FAQs
My life is already working, why should I do an NWTA?
If it is, Great! Men who do NWTAs are not broken. Most are already succeeding in life. Men who are drawn to the training come from all socio-economic backgrounds and professions, from all walks of life. The question for you may be: “Do I want to achieve a Breakthrough – a quantum leap forward in my life?”
Will this training help me in my work/career?
While the NWTA is not a management training weekend, it does address vital issues of leadership, vision, accountability, and integrity. Because you will become more clear and focused, you’ll let go of emotional beliefs and feelings that no longer serve you. You’ll be enhanced as a man; better equipped to manage your life. Your capacity for taking risks and leading others will also be enhanced. People follow individuals who know what they are about and where they are going.
What’s the value of the training for my family life?
You will be far more in touch with your own feelings and more able to experience and express a full range of emotions. Your capacity to connect and relate to others will be enhanced. Your boundaries will be better defined and your self-image heightened. You will be better equipped to open your heart, connect, relate to family members, and allow yourself the gifts of vulnerability and trust.
Will the training change my relationships with my wife, girlfriend and other women in my life?
Probably. The impact is most often very positive. Most women want men in their lives who are strong, yet have the capacity to be compassionate and gentle. The training fosters both strength and gentleness. You’ll get the opportunity to look at your reliance on women throughout your life and the positives and negatives of how you relate to women. Overall, you are likely to be more respectful, appreciative and clear about what you want from your relationships with the women in your life.
Does the training look at the role of the mother?
Men planning to attend the weekend often assume their big issues will be around their fathers and other male figures. You will get to look at how your parents shaped your development, and how your relationship (or lack of) with your mother while you were growing up, may be impacting your close relationships with women today.
I fear or hate men. Why should I come to this training?
Good question. Many men have good reasons to be angry at the men who have broken agreements with them, not kept their word, and sold out. The hard truth is that “like cures like”. This means that, if we have been hurt by a man, most often a man will be required as an agent of our own healing. Most of us have distorted images of men and masculinity – either demonising men as total tyrants and villains, or idealising them and putting them on unrealistic pedestals. You will see the common humanity in all men and begin to see the nature of manhood as it is. Glorious, and yet without illusion.
Why can’t I get a course syllabus or outline before the weekend?
If everything about the weekend were explained beforehand, the mystery and beauty of the experience would be gone. You would not experience “your journey” as it is happening. Explaining the concept of personal transformation is far different from the experience of actually being in the cauldron of transformation.
How about: “I’ll do it later . . . “?
A “no” to now is still a “no”. This may be a metaphor for putting your life on hold, rather than being in your life with high intention and purpose. As men, we are more often human doings than human beings. We do! The NWTA experience invites a man to look at his standing as a human being. As men, we are adept at ignoring or putting off handling our emotional lives. We assign that job to mothers, wives and girlfriends and we are unhappy with how they handle the job we gave them. We encourage you to take charge of your own emotional life, to stand up for yourself, ask for what you need and to make your own choices as a man amongst men. Enroll now! Choose to be in the training. Once you feel the commitment within you, the money and time will be there.
I feel anxious, unsettled before attempting this. Why?
If so, this is a good sign. Initiation of men by men is a powerful and deep experience which has been lost in our culture. It involves risk and reward: the risk of truly facing yourself and the reward of having a safe container in which to achieve that. The intuitive, creative part of you may sense a deep need for initiation. Every man requires this for mature masculinity.
Can I get a shorter, cheaper version of this initiation?
No. Tens of thousands of men have validated the impact and usefulness of the process we use. There is no free lunch in life. To achieve the breakthroughs you want, the initiation experience requires the time and design we use. The cost of the NWTA is comparable to other transformational weekends. A better question may be: “Are you willing to invest time and money in yourself?” Money is a symbol of the value men place on things. Are you not worth it? We encourage you to look closely at your commitment to the being dimension of your life. If you are ready to invest in yourself now, we look forward to welcoming you to the next NWTA.
How do I know if this is right for me?
Only you can know. However, if you want to achieve breakthrough in your life, if you want to feel better about yourself as a man and feel more at ease around other men, if you want to be able to trust and connect with other men and relate with your own deepest self, you are probably ready to take on this training.
What are the age limitations of doing the Weekend?
You must be 18. The majority of men in our trainings are between 22 and 60. However, the training is valuable for younger and older men. Men in their seventies and eighties have found the training transformational.
How you men are able to trust one another when most men don’t trust other men.
We are a spiritual community of men. The weekend experience places a man in ritual time and space where profound transformation happens. This experience of standing in “the outer world” creates a common bond of identity and shared purpose. Men of New Warrior are not naive about men. We have a very deep awareness of what the shadow side of men is capable of, but we are discerning about opening our hearts with other men who have been through the same initiatory experience. We have experience dealing with physical and sexual abuse, suicide and other severe traumas. The framework and container of the weekend are strong enough to handle any life experience a man has ever had. We welcome you.
