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From the Guardian, UK by Mary O'Hara about the work of Band of Brothers, founded in the UK by ManKind Project Leader Michael Boyle. Michael received the Ron Hering Mission of Service Award for his groundbreaking work with teens in London in 2010. One of the other collaborators for Band of Brothers, Caspar Walsh, received the 2011 Ron Hering Mission of Service award for his work with young men in the "Write to Freedom" Program. Caspar is also a regular contributor to the Guardian's Blog.

Band of Brothers is continuing to have an incredible impact, and the work is gaining wider recognition in the culture. Visit Band of Brothers here: http://www.abandofbrothers.org.uk/

Find the article on the Guardian UK web site here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/mar/27/band-brothers-mentoring-boys-adulthood

You can also download a print version of the article: Click Here.

Many of the Mentors in the Band of Brothers program are also ManKind Project men. These men make excellent mentors because they are doing the hard work of examining their own lives with deep self-awareness, personal responsibility, and emotional intelligence. In turn, they show up for a young man in a way that is transparent and authentic. MKP mentors are not 'patriarchs'. They are partners in helping a teen find his voice, power, confidence, and vulnerability in a way that doesn't reproduce outmoded male stereotypes, but creates a generation of men with the resilience and flexibility to help build a better world for everyone.

Thank you to Michael Boyle and the many men of the UK who are helping create a better future for our society by helping to raise a healthy generation of young men, one teenager at a time.

This story was published in the Magazine "Psychologies" in France for a special issue on men. [http://www.psychologies.com/] Special thanks to Bill Shea of the New England ManKind Project community for generously donating translation services.

Click on the image below to view the original article in french.

View the summary for the original special edition on the Psychologies web site, here: CLICK HERE

Stéphane, Renaud, and Gilles are "New Warriors," men who, in the course of a weekend, followed the rites of passage to explore the territories of their masculinity. Up close with these conquerors of the intimate.

MAN-TRAINING
by Christian Krumb

When Renaud registered, he knew nothing about what awaited him. And with good reason: the brotherhood of the New Warriors, the European offshoot of the Mankind Project, turns out to have a gift for secrecy. It coopts its members and its initiation rituals are modeled after those which allowed boys to move to manhood in certain Amerindian tribes. These trainings respect the traditional structure in three phases: separation, transmission, and integration. In the primitive tribes, initiation went along with the need to form warriors capable of ensuring the survival of the clan.

Today it responds to other stakes, among which is the creation of bonds of brotherhood among men in an individualistic and standardized world.
"A few days before the Big Day," recalls Renaud, 36, an accountant originally from Annecy, "I'd received a roadmap with some instructions concerning what to bring, meals to expect, clothing... Nothing more." After several hours of travel through the forest and mountains, he arrives "in the middle of nowhere, in a place absolutely unknown on my GPS. I felt thrown off and I wondered if I were making a huge mistake. I didn't know just yet, but the adventure had already begun."

ACT I: losing his reference points

Like any traditional rite of passage, the process begins with a phase called "separation." Before getting to the actual initiation space, the participants go through a type of airlock where they are asked to let go of all ties to their customary universe (papers, jewelry, watch, money, cell phone) in order to keep only what is strictly necessary. Accepting the loss of one's point of reference and submitting to the framework imposed by the process constitutes for certain men the first challenge. "Letting go of my cigarettes, ok. My license, my debit card, again fine. But my phone, well, that was too much, " continues Renaud.

"I tried to bargain, like I always do when I'm confronted with the law, story of giving myself the illusion that I'm still in charge of the situation. Nothing doing. I went into a terrible rage. I was ready to smash everything!" So much anger over a phone? "For certain men, finding themselves up against limits imposed by other males very determined to make them respect them is a test in itself. It is notably to pacify themselves that they come here..." replies Olivier, a regular at the New Warrior trainings. Without any reference point of time or space, the second phase of initiation, called "the hero's quest," can now begin. "It was like embarking on a great voyage without knowing the destination," recalls Pascal, musician, age 49.

