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'''ManKind Project''' ('''MKP'''), previously known as<ref name=corporatellc /> the '''IRDX Corp''' (1991), '''Inner Resource Development Corporation''' (1992), and the '''New Warrior Network, Inc''' (1998) is a [[non-profit organization|nonprofit]] organization for men which conducts [[retreat (spiritual)|retreat]]s, the best-known of which is the '''New Warrior Training Adventure''' ('''NWTA'''). The organization states that it promotes: "[[accountability]] and [[integrity]]; connection to [[feeling]]s; [[leadership]]; [[father]]hood; and the blessing of [[Elder, the role|elder]]s."<ref name=mkpvalues>{{cite web |url=http://www.mkp.org/values.htm |title= Our Values |accessdate=2008-04-24 |work= www.mkp.org |publisher=Mankind Project }}.</ref>
'''ManKind Project''' ('''MKP'''), previously known as<ref name=corporatellc /> the '''IRDX Corp''' (1991), '''Inner Resource Development Corporation''' (1992), and the '''New Warrior Network, Inc''' (1998) is a [[non-profit organization|nonprofit]] organization for men which conducts [[retreat (spiritual)|retreat]]s, the best-known of which is the '''New Warrior Training Adventure''' ('''NWTA'''). The organization states that it promotes: "[[accountability]] and [[integrity]]; connection to [[feeling]]s; [[leadership]]; [[father]]hood; and the blessing of [[Elder, the role|elder]]s."<ref name=mkpvalues>{{cite web |url=http://www.mkp.org/values.htm |title= Our Values |accessdate=2008-04-24 |work= www.mkp.org |publisher=Mankind Project }}.</ref>


The MKP organization is composed of 38 [[interdependence|interdependent]] centers in nine [[country|countries]], each with its own [[election|elected]] leadership.<ref name=mkpoverview>{{cite web |url=http://www.mkp.org/mkp.htm |title= ManKind Project Overview |accessdate=2008-04-24 |work= www.mkp.org |publisher=Mankind Project }}</ref> Each center conducts training courses dealing with life issues for men, purported by its leaders to be part of the [[mythopoetic men's movement]]. The group claims that over 40,000 men have have participated in the group's primary training, the New Warrior Training Adventure, and that over 200 men in 9 countries are certified to lead the trainings.
The MKP organization is composed of 38 [[interdependence|interdependent]] centers in nine [[country|countries]], each with its own [[election|elected]] leadership.<ref name=mkpoverview>{{cite web |url=http://www.mkp.org/mkp.htm |title= ManKind Project Overview |accessdate=2008-04-24 |work= www.mkp.org |publisher=Mankind Project }}</ref> Each center conducts training courses dealing with life issues for men, purported by its leaders to be part of the [[mythopoetic men's movement]]. The organization reports that over 40,000 men have have participated in the group's primary training, the New Warrior Training Adventure, and that over 200 men in 9 countries are certified to lead the trainings.

⚫
In 2007, MKP was named in a [[wrongful death]] [[lawsuit]] filed by the parents of Michael Scinto, a man who committed [[suicide]] after participating in the New Warrior Training Adventure. The two parties reached a settlement, the details of which are listed below.[[Settlement]]


⚫
In 2007, MKP was named in a [[wrongful death]] [[lawsuit]] filed by the parents of Michael Scinto, a man who committed [[suicide]] after participating in the New Warrior Training Adventure. The two parties reached a settlement, the details of which are listed below (Section 5.1).
==Origins==
==Origins==
In 1984, Rich Tosi, a former [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] officer; Bill Kauth, a social worker, therapist, and author; and Ron Hering, Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies) a university professor; formed a group called The New Warrior Training, which would later become the Mankind Project. <ref>Interview with Bill Kauth (2006) on MenStuff.org, http://www.menstuff.org/columns/overboard/kauth.html</ref>
In 1984, Rich Tosi, a former [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] officer; Bill Kauth, a social worker, therapist, and author; and Ron Hering, Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies) a university professor; formed a group called The New Warrior Training, which would later become the Mankind Project. <ref>Interview with Bill Kauth (2006) on MenStuff.org, http://www.menstuff.org/columns/overboard/kauth.html</ref>