- NTWA overview – Who, what and where?
- Who runs the NWTAs and other training?
- What aspects of my life will I look at?
- What is involved in registering?
- How much does it cost?
- What kind of individuals come to the training?
- Am I ready?
- What happens after the training?
- Does this work make a real difference?
- Is the New Warrior Training Adventure for every man?
- What will I get out of this?
- Why is MKP only for men?
- Is this some kind of fraternal organisation like the Masons or the Elks?
- Why are you called New Warriors?
- Will my religeous beliefs be welcomed here?
- Can I see what it’s about first?
- What else do you do?
- Are there other trainings after the NWTA?
- How do you make money?
- Is MKP anti-religious? Are you Native American or pagan?
- Is the ManKind Project (MKP) a Cult?
NTWA overview – Who, what and where?
The basics: You will join a group of between 15 and 40 other men at a camp or retreat facility. We recommend that men drive no more than 3 hours to the training site. You will be asked to car-pool, in line with a commitment to ecological consciousness and as a way of beginning to create connections and camaraderie with the other men attending the training.
From Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, (with meals, breaks and time for sleep) you will join in a series of processes and activities – all designed with one goal in mind – to help every individual step into his own unique sense of himself as a man among men. Some of the activities are individual, many are group processes. There are physical activities, writing, visualisations. It will be one of the most action-packed weekends of your life.
You will be guided on this journey by a group of 25 to 50 staff men. The 4 to 6 man Leadership Team are peer-reviewed and certified experts in facilitating our unique processes. The rest of the staff will have a range of experience. Some of these men will be staffing for the first time, others will have years or decades of experience. Each staff man will play a role in creating the weekend experience.
On Sunday afternoon, after celebrating your success, you will return home. It is a good idea to have a quiet evening planned. Some men choose to take Monday off in order to digest their experience and catch up on sleep. It will be up to you what you do with what you have learned about yourself and other men. For many men, Monday’s sunrise is the beginning of a life with a renewed sense of vitality and purpose.
Who runs the NWTA?
The ManKind Project, an international brotherhood of nonprofit organisations, assembles a highly-motivated, experienced staff to lead each training. Most staff members are volunteers, and because all have experienced the initiation process themselves, they have a compelling sense of male initiation and authentic self-examination.
The Leader Team on your training will have years of experience working with men in transformational settings. Leaders in the ManKind Project have chosen to live a life of fierce and rigorous self-examination. They are judged repeatedly by their peers, and by the ManKind Project, and certified to lead the New Warrior Training, a serious responsibility. Their commitment is to the safety and success of each man on a training weekend.
In the final analysis, however, you run your own training through the responses and decisions you make along your journey. The staff serve as your guides and mentors, but you choose your own level of commitment, and you decide how far you will explore the inner terrain of your life, to discover the treasures, and obstacles buried within your self.
What aspects of my life are examined?
We look at nearly every aspect of a man’s life.
- Where you came from and how you were raised.
- What you learned about how to be a man.
- What you want for your future.
- What you want for yourself and for others.
- How your unconscious beliefs drive your actions.
- How you handle your past (and how to break free of it)
- How you deal with conflict.
- How you learn to be more effective.
- How you deal with being alone AND being a part of a team.
- How you handle fear, anger, shame, joy, sadness.
- What your unique purpose for being is (and how to move toward it)
- How you fit in to the natural world.
- How you fit in as a man among men.
- What is your relationship to your power as a man?
- What is your relationship to your spirituality?
- What is your relationship to death?
- What is your relationship to women?
- What is your relationship to your body and sexuality?
How do I register?
There is likely a training happening near you soon in one of our communities. There is a simple process for registering that includes a detailed questionnaire. You will also be asked to pay either a deposit or the training feee in full. From there you will be sent other information and a medical questionaire. Not every man is ready for the NWTA, but most men are. Face the fear. Take the risk.
How much does it cost?
NWTA tuition varies from location to location based on local facility costs and cost of living. In Australia NWTAs range from $695 – $985 AUD. To find out the current pricing for your region visit the registration section of our Rite of Passage page.
Who comes to the training?
During your training you will stand shoulder to shoulder with an immensely rich mix of men. Whether they’re corporate executives or college students, all come to share a common understanding that their lives as men can be empowered with greater focus and direction, and that this personal initiation into manhood is crucial to their full development as men. Some men come to heal. Some men come to find role models for positive and mature masculinity. Some men come to explore their leadership abilities and expand their skills. Some men come to make a conscious transition from adolescent life to the life of a man. Some men come to find peace of mind in their transition to elder-hood. All men come because a small voice within them lets them know when it’s time.