ACT II: The Hero's Quest

The activities take place at a steady pace, sometimes inside, sometimes outside, from dawn until late at night, each time with a new challenge to accept. "Any process of transformation asks us to surpass ourselves," says Christophe, 50, stringed-instrument maker, spokesman for the French-speaking center of the Mankind Project. "But nothing is forced and especially no violence is practiced, neither on the psychic level nor on the physical. It's nothing like the paramilitary training like one would see in the American Marine Corps where, for example, they would exhort soldiers to kill the child and the woman in them. Here, we ask men to respect their own limits," continues Christophe. As the process advances, the varnishes crack, the masks fall. The most beautiful moment was when I was finally able to let go of the control," recalls Stéphane, 38 year old coach from Paris. "It was in an exercise where one is supposed to get in contact with the "wild man" inside. At the beginning, I smiled to myself to see others shout. And then, little by little, I let myself join the game. For the first time in my life, I truly got down into my body, in my gut, in my balls. I felt all the raw, primal, animal energy that was in me and that I was holding back by clenching my teeth. To be able to express my repressed strength without fear of ridicule was very liberating for me. Ever since, my relationships with women have not been the same."

ACT III: to challenge oneself

If it takes place in a group, the voyage is above all personal and internal, the meeting of one's shadow side and the light. The challenge is sometimes physical but it is especially of an emotional nature. "I was expecting them to ask me to splash around in the mud, to go across some cliffs. Nothing like that made me afraid," recalls Renaud, tall, sturdy, and adept at high mountain sports. "But when I had to hold in silence the gaze of a man seated across from me, then that's when I fell apart. I felt exposed: unbearable."

If the process could be compared to psychotherapy, it's a space of possible healing. The true valorous warrior whom we honor here is the one who knows how to confront his fear. During the first few hours, Gilles recalls that his [fear] was so strong that he was physically ill, to the point of thinking of leaving. "But for once, I held on," he tells, "and at some point, during a sharing, when everyone was looking at me, something tipped. I, who never show my emotions, burst into tears. My stomachache disappeared right away. Having been able to disclose my wounds to other men brought me immense relief." The initiation process does not end Sunday evening, when each man goes back to his daily life. Indeed he enters its final phase: "integration." If certain individuals decide to stop there, thinking that they've had enough, others decide to extend the experience by working on themselves. Because there is no miracle, any process of transformation demands a long-term commitment.

ACT IV: living with one's choices

"The temptation after a weekend like that is to want to turn everything upside down," explains Christophe. "The men are advised to wait several weeks before making any radical decisions." Julien remembers that in the days following his return, everything came unjammed. "Life wasn't easier, but I was finally able to live with my choices. Three months after the training, I had moved. I had settled at the seashore (my dream.) I had created my own independent job. And, above all, my relationship with my wife had calmed down. I became the proud happy dad of a second child." Gilles, found once again the serenity he feared he'd lost forever: "I was able to start the work of forgiving those who had harmed me in the past, in particular the man who had given me AIDS." For him, as for those it has moved deeply, the New Warrior Training Adventure is from now on the adventure of a lifetime.

written by FIONA DAVERN
RURIK McKAISER, ATTORNEY: RURIK McKAISER ASSOCIATES, CEO: THE PHOENIX GROUP AND CERTIFIED LEADER OF THE MANKIND PROJECT (MKP)

In a world where BlackBerries are like appendages, stepping out of your comfort zone can be a major challenge. These four men have removed
themselves from the “normal” world for periods of time – and traded in technology for spiritual and life-changing experiences

What helps you relieve the stress of modern life?

On Saturday mornings I do Hatha yoga and I enjoy cycling along the Spruit, from the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens all the way to Republic Road and back.
I also have an amazing woman, Vera, who’s a key part of my life.

What’s the MKP all about?

It centres on redefining mature masculinity for the 21st century. The MKP (http://mkp.org.za)(http://mkp.org)is a network of 50 000 men who’ve done the flagship training – the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA). It began 25 years ago in the USA and it’s about developing emotional literacy and personal leadership in men. The NWTA is about journeying men back to a place of reclaiming the essence of who they are. The men have to disengage from their identities and relinquish all technology and communication with the outside world. It’s based on process technology and psychodrama, which helps to create an emotionally, spiritually and physically safe environment for a man to access parts of himself which were previously blocked off due to, for example, traumatic events.

What happens during the flagship training?

We get a group of 40-odd men together, normally in a rural setting, and three to five certified leaders. We then create an emotionally, spiritually and physically safe environment so that each one of them can embark on a “hero’s journey”. Essentially, they grapple with an ordeal using mythology and archetypes involving psychodrama and some of the principles of psychotherapy. Seeing 40-odd men unmasked is profound.

How has it changed you?

