Men’s work? Men’s circles?
What exactly are they anyway?
Men’s work is about honestly facing and maturing beyond harmful traditional gender norms that we’ve grown up with. E.g. “men don’t cry”, “a man is always in control”, “men are tough, not beautiful”, “men don’t ask for help”.
A ‘Men’s Circle’ often means a group formed around the central aim of doing men’s work together. It acknowledges that a lot of healing and growth requires us to do this together since the culture of men is held collectively. It’s a consistent place to create safety, depth and learn from each other.
What do men’s circles look like?
Men's circles can be facilitated in all kinds of ways so they do look different, however most have similarities such as:
An intentionally safe space of non-judgement, empathy and support
A group of men taking turns to share their life
Practice speaking the unspoken (learning to be vulnerable)
Practice sharing personal experience from 'I', not telling others experiences
Learning new ways to relate to each other beyond mainstream gender norms
Creating connection and friendship between men
Growing into the men we personally wish to be
Learning from others mistakes and reminding each other of important things we forget
Accountability for change
Having fun and creating belonging with men who understand you
Usually the group has a core list of values and ways of being which we each hold such as confidentiality, consent, kindness, vulnerability, conflict resolution, and learning. This culture is unique to the group in some ways and is created together through practice.
Sometimes there are workshops, exercises, ritual and/or other elements added as part of the group.
They can run weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or whatever regularity suits the group. There's often a commitment required to attend most of the gatherings.
How do I create my own men’s circle?
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