We do not recommend this training for every man. We urge you not to apply to this program without serious forethought, and not to enroll simply at the urging of a spouse or friend.
You must be highly committed to your life, and ready to participate fully in all training activities, many of which encourage you to take a hard look at yourself, your deepest fears, your wounds from the past, and and how you are willing to learn what you can do to take control of and improve your life. We choose to work only with men who are ready, and willing to do this initiatory work with us.
What Happens after the Training?
No training is a “fix all.” We do not expect the NWTA to “cure” you or “fix” your life. What we do expect is that a crack will be opened in the shield that you have covered yourself with, maybe the shield will break apart completely. The awakening that results from the NWTA can be very powerful … but the ongoing growth in self-awareness and empowerment that can come about by participating in ongoing men’s groups, called Integration Groups. Having a peer support group is the most compelling reason that many of us took the NWTA to begin with. After the NWTA, you will have access to our global network of men’s groups.
You will also be invited to join the Global Community of men that is the ManKind Project. Within MKP you can participate in advanced leadership and skill trainings, learn facilitation skills, and participate as staff at any of our trainings. You will also find a wider community of men, women, families and organizations dedicated to making the world a better, safer, more alive place through missions of service.
Does this work make a real difference?
Like a stone dropping into a pond, the New Warrior Training Adventure [NWTA] sends ripples through the lives of men, their families, and their communities. The growth and healing that men experience doesn’t stop with them. New Warrior men and communities are involved in mentoring disaffected young men and women, working with gangs and incarcerated young men, building shelters for the homeless, creating programs for Vietnam-era veterans, and other causes that cry out for healthy masculine presence.
There is a growing positive evidence base for the work of the ManKind Project. In over a decade of professional and peer-reviewed studies, the results are clear: Men experience an increase in pro-social connection, more behavior based in values like accountability, compassion, respect, connection, and increased emotional expressiveness, lessened depression symptoms, a decrease in gender conflict, and a decrease in ‘go-it-alone’ self-reliant behaviors.
No. There are a variety of reasons why a man may be told “not now” for attendance at the NWTA. The ManKind Project has a fundamental responsibility to the safety and health of the men attending, and takes this responsibility seriously. This training is not a fit for men with an active mental health condition that might lead to self-harming or violent behaviors. It is not a fit for men with significant untreated or undisclosed trauma or abuse. Please seek professional mental health counseling. (Read our Declaration on Mental Health)
The New Warrior Training Adventure is not a substitute for professional mental health services. Many therapists highly recommend the training for men committed to ongoing treatment and personal growth. If you are involved in ongoing treatment, talk to your provider about whether an intense men’s weekend or a men’s peer support group could be valuable to you. Involvement with the ManKind Project has proven to have positive effects for men in recovery from chemical addictions or with a history of addictive behavior. Talk to your sponsor. The New Warrior Training Adventure is not a fit if you are actively using or have a very short period of sobriety.
What will I get out of this?
We don’t know exactly what you will walk away with. Your experience will be unique. You will learn about yourself and how you show up in the world. You will learn about your place in a community of men. You will learn about masculinity and the possibility of creating a new kind of a warrior, a peaceful warrior, to help heal the wounds in our society. You will see men mentor other men, support each other, play together and form a safe, authentic container where men are free to be exactly who they are, without defenses or masks.
It’s likely that when you leave this training you will have the possibility to love and be loved in a way you have not experienced in a very long time. You’ll have a gift to offer the world, and the energy to share it.
We believe that men have important work to accomplish in helping one another and learning to trust each other. The work we do is about helping men step into a healthy and mature sense of masculinity. Through working with each other, we create the real possibility for effective and productive relationships with women – relationships based in healthy respect, self-reliance, emotional intelligence, empathy and compassion. We do our own work so that we can benefit everyone.
Why are you called New Warriors?
The energy of the warrior is needed today from men and women of conscience. We distinguish ourselves from the “Old” warrior, the obsolete and morally bankrupt soldier of fortune, whose actions are centered around personal gain and whose purpose is harmful to himself and those around him. The old warrior uses machismo, rage and intimidation to get respect through fear. The New Warrior is a man who looks inside himself to do battle with the demons in his own soul and emerges with maturity and grounded strength.
What is “Emotional Intelligence”, and why does it matter?
Emotional Intelligence is the practice of learning to recognize and respond to emotional stimulus in ourselves and others in a healthy, positive, and effective way.
Many men have been taught to value thinking and to distrust feelings. They have been desensitized, taught to endure pain without complaint, and told that it is an honor to sacrifice our bodies for society. As a result, many men suffer from isolation and are prone to addictions and to acting out their feelings in dysfunctional ways. Many are afraid of intimacy, both with men and with women. They hide behind masks that are brittle and in need of repair.