As someone who grew up on the “wrong side” of the train lines during apartheid, I’m now able to have strong differences of opinion without wanting to physically fight someone. That’s hugely powerful. I used to carry a firearm everywhere – I was never in a place of comfort without my gun. When I realised that I was attracting bad energy, I stopped. I haven’t carried a gun since.
I have very strong warrior energy – I never want to walk away from a good argument. I’m crystal-clear about not starting fights, but I’ll finish them – on my terms!

What does being part of a brotherhood add to your life?

It’s not some starry-eyed situation – it involves men with deep wounds and shallow scars, and facing your demons isn’t easy; it’s very real and very raw. Some of my best friends today are from MKP and I wouldn’t have been able to be in my past two relationships without it. The universality of our humanity is what brings me back again and again.

This week in her widely syndicated west coast, USA publication "Straight Talk", columnist Lauren Forcella posted a great testimony to the kind of work that MKP is doing across the globe with men from 18 to 98.

"The Mankind Project is the best thing I’m aware of for empowering men and helping them become stronger through honesty around their feelings and mutual support." ~ Lauren Forcella

Please read the full write-up at her site - Straight Talk for Teens and Twenties - Boys don’t ask for help — but they really need it

This article was also reprinted to the Redding CA, Record Searchlight - Straight Talk: Male issues often ignored

The ManKind Project has the largest peer-support network for men in the United States and 7 other geographical regions around the globe. Learn more about finding a men's group by contacting a man in your local community.

Boys to Men Arizona, along with a number of ManKind Project members, family and supporters organized a gathering to support survivors and educate about Domestic Violence. "Circle of Men: Standing Against Domestic Violence" brought together over 125 residents from the Prescott, AZ area to share, support and encourage a new paradigm of masculinity that makes Domestic Violence a thing of memory, not daily experience for so many women, children and men in our culture.

Read the article here.

Thank you to the families of Arizona who made this possible - to Boys to Men and to the ManKind Project Men of AZ.

As an introduction to the kind of work that we do - and the value that we offer - here is a preamble section from a recent peer reviewed research thesis published in the American Journal of Community Psychology. The positive value of the work that the ManKind Project offers has been documented in multiple research studies and thesis presentations over the past 15 years. Currently there is also a long term study being conducted across the United States by the ManKind Project. Preliminary findings from this national study are being analyzed currently and will be offered as we have them.

We apologize for some of the dry language in this piece, it is a scholarly journal article, not necessarily written for wide publication. The authors use TAW (Training Adventure Weekend) as an acronym for the New Warrior Training Adventure (also called the NWTA).

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY

Volume 45, Numbers 1-2, 186-200, DOI: 10.1007/s10464-009-9283-3
ORIGINAL PAPER

Healing Men and Community: Predictors of Outcome in a Men’s Initiatory and Support Organization

Christopher K. Burke, Kenneth I. Maton, Eric S. Mankowski and Clinton Anderson

I. GENERALLY, WHAT IS ManKind Project?

Based upon the mobilization of peer rather than professional resources, the MKPI considers itself to be a grassroots response to the needs of contemporary men by providing an environment that fosters and encourages increased emotional availability, pro-social behavior, community and social support, and a clear sense of life purpose in a way that is congruent with, and affirming of, the empowerment and equality of women.[1] Another fundamental aspect of the MKPI is its emphasis on multiculturalism, with a mission statement that defines itself as ‘‘… a progressive men’s organization striving to be increasingly inclusive and affirming of cultural differences, especially with respect to color, class, sexual orientation, faith, age, ability, ethnicity, and nationality.’’[2]

II. WHAT is the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA)?

As a general description, the NWTA can be said to have two main components. The first is a well-designed structure that encourages the participants to behave in ways that traditional male paradigms discourage—being honest about how one’s behavior impacts others, having the courage to face and overcome difficult emotional issues, and being openly affirmative of other men. This is accomplished through standard procedures employed in other experiential workshops, with a strong focus on Gestalt and psychodramatic methodologies (e.g., group discussions, games, rituals, guided visualizations, journaling, and individual process work). The effectiveness of this aspect of the NWTA appears not to be the result of any single, particularly unique method of intervention, but in its application of multiple established methods to confront and transform maladaptive male behaviors and beliefs.

The second component is the modeling, support and encouragement of the NWTA staff, all of whom have previously attended a NWTA. The weekend is staffed mostly by volunteer members of the MKPI, the majority of whom actually pay to staff the weekend (covering the cost of campsite rent and food, as well as scholarships for men with financial difficulties). An average NWTA has 25 attendees, and is staffed by 34 men who provide services for them.[3] These staffers not only provide support and encouragement to the NWTA enrollees, but also serve as examples of how to enact the nontraditional male roles and behaviors.

