenges easier ever since.
Sebastian Krausz, YMUW Graduate
I have learned what it means to be a balanced young man who contributes to society and how to keep learning to expand my world. Thank you YMUW and the men that give their time to it!”
Ryan A. – YMUW Graduate
It Takes a Village to Raise Your Son
The YMUW is an experiential personal growth retreat that provides your son with a village of trained mentors who are in touch with their biological obligation to continue the tradition of teaching young men their primary purposes:
✅ To build self-respect by being true to themselves (authenticity)
✅ To share their physical and mental talents with their family (reciprocity)
✅ To keep themselves and their community safe and productive (responsibility)
Our ratio of approximately one mentor to one young man, exceeds the guidelines put forth by the California Mentoring Foundation.
In one transformational, “rite of passage” weekend, our mentors provide a safe setting for your son to reduce his anxiety about adulthood, develop leadership skills, practice cooperating with others, become more resilient and have outrageous fun.
- To build self-respect by being true to themselves (authenticity)
- To share their physical and mental talents with their family (reciprocity)
- To keep themselves and their community safe and productive (responsibility)
The YMUW is an experiential personal growth retreat that provides your son with a village of trained mentors who are in touch with their biological obligation to continue the tradition of teaching young men their primary purposes:
Our ratio of approximately one mentor to one young man, exceeds the guidelines put forth by the California Mentoring Foundation.
In one transformational, “rite of passage” weekend, our mentors provide a safe setting for your son to reduce his anxiety about adulthood, develop leadership skills, practice cooperating with others, become more resilient and have outrageous fun.
It Takes a Village
to Raise Your Son
The YMUW is an experiential personal growth retreat that provides your son with a village of trained mentors who are in touch with their biological obligation to continue the tradition of teaching young men their primary purposes:
- To build self-respect by being true to themselves (authenticity)
- To share their physical and mental talents with their family (reciprocity)
- To keep themselves and their community safe and productive (responsibility)
Our ratio of approximately one mentor to one young man, exceeds the guidelines put forth by the California Mentoring Foundation.
In one transformational, “rite of passage” weekend, our mentors provide a safe setting for your son to reduce his anxiety about adulthood, develop leadership skills, practice cooperating with others, become more resilient and have outrageous fun.
Mother
YMUW Graduate
Volunteer
Read What More Parents Are Saying About YMUW...
My son attending this Weekend was the best decision I have ever made AND stood by! It is absolutely amazing what the YMUW does in two nights to change the lives of these young men.”
Joyce Wong Calvi
My son attended the Weekend when he was 16 and it changed his life. He now has and honors a family of his own.”
Lori Murray
Mostly what I sensed was a lightness of heart, as though a weight had been lifted from him. I wanted to say thank you. There is a great need for your work and effort.”
Suzanne Patrikus
The Ultimate Parent Weekend
CNN's Lisa Ling with Dr. Mark
The rite of passage events led by Mark are one of the most powerful solutions to the challenges I outlined in The Boy Crisis. Not only does Mark help young men develop the responsibility and resilience needed for adulthood, he also mentors’ parents to overcome the problems of raising teens in this digital era by skillfully using their authority and influence to support their sons’ growth.
Dr. Warren Farrell, Author
The parent rite of passage taught us parenting skills that need to be used in today’s current world in which our sons are growing up in. It takes a community to raise a teen and Mark will guide you how to make it happen for you.”
Brad Brown, Father
The parent rite of passage exceeded my expectations and the information and techniques at the workshop were practical. I especially enjoyed connecting with other parents and realizing that I’m not on this parenting journey alone.”
Marie Gaffney, Mother
Learn How To Mentor Your Son So The Lessons He Learns At The YMUW Becomes Permanent
While your son is attending the YMUW, we highly recommend that all parents participate in a live event and on an online course. These two activities have helped parents just like you enjoy more caring and cooperative relationships with their spouse and son.
1. The Ultimate Parent Weekend - an in-person rite of passage for parents which will initiate you into a new, more effective way of parenting your son. This rare, live event will show you how to masterfully mentor your son so that he can calmly, clearly and confidently handle his transition from boyhood to adulthood.
2. Online Parenting Course - a course that will teach you how to more effectively use your authority and influence with your son in a way that minimizes conflict and maximizes cooperation. You’ll learn a new method of parenting teens that will foster the healthy development of your son’s emotional intelligence, whether your son is an extrovert or introvert, over-empowered or under-driven, overconfident or unwilling, entitled or indifferent.
Motivate Your Son More Effectively - Without Nagging or Yelling
The in-person rite of passage and the online course are led by Dr. Mark Schillinger, YMUW Founder, and YMUW Elder, Bill Falk. Together, they’ll mentor you so that you’ll be able to skillfully guide your son in a way that will motivate him to become more cooperative inside of your home, more responsible outside of your home, more confident of himself and more relaxed with the world.
Their original method of parenting, The RIGHT Way for Family Unity, integrates practical ancestral wisdom from small tribes, and combines it with the best insight from the sciences of positive discipline, stress management, adolescent brain development, personal growth and parent-child bonding.
Important Note: Your son may be suffering from the anxiety and stress of being overly attached to his digital devices and consistently having to handle school responsibilities.
Our system of mentoring young men will provide you with a clear roadmap that will allow him to overcome these obstacles. By using this method, you’ll be able to confidently lead your son in the right direction.
Is It Mandatory That Parents Participate?
It’s been our experience that when parents and their sons are using the same technology that encourages shared values like respect, cooperation and resilience, they have a much higher probability that they’ll achieve the true family unity they desire.
That said, it is not a requirement that you attend this workshop in order for your son to participate in the YMUW. We have an open-door policy, so if parents change their mind when they drop off their sons at the YMUW, they can still attend!
Good To Know: Lisa Ling also praised the events Dr. Mark leads for parents as well as her support for the YMUW
The rite of passage events led by Mark are one of the most powerful solutions to the challenges I outlined in The Boy Crisis. Not only does Mark help young men develop the responsibility and resilience needed for adulthood, he also mentors’ parents to overcome the problems of raising teens in this digital era by skillfully using their authority and influence to support their sons’ growth.
Dr. Warren Farrell, Author
The parent rite of passage taught us parenting skills that need to be used in today’s current world in which our sons are growing up in. It takes a community to raise a teen and Mark will guide you how to make it happen for you.”
Brad Brown, Father
The parent rite of passage exceeded my expectations and the information and techniques at the workshop were practical. I especially enjoyed connecting with other parents and realizing that I’m not on this parenting journey alone.”
Marie Gaffney, Mother
