The inaugural South Coast Men's Gathering
Berry, 17-19 September 2010
Check out the Workshops!
The men of the South Coast of NSW have decided the time has arrived for Man Alive, the first ever Men's Gathering in their region.
Why go to a Men's Gathering?
Throughout Australia, and internationally, the Men’s Gathering has become an enduring and very important forum where men from a wide range of backgrounds come together to connect, explore and have fun in a non-threatening, non-judgemental and safe environment.
Open Ground Men's Gatherings are open to all men from any background, religious, political or sexual persuasion. We encourage freedom for men to be real with themselves and other men.
Who attends a Men’s Gathering?
There is no ‘type’ of man who comes to these events.
The men who come are of all ages and at all stages of life; they come from all socio-economic groups, cultures, creeds and nationalities. If there is anything that they do have in common it is the desire to see the growth of authentic and responsible communities, and their belief that the first step towards this goal is for them to take responsibility for their own growth.
Their desire therefore is to learn, share and connect with other men who share this vision, and from this platform invite real change for themselves as well as for their ‘community’ – be it local, national or planetary.
Philosophy
…as human beings we are actually the only corner of creation which can refuse to be itself. We can actually not only refuse to be ourselves but we can then hang a mask over our face and pretend to be something that we’re not. And we can even take another virtuosic second step and forget that we’re wearing a mask and become the thing we were actually pretending to be in the beginning.
David Whyte
What if we were to ask ourselves these very basic questions: What works in my life? What doesn’t work in my life? When it’s not working, how do I deal with it? Is it by ‘masking’ my real passions and talents from the world? And if it is, what lies at the base of the fear of my authentic self being seen and celebrated?
For Man Alive we have managed to acquire a wonderful venue very near Berry on the South Coast of NSW, with great facilities and space to relax, swim, and enjoy the activities and workshops. We have planned Man Alive so you choose what you do, and how you would like to make your weekend work.
Central to the weekend is the opportunity to explore a diverse range of workshops. We have brought together a wide selection of facilitators to inform, engage, challenge and entertain—men who, between them, have literally hundreds of years of experience in the domain of men’s work.
Some of the themes to be explored include:
- men’s health and mental well-being;
- cross cultural exploration;
- men in the family and the community; and
- building support groups within men’s communities
Very importantly, there will be opportunities to play and create with community building modalities. Workshops are scheduled in such a way, that you can just pick and choose those that hold most interest for you.
The idea is to explore these themes in the spirit of self-exploration. This is not a seminar! The pace is relaxed and will leave you plenty of time to chill out, if that is your choice.
It's also about having fun! Laughter and music are welcome. Bring an instrument. Bring several! There will be ample opportunity to hang out, jam, sing, or just spend some time around the fire.
Accommodation is in shared bunkrooms at the venue. You may prefer however to pitch a tent—your choice—there is plenty of space. All meals are supplied during the weekend and you will not go hungry! Also, snacks and refreshments are available throughout the day.
To find out more, write to manalive@menswellbeing.org or call either Graeme Ross on 0418 250 899 or Ron Baard on 0428 642 140.
Because not all men access the internet we have a registration brochure that can be downloaded for printing and returned to us by fax or post. Or, if you would like several, send me an e-mail and I will post some to you!
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