III. What are the credentials of the Leaders of the NWTA?

To ensure that every NWTA is run proficiently, the MKPI has established a ‘‘Leader’’ certification process. At least four certified leaders are on the staff of every NWTA. MKPI leaders are paid for their services and assume full legal and ethical responsibility for the NWTA. Leader certification does not constitute a professional license and is not regulated by any government agency. It is a qualification developed by the MKPI to ensure proficiency in managing and leading the logistics of a NWTA and to ensure compliance with the MKPI’s standards for education and training. Open to any MKPI member, leader certification requires men to go through a rigorous training process, involving (1) numerous workshops to refine skills necessary to lead a NWTA, (2) becoming an apprentice to a current leader, (3) staffing at least 20 NWTAs, (4) facing at least three MKPI certification committees, and (5) numerous community volunteer activities. MKPI leader certification is a very time consuming and expensive process, and not all men who undergo leader training are granted leader certification.

Though possessing varied traits, MKPI leaders are selected based on (1) their ability to develop, manage and coordinate a complex group training structure, including overseeing in-depth personal work by individual men within a group setting and (2) their ability to model healthy and adaptive masculine behavior, a characteristic that authors have stated make them particularly effective at leading a NWTA.[4] Given the importance of the MKPI leader to the overall process, and to prevent any negative outcomes or abuse that could come from that role, the organization closely monitors leader behaviors and their running of NWTAs. On every NWTA, at least 1 of the 4 leaders comes from a different center than the one running the weekend, helping to ensure a broad mixture of leader styles and personalities; a full report of the NWTA is made to the MKPI by the outside leader. In addition, MKPI leaders must be re-certified annually, and the organization carefully reviews and monitors individual performances.

IV. What is offered by MKP after the NWTA?

Following the NWTA, men have the opportunity to join a small, supportive, peer-led ‘‘Integration Group’’ (I-Group), formed from the weekend participants. I-Groups begin meeting 2–4 weeks after the NWTA. Group selection is based on either geographic location or availability on a given night of the week. Each I-Group goes through an 8-week facilitation period led by three or four I-Group facilitators, one of whom is a MKPI certified I-Group facilitator (similar to Leadership certification, but of a lesser intensity). The I-Group facilitation attempts to create an environment similar to the NWTA and to help the group operate independently after the facilitation period ends. Post the facilitation period, I-Groups usually meet between two and four times a month for two and a half hours. They operate autonomously and without cost, similar in structure and function to other peer-led, self-help/mutual aid groups. The I-Groups continue meeting until its members decide to disband or the group stops meeting due to member attrition.

V. What scientific research has been carried out on MKPI and its participants?

The MKPI has been the subject of five previous (unpublished) studies, all conducted by MKPI participants (due at least in part to the confidential nature of the NWTA). These studies all suggest there are positive changes on the various constructs that researchers felt were germane to the MKPI experience, including an improved understanding of gender roles and increased male intimacy,[5] similar or better outcomes when compared to traditional therapy,[6] improved ability to cope with transition, loss, and unresolved issues from the past,[7] gaining a greater sense of spirituality, purpose and life meaning,[8] and improved social support[9]. In addition, preliminary research on I-Groups in the Washington, DC area suggests that they are effective in retaining members. One research study revealed a median I-Group survival time of 4.5 years (with 70% lasting at least 2 years), and a median length of individual participation of 26.2 months[10]. However, few conclusions can be drawn from these studies due to limitations in the research designs (e.g., small sample sizes, short term follow-up, no comparison samples) and because predictors of outcomes and potential mechanisms of influence generally were not examined. As such, the present research was undertaken to examine MKPI more thoroughly and rigorously, with a much longer longitudinal assessment period, a greater number of variables, a much larger sample, and use of both qualitative and quantitative data.

Re: An original paper published in the American Journal of Community Psychology, January 22, 2010 (online), entitled: “Healing Men and Community: Predictors of Outcome in a Men’s Initiatory and Support Organization, by Christopher K. Burke • Kenneth I. Maton • Eric S. Mankowski • Clinton Anderson – of which the text (but not section titles) is excerpted

[1] ManKind Project International 2005; see also, Mankowski et al. 2000b
[2] ManKind Project International 2005
[3] Drury Heffernan, personal communication, March 17, 2008
[4] E.g. Segell 1999
[5] Hartman 1994; Levin 1997; Schulz 1997; Richard 1999
[6] Levin 1997; Richard 1999
[7] Schulz 1997; Richard 1999; Goll 2001
[8] Richard 1999; Goll 2001
[9] Barton 2003
[10] Mankowski et al. 2000a

Newsweek published a series of articles the week of Sept 20, 2010 on "The New Macho" and masculinity in the complex world that we live in. The ManKind Project has posted comments on the articles, and you're encouraged to join the discussion.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/20/why-the-new-macho-is-good-for-women.h...
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/20/why-we-need-to-reimagine-masculinity....
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/20/for-black-men-goal-remains-the-same.h...

