New Warrior Training Adventure - Important Info
What you'll need to do for registration:
Please read the following. There are some required steps for registration.
- You will need to complete our “Readiness Form.” Once you've registered, check your email for information on how to access the form.
- You’ll receive information from a car-pool coordinator. We ask that you carpool to the site to reduce our environmental impact and to begin the bonding process with your fellow weekend attendees.
- You’ll receive a call from a Pre-weekend Interviewer. We conduct pre-weekend interviews with all participants; to clarify your intention for the training, and to ensure that you are ready for the weekend.
A note about inclusion:
We invite all who identify as men, regardless of their race/ethnicity, ability, socio-economic status, age, religion, or sexual orientation. The ManKind Project is about building healthy men; we believe in healing, inclusion, integration, and transformation. We engage men as they are, and work with them to grow into the men they want to be. There is a possibility of men attending this training (participants, staff, leaders) who have a crime of violence in their past and/or an active criminal case, or are currently registered as sex offenders. If the possible presence on this training of men who carry these statuses raises a concern that you would like addressed contact community@mkpusa.org.
What to expect on the New Warrior Training Adventure
This training is a hero’s journey. It’s not a workshop or a retreat.
Health and safety are a priority. We make reasonable accommodations for any man with a health and safety need. Inform the pre-weekend interviewer of any dietary / medical / physical / or religious restrictions or safety concerns you may have. Clearly label any medications you need to have with you. This is an alcohol and drug-free event.
You’re stepping into something unknown. We invite you to embrace the journey.
INFORMED CONSENT: Our intention is to create a powerful experience for men. This is a hero’s journey, an initiatory process with a number of stages.
Some men choose to take a leap of trust, to engage the experience without knowing a lot about it.
This is the way it’s been for many years, and it’s part of the mystery of a rite of passage.
You can choose the mystery.
You can also get more information.
Below, you can open the ‘Continue reading …‘ section to read more details of the weekend and what you can expect. The choice is yours.
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Continue reading ... [click here]
Separation.
Friday night is intended to be an abrupt separation from your normal life.
Once you arrive on site, you will complete your paperwork and proceed to check-in. You’ll be asked early in the process if you’re ready to commit to the transformational process of the weekend – to do whatever it takes. Processes on the weekend can provoke emotions. Some will be pleasant, others might be unpleasant, and we invite you to approach the experience with this in mind.
We ask you to disconnect from the outside world until the process is complete. You will not have your phone or other electronic devices. We encourage you to leave them in the car, or we will safely store them for you. An emergency contact number will be provided to all participants to share in case someone needs to reach you.
This separation may feel confrontational and off-putting. You will be met by men in ways that are intended to be challenging. For your safety and the safety of each man on the weekend every man will be physically searched, and his belongings checked. Some of your things may be taken and kept safely until you depart. You will not have your phone or other electronic devices with you during the weekend.
Once this process is complete you will be asked to wait in a darkened room in silence.
Descent.
The weekend will be full: with visualizations, group and individual exercises, life and mission planning, and challenging processes that will last into the night. There are processes to shine a light on accountability and integrity, explore expressing emotion, what it means to be who you are, reflect on what you needed as a child, and have the chance to look at how all of these beliefs and issues shape your current adult life. You’ll get to know yourself and the other participants on the weekend in a way that many men find life-changing. Men describe feeling a sense of trust, camaraderie, and connection they’ve never experienced before.
You will be up late and arise early. Your sleep will be less than usual. Showers will be with cold water to stimulate you. Smoking will be supervised and only on breaks. Your weekend diet will be restricted and lighter than usual.
Ordeal.
At the heart of the weekend there is an individual bio-energetic process. Every man has an opportunity to take a deep look at his life; what’s working, what’s not working. You’ll be supported to dig deep; physically, mentally, and emotionally. This process often involves loud voices, physical interaction, and movement. Weekend staff and fellow participants support one another and the safety of every man.
This weekend DOES NOT include nudity. You will be asked to bring comfortable shorts, or you will be given a covering to wear for some processes on the weekend. (You can choose a weekend that includes optional nudity if you believe it will serve your personal development. Read more.)
There is a process on the weekend that includes blindfolding. This can be scary. You can choose what works for you. You may choose to pass on any process.
Return.
The ManKind Project is not affiliated with any single spiritual or religious practice, and spiritual awareness is part of our mission. We strive to create an open and welcoming environment for all men’s beliefs and non-beliefs. We invite you to contemplate what is “sacred” in your life, what you are connected to, and how we are all interconnected.
One of the last processes on Sunday is normally conducted outdoors, around a fire. This grounding and renewal process is intended to reconnect men to their bodies, review the transformations of the weekend, express gratitude for our interconnectedness to one another and the natural world, and to prepare men to return home.
It is our intention to provide a supportive and challenging environment for each man. The ManKind Project has been conducting powerful personal growth experiences around the world for over thirty-five years with overwhelming positive feedback.
Over 90% of the men who attend this training describe it as a life-changing experience.
After the weekend ... Integration.
Once your weekend initiation is complete, you will be invited to continue the journey of your personal growth. The Primary Integration Training is included in the cost of your New Warrior Training Adventure. You can take the integration training online, in-person, or as a hybrid. There are also additional training opportunities as well as men’s groups available to support you in building life-long connections in our Brotherhood.
We hope you’ll choose to continue the journey.
You'll hear this again ... any man may pass.
Any man may pass. At no time are you ever forced to participate in any process. You may choose to not complete the training. If you decide you need to leave, ask to speak with a training Leader. We will help you get home safely. If for any reason you leave the training, you will not be allowed back on to the site for the remainder of the training.
Please check your email for the next step.
There is a longer FAQs Document available here.