Проект "Мужское Начало": Трансформация и Поддержка Мужчин

International men's organization

The ManKind Project has 12 regions: Australia, Belgium, Canada, French Speaking Europe, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Nordic (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland), South Africa, Switzerland, The United Kingdom and Ireland, and 22 Areas in the United States. There are also three developing regions: Israel, The Netherlands, and Spain.

MKP has its origins in the mythopoetic men's movement of the early 1980s, drawing heavily on the works of Robert Bly, Robert L. Moore, and Douglas Gillette. In 1984, Rich Tosi, a former Marine Corps officer; Bill Kauth, a social worker, therapist, and author; and university professor Ron Hering, Ph. D. (Curriculum Studies); created an experiential weekend for men called the "Wildman Weekend" (later renamed "The New Warrior Training"). As the popularity of the training grew, they formed a New Warrior Network organization, which would later become The Mankind Project.

Researchers reported on data from 100 men, whom they interviewed and administered a battery of questionnaires, before the men participated in a New Warrior Training Adventure during 1997 1999. The same men completed a set of follow up questionnaires 18 months after they had completed the NWTA. The men endorsed changes such as " [becoming more] assertive and clear with others about what I want or need" and " accept[ing] total responsibility for all aspects of my life". The study findings also indicated that the men had more social support and experienced more life satisfaction 18 months after the NWTA. The authors acknowledge limitations to their research, since they did not have a comparison or control group, which results in various "threats to internal validity" mentioned by the researchers, primarily history, maturation, and selection bias. A second study accumulated data from 45 trainings held between 2006 2009, indicated that the psychological well being of participants, as well as other indicators, improved after the initial weekend of participation in an NWTA. Many of the initial changes endured across a 2 year follow up period.

MKP co founder Bill Kauth's 1992 book A Circle of Men: The Original Manual for Men's Support Groups details how groups of men can assemble to help one another emotionally and psychologically. Men who have completed the NWTA are encouraged to consider joining such a group. An optional "Integration Group" training is offered shortly after each NWTA; a fee is charged for this training (fees vary by community and format). Some training courses are part of a small integration group on their own with qualified leaders, other training courses take place over an entire weekend and can cost between $100 and $250 depending on lodging, location, and number of men attending. The "I Group" is for participants to engage in ongoing personal work and to apply the principles learned on the NWTA to their lives. I Groups are available to all men who complete the NWTA, and sometimes to men who want to explore the Mankind Project. Many I Groups meet one evening per week. A typical I Group meeting includes conversation and sharing in a series of "rounds" that allow each man to be heard. In both the New Warrior weekend and the follow up groups, Mankind Project " focuses on men's emotional well being, drawing on elements like Carl Jung's theories of the psyche, nonviolent communication, breath work, Native American customs, and good old fashioned male bonding". A study conducted in the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area collected retrospective survey data from members of 45 I groups that met between 1990 and 1998. At the end of the study period (1998), 23 groups were active and 22 had disbanded. Groups were active for 4.5 years (median), and the median length of individual participation was 26.2 months (2.2 years). Each group consisted of about six men. Survey participants rated their groups as moderately effective.

A 2007 Houston Press article detailed criticisms of the ManKind Project. Anthropology associate professor Norris G. Lang said that some of the groups' exercises that he attended were "fairly traumatic" and were "dangerous territory for an unprofessional"; and Anti cult advocate Rick Alan Ross said that The ManKind Project appears to use coercive mind control tactics, such as limiting participants' sleep and diet, cutting them off from the outside world, forcing members to keep secrets, and using intimidation.

A 2007 wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Texan Michael Scinto charged that MKP was responsible for his suicide. and aspects of the settlement were reported in the press.