While it is certainly a difficult task to try and reclaim the word 'macho' as anything other than the stereotypical violent and out of touch guy portrayed in much of the media, the articles make some good points. One thing that we notice in reading them is that many of the men we know, respect and love in the ManKind Project represent the idea of the "The New Macho" very well. We call these men New Warriors. So bravo, men, keep on evolving!

We are teaching Emotional Integrity and Radical Personal Responsibility. We are helping each other become more resilient, more awake and more inspired to follow our purpose and live our mission. Here are some characteristics that a member of the ManKind Project has put forward as part of the'New Macho' paradigm.

The New Macho

He cleans up after himself.
He cleans up the planet.
He is a role model for young men.
He is rigorously honest and fiercely optimistic.

He holds himself accountable.
He knows what he feels.
He knows how to cry and he lets it go.
He knows how to rage without hurting others.
He knows how to fear and how to keep moving.
He seeks self-mastery.

He's let go of childish shame.
He feels guilty when he's done something wrong.
He is kind to men, kind to women, kind to children.
He teaches others how to be kind.
He says he's sorry.

He stopped blaming women or his parents or men for his pain years ago.
He stopped letting his defenses ruin his relationships.
He stopped letting his penis run his life.
He has enough self respect to tell the truth.
He creates intimacy and trust with his actions.
He has men that he trusts and that he turns to for support.
He knows how to roll with it.
He knows how to make it happen.
He is disciplined when he needs to be.
He is flexible when he needs to be.
He knows how to listen from the core of his being.

He's not afraid to get dirty.
He's ready to confront his own limitations.
He has high expectations for himself and for those he connects with.
He looks for ways to serve others.
He knows he is an individual.
He knows that we are all one.
He knows he is an animal and a part of nature.
He knows his spirit and his connection to something greater.

He knows that the future generations are watching his actions.
He builds communities where people are respected and valued.
He takes responsibility for himself and is also willing to be his brother's keeper.

He knows his higher purpose.
He loves with fierceness.
He laughs with abandon, because he gets the joke.

This is the Mature Masculine - it is the redefinition of masculinity for the 21st century. By no means is this list complete. You are welcome to come and add your gifts to this community. - Boysen Hodgson

Take a risk and come to the New Warrior Training Adventure.

We help men grow. Because the world needs grown up men.

By L. Steven Sieden; April 24, 2009
Seattle Examiner

A couple years ago, I would not have believed this to be possible. Then, last year I completed the ManKind Project's New Warrior Adventure Training weekend along with 39 other men. What was most important to me was that eight of us new brothers from the Seattle area formed an I (for Integration) Group so that we could really delve into the newfound concepts we had experienced during the weekend.

That group, like so many I Groups worldwide, has continued to flourish as we meet every Thursday night for three hours. We don't shoot the bull, play cards or watch a game. Instead, we expand our awareness and claim our true feeling. We don't have a leader or facilitator. Each night, one man who feels the energy claims the role of "king" and runs the group following a sacred ceremonial protocol.

By Christine Arpe Gang
Special to The Commercial Appeal
Sunday, September 23, 2007

Small groups of men meet weekly in several locations in Memphis to talk about what it means to be a different kind of warrior; one who fights against the social, psychological and emotional isolation that they say often comes with being a man.

They are part of the Mankind Project, an international organization that provides training to help men get in touch with their feelings in order to live their lives with integrity and accountability.

By Hilary Prendini Toffoli, from Financial Mail

The ManKind Project (MKP) came to SA from America eight years ago. It was one of the men's movements spawned by Iron John, the bestseller by American poet and activist Robert Bly that promoted nurturing brotherhoods and got Bly on to the cover of Newsweek in the 1980s.

Behind these networks lay what one reviewer described as "a brooding conviction that the emotional isolation and violence of American men masks a hunger for fathering and male mentoring, lost in a time of soaring divorce rates and single-parent households".