The journey from seeing the world through a child’s eyes to understanding your place in the world as a young adult with responsibilities is a complex and meaningful transition.

At Aquinas College, we acknowledge this life-changing ‘rite of passage’ is too important to leave to chance, hence the creation and introduction of the Year 9 Odyssey Program in 2019. This is a structured curriculum designed for self-development and personal transformation for an innocent and dependent child into a mature responsible adult.

Throughout Year 9, boys undertake a variety of lessons, are provided with a range of challenges and partake in public rituals that are a symbolic outward display of the inner transformation boys go through. The first public ritual was earlier this term on the Monday of Exeat weekend when parents and sons came into the College to celebrate the commencement ceremony, a liturgy that acknowledged the personal Odyssey journey each Year 9 boy will undertake.

There are four main focuses the Odyssey Program has in educating a boy to transition into a good man:

1. Who am I? – Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” So, it is vitally important that boys moving into manhood, need to know themselves intimately. To assist learning more about themselves the Odyssey Program is structured with a variety of in-class activities providing opportunities for boys to reflect on their life, family, culture, personal strengths and weaknesses.
2. What is the ‘Man Box’ and How Does it Affect me? – The ‘Man Box’ is the set of beliefs within and across society, that stereotype masculinity and place pressure on men to act and behave a certain way. The Odyssey Program promotes positive strategies boys can adopt to step outside the ‘Man Box’. Boys are encouraged to model the character traits of courage, empathy and kindness to allow them to truly be themselves with increased self-confidence and self-esteem.
3. How to Relate Respectfully to Females? – With the recent shocking media reports highlighting the sexual assault of teenage girls and women by students and alumni of single-sex boys’ schools, it is reassuring to know that we have been on the front foot in providing boys with the skills and knowledge to foster respectful relationships. Since the Odyssey Programs inception in 2019, boys are taught:
   • What constitutes sexual harassment?
   • The impact objectification of women has on both males and females.
   • Human Sexuality, sexual intimacy and the risks associated with it, consent and pregnancy.
   • A key aspect of the Odyssey Program is its purpose of heightening the awareness of boys in understanding their responsibilities in respecting themselves and displaying dignity and respect for women at all times.
4. Building Character by Overcoming Challenges. – Throughout the year boys will be placed into situations and environments that will be uncomfortable for anyone let alone an adolescent boy. In Term 2 boys undertake an intense 5 weeks of dance rehearsals to learn a routine to be performed in front of family, friends and other members of the Aquinas community. In Term 4 boys will face the majority of the challenges when, during their two-week Odyssey Adventure, they will need to draw upon all their strength, willpower and courage to sail on the Leeuwin for a 3-day voyage, hike 23km without adult assistance and sleep alone in a tent overnight in bushland 150kms out of Perth.

As a key component of Character Education at the College, the Odyssey Program aims to develop in boys the positive character traits of courage, perseverance, gratitude, service, fortitude, respectfulness, self-discipline, and responsibility. The Odyssey Program is overt and crystal clear in identifying what is acceptable behaviour for boys transitioning into young men and graduates from Aquinans.