Revision as of 04:57, 7 October 2008

This article discusses the non-profit organization. For the children's publishing company MKP, see Miles Kelly Publishing.
Mankind Project
Founded1984, Wisconsin, United States[1]
FounderRich Tosi[2]
Bill Kauth[3]
Ron Hering
Type501(c)(3)
FocusMen's movement
Location
Area served
Global
ProductMotivational training
Members
50
OwnerGeorge Daranyi
Key people
George Daranyi[5]
Martin Marks[5]
Carl Griesser[5]
Ken Fearnley[5]
Les Sinclair[5][6]
Allan Podbelsek[5]
Don Yellovich[5]
Steven Judith[5]
Drury Heffernan[5]
Joe Illig[6]
Bert Dinkins[6]
Joe Laur (1992-1996)[7]
Don Jones[8]
Revenue
$1,938,132 for 2006[9]
Employees
5
Volunteers
>1000
Websitehttp://www.mkp.org/

ManKind Project (MKP), previously known as[4] the IRDX Corp (1991), Inner Resource Development Corporation (1992), and the New Warrior Network, Inc (1998) is a nonprofit organization for men which conducts retreats, the best-known of which is the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA). The organization states that it promotes: "accountability and integrity; connection to feelings; leadership; fatherhood; and the blessing of elders."[10]

The MKP organization is composed of 38 interdependent centers in nine countries, each with its own elected leadership.[11] Each center conducts training courses dealing with life issues for men, purported by its leaders to be part of the mythopoetic men's movement. The organization reports that over 40,000 men have have participated in the group's primary training, the New Warrior Training Adventure, and that over 200 men in 9 countries are certified to lead the trainings.

In 2007, MKP was named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Michael Scinto, a man who committed suicide after participating in the New Warrior Training Adventure. The two parties reached a settlement, the details of which are listed below (Section 5.1).

Origins

In 1984, Rich Tosi, a former Marine Corps officer; Bill Kauth, a social worker, therapist, and author; and Ron Hering, Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies) a university professor; formed a group called The New Warrior Training, which would later become the Mankind Project. [12]

New Warrior Training Adventure

Designed to compress a large amount of material into less than forty-eight hours, the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA) describes itself as a "radical departure" from the modern male psyche, internally navigating through a "hero's journey". The leadership states that those who undertake this journey pass through three phases characteristic to virtually all historic forms of male initiation: descent, ordeal and return.

The average cost of the weekend course is $650.[13] The course usually takes place in a wooded area, over a 48-hour period, with a one-to-one ratio of staff to participants. The weekend is intended as a "male initiation ritual". The participants' are required to give up their mobile phones and radios for the duration of the retreat (they are returned at the end).

Participants promise not to disclose any of the specifics pertaining to the training weekend to non-participants: all participants at an NWTA are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The group leadership believes that keeping the details confidential helps to create an experience "uncluttered by expectation", and to protect the privacy of participants.[13] Some trainings have reportedly included as many as 200 men.[14] Trainings usually involve a maximum of 32 or 40 initiates, and some 40 to 50 staff.

Integration Groups (I-Groups)

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.[15] 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 for $100-$150, with scholarships available.[13] 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.[16]

Other trainings

MKP is affiliated with several similar trainings. Some of these trainings were developed or are staffed by members of MKP, although MKP remains a separate organization and legal entity. They are:

Wrongful death lawsuit regarding Michael Scinto

A 2007 wrongful death lawsuit filed by Kathy and Ralph Scinto charged that MKP was responsible for the death of their son, Michael Scinto.[18]

Settlement

The MKP organization agreed to settle the case on June 4, 2008.[19] MKP paid the Scinto family $75,000, and agreed to make changes to the way that the Houston branch operates. These changes include:

  • The applicant questionnaire will be reviewed by a licensed mental health professional, and the organization will implement the recommendations for the questionnaire that are accepted by its board, within six months.
  • A licensed mental health professional who understands the MKP program will review each applicant's questionnaire, to determine if the applicant should be allowed to participate.
  • Most participants at the retreat who wish to leave to do so immediately upon request. The exception to this is that if the weekend leader, in collaboration with a "qualified professional," were to decide that leaving would place the participant or the group at risk, the participant would have to stay, but the participant would not be required to engage in any of the activities.
  • MKP Houston officials will disclose on their website that all application questionnaires will be reviewed by a mental health professional, that the weekend may involve nudity and elements of Native American traditions, and that participants who wish to leave will be allowed to do so, unless the above provisions apply.