Many men are sad, lonely, frightened, angry, and ashamed, and don’t even know it. And with the loss of their feelings, they also lose what is most precious to them: Their ability to value their world and to hold life dear.
Other men know their feelings perhaps too well. They have learned to indulge in their feelings and use them to manipulate others, often the ones they love most. They lack the ability to stand in their own authenticity. Lost in their feelings, they too lose what is most precious to them: Their ability to be trusted and loved.
On the New Warrior Training Adventure men re-discover their feelings with their feet on the ground. They begin to learn to clarify what they’re feeling and to express those feelings directly, powerfully, and authentically. They begin to learn to balance the depth of the heart with the wisdom of the mind. If this kind of authenticity sounds attractive to you, the NWTA may be for you.
Will my religeous beliefs be welcomed here?
Men of many faiths are active in ManKind Project communities. MKP encourages men from all walks of life and all faiths to sit together with respect and acceptance. Men are often invited to share wisdom from their own faith traditions in our circles, enriching all of us with the diversity of spiritual practices available in the world.
Thousands of Christian men have attended and greatly benefited from the NWTA. Many pastors, ministers, and priests have participated in MKP and are still involved in the organisation. There are Men’s circles in the ManKind Project made up mostly of men from the same church. There is room for you here. Our core values align very well with Christ’s teachings and can augment a man of faith’s ability to navigate the world with clarity, a deep sense of purpose and joy.
What about Gay / bisexual individuals?
We welcome gay and bisexual men to the NWTA. The New Warrior Training Adventure, and our men’s circles, often give gay men the opportunity to create strong and supportive connections with straight men. Awarenes oand appreciation of diversity is one of our core values as an organisation and we take pride in the work we’ve done to create productive cross-cultural dialogues over the last two decades.
We create trainings and circles in which all men are welcome to discover their deepest truths. We welcome men of all sexual orientations: gay, straight, and bisexual, including those who identify as having unwanted same sex attraction, to do their own work as they define it, to respect the identity and value of others, and to take responsibility for the impact their words and behaviors have on others.
Can I see what it’s about first?
The ManKind Project, through our Community Centers across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, German speaking and French speaking Europe, and other smaller developing centers, conduct regular peer mentoring groups called “Integration Groups” where men join one another in providing ongoing challenges and support through all the stages of a man’s life. There are often opportunities to join these men and experience first hand the commitment and connection of MKP men. Contact a local community representative to find a men’s group near you.
What if I decide to leave? How will I get home?
When you arrive at the training site you will be asked if you are willing to do everything necessary to get what you came for. If you decide you want to leave, one of the weekend leaders is likely to challenge you to stay by reminding you of this commitment. Ultimately, you will goet out of the traning what you put in.
Many men experience a time on the weekend when they no longer want to be there. Some ask to leave and then decide to stay. The vast majority are glad they did. This is part of the process; we expect it to happen, just as many of us experience days when we would rather leave our jobs, leave our relationships, run away from our responsibilities. We will ask you if this is one of those times that staying might serve you more than leaving. And then, if you decide to leave, we will help you do that. If you decide to leave the training, we will either return your keys to you if you drove, help you make phone calls to arrange transportation or have a staff member drive you home. You are free to go, and we will ask you if it’s what you really want for yourself.
One aspect of the NWTA is a deep examination of purpose or mission in a man’s life. A man emerges from the NWTA with a clear understanding of his own unique positive purpose in the world, and some first steps toward living his passion. How he will carry this out will be up to him. Missions of Service are common throughout the ManKind Project communities. Men on a mission, who have the resources and support to pursue their dreams, do amazing things. Learn more about Missions of Service.
Are there other trainings after the NWTA?
A wide range of advanced trainings are offered by the ManKind Project and numerous loosely affiliated organizations created and operated by New Warriors and their partners. Our members have created trainings to address multiple aspects of masculinity, multi-cultural issues, social justice work, work in prisons, work with veterans, work with teens, non-violence trainings, meditation and spiritual practices, religious explorations, support for elders and young men, fathers, divorced men, gay men, advanced leadership training, corporate training, individual coaching and counselling, shadow work, numerous body-mind and healing modalities, wilderness leadership and exploration, sustainability and ecological living, community building and more. Some of these trainings are sponsored by MKP Communities, others sponsored independently.
The majority of our organisational income comes from the tuition for our trainings. We run with a balanced budget to the extent possible. The ManKind Project has no brick and mortar headquarters, though several of the individual centers do. We have a very small staff of paid employees, and some Committee Chairs are offered a small stipend for their service. We also raise money through donations, and through inexpensive membership fees in some areas. We earn a small amount of money each year through the sale of ManKind Project goods, like hats and shirts. No one ever has, and no one ever will, get rich from the ManKind Project. That’s not what we’re about.
If you have more questions, we’d love to talk to you.