Nationwide men's meeting

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The nationwide men's meeting is an initiative that was founded in 1983 as part of the emancipatory men's movement . It takes place annually at changing locations with up to 200 men. Some men have experience in men's groups, others are involved in men's offices. Many are not organized. The meetings are prepared by changing organizational teams in the form of a bar camp . This means that every interested man can make and carry out offers for workshops and discussions. Topics were and are, for example, gender democracy , men and war, help for violent men, self and body experience .

Attendees

The invitations to the nationwide men's meetings are deliberately formulated openly. They will be sent to participants in recent years and published on the website.

"Every year on Ascension weekend, men meet to spend four eventful days together, reflect on being a man, meet, exchange professional information and celebrate with one another." The initial meetings with 40 to 60 participants were still manageable, is Over the years the meeting has grown into an event with around 200 men and their children. Men arrive who want to spend a good time with other men and their children, who want to get to know the topic of men's work or who want to advance the concerns of men, fathers and boys in Germany by exchanging experiences. Men of all ages take part, married, singles, fathers, grandfathers, craftsmen, civil servants, therapists, self-employed, unemployed, homo-, bi- and heterosexual men. Every year between a quarter and a third of the participants take part for the first time. Some men come more than ten times. There is no such thing as a “core group”.

An open, informal coexistence between gay and non-gay men is another concern of the men's meetings. One participant reported to the Munich evening newspaper: “Of course there are also gays here. I used to have great reservations about that. Here I noticed that I don't love gays, but like them. ”(1997) From the nationwide men's meeting in 1992 it is reported:“ In general, there was probably the need not only to discuss being a new man , but to live and express it ”.

organization

Workshops are a central part of the nationwide men's meeting, the content of which is determined by the participants themselves. Every man can contribute with his offer, his profession, his hobby, his interest and offer a workshop. The meetings live from active participants, "whether as a workshop provider, co-organizer or simply an attentive man."

In recent years it has become established that workshops are presented in the morning and evening plenary sessions , organizational matters are clarified and space is given for exchange. On Saturday, some of the creative workshops will be shown in a “colorful evening”. On Sunday morning the next nationwide men's meeting will be invited, the organizers (O-Team) will be determined for the next but one meeting and everyone will have the opportunity to say goodbye.

The O-Teams only provide the framework and do not even know beforehand what content will determine the meeting. On the last day of each men's meeting, the plenary is looking for men who are willing to take responsibility for the meeting in the year after the next. Also because it is difficult to find suitable houses, two years in advance have proven to be necessary. In the O-teams, men come together who have never set up something like this before. It is important that the O-Team always includes men who have already gained experience with this task in previous years. It can take 20 to 30 minutes to find enough men from the plenary for an O-Team. It must often be pointed out that the nationwide men's meeting can only break up when an O-team has been formed. All O-Teamers work on a voluntary basis.

The O-Team sets guidelines for the daily routine, how the plenary sessions are organized, how advertising and media work are done and makes preliminary decisions on many other