Tags: Mankind Project, New Warrior Training Adventure
Your friend and neighbor Music Dave isn’t a wacky cult member. I’m just happy to say I have a great support network that helps me really be who I am, authentically and fearlessly. I went on the New Warrior Training Adventure in 2000, and have been on staff eight times since then, and I love having a circle of men in my life who provide support, encouragement, wisdom and a loving boot-to-the-butt when I need to move forward.
The Mankind Project itself is a non-profit, non-denominational network for men. MKP puts on weekend retreats (called “The New Warrior Training Adventure”) for men who are ready for a life-changing adventure. It’s not an Outward-Bound type of thing; the adventure is inward–the staff creates a safe place for men to take a long, hard look in the mirror, and provides some tools for dealing with whatever may pop up there.
There are usually about 40 men on staff, and about 30 new men, which tells you two things:
- This isn’t a cult, with some wide-eyed guru in charge
- It’s a safe container that can hold whatever it is men find in themselves
- A safe environment - we emphasize physical and emotional safety at all times. There’s always a medic on site, and any man may “pass” on any of the work.
- A place to learn Accountability (do my actions match my words?), Emotional Literacy (how come my fear usually comes out as anger?), Who I Am (what does it mean to be “a man” at the dawn of the 21st Century?) and What’s My Mission? (What was I put here to do and what’s keeping me from doing it?)
- It’s not a religion, sect or cult. All beliefs and non-beliefs are welcome.
- It’s not a He-Man Woman-Haters Club. MKP wants to send men home joyfully to their women, partners, and families—not separate them.
My wife tells anyone who will listen that it’s the best thing I ever did for myself and for my family. Here’s how I hear it described fairly often: It’s a place for men to discover what their wives and families have known about them all along.
I’ll be hosting an open-house event with some other men in NYC on Monday, Sept. 8 at 7:00. All men are welcome. Drop me a line if you have questions or want to talk about it.
Dave
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