These changes are only for the Houston branch, and not for any of the other chapters of The ManKind Project.

Criticism

Ex-members

Two Yahoo! Groups have been formed by men who participated in the MKP's activities and found them to have a negative impact upon them. One, titled Ex-MKP was founded in 2004 by and for those who "had problems" with the group.[20] Ex-MKP's information page refers to Mankind Project as "cult" which uses "mind control", and compares the group's methods to those used in prisoner of war camps. The group has over 350 members. The other group, titled MankindProjectAbused was founded in 2007 for former MKP participants in the United Kingdom.[21] The group's information page describes MKP's activities in detail, referring to various "shaming and mind manipulating techniques". Both groups are active as of September, 2008.

References

  1. ^ "Self-help for women? It's a scream". The Times. United Kingdom: News International, owned by News Corporation. 2006-01-28. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  2. ^ "About the Presenters". www.tosi.biz. Tosi and Associates. Retrieved 2008-04-25. In 1985, Rich co-founded the ManKind Project...
  3. ^ a b c Baer, Reid (2006). "May interview with Bill Kauth". A Man Overboard. MenStuff: The National Men's Resource. Retrieved 2008-04-25. Bill Kauth is a co-founder of the New Warrior Training Adventure of the ManKind Project... {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b Illinois Secretary of State; search for "Mankind Project"
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Mankind Project". JustGive.org. GuideStar. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  6. ^ a b c "Contact Us". www.mkp.org. Mankind Project. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  7. ^ "About Us". www.seedsys.com. SEED Systems. Retrieved 2008-04-24. Mr. Laur was the Executive Director of the Inner Resource Development Corporation from 1992-1996, expanding the organization into Canada and Europe, doubling the number of training facilities and tripling revenues during his tenure.
  8. ^ Moore, Robert L. (2001). The Archetype of Initiation: Sacred Space, Ritual Process, and Personal Transformation. Xlibris. ISBN 188860221X.
  9. ^ "Mankind Project Group Return". JustGive.org. GuideStar. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  10. ^ "Our Values". www.mkp.org. Mankind Project. Retrieved 2008-04-24..
  11. ^ a b c d "ManKind Project Overview". www.mkp.org. Mankind Project. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  12. ^ Interview with Bill Kauth (2006) on MenStuff.org, http://www.menstuff.org/columns/overboard/kauth.html
  13. ^ a b c "Frequently Asked Questions about the New Warrior Training Adventure". www.mkp.org. Mankind Project. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  14. ^ Greenhill, Jim (2005-08-21). "New 'warriors' bare their souls". The Durango Herald. Durango, Colorado: Durango Herald Inc. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  15. ^ Kauth, Bill. A Circle of Men: The Original Manual for Men's Support Groups. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0312072473. OCLC 24871074. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  16. ^ Jackman, Michael (2006-11-29). "Band of brothers: The men's movement (still) want guys to open their hearts". Metro Times. Scranton, Pennsylvania: Times-Shamrock Communications. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  17. ^ "Missions of Service". www.mkp.org. Mankind Project. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  18. ^ Vogel, Chris (2007-10-04). "Naked Men: The ManKind Project and Michael Scinto. The organization was supposed to make him a better man. Instead, his parents say, it made him a dead one". Houston Press. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  19. ^ New Retreat for the ManKind Project Houston, The Houston Press, Houston, TX, June 26, 2008.
  20. ^ "Ex-MKP". Yahoo! Groups. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  21. ^ "Mankind Project Abused". Yahoo! Groups. Retrieved 2008-04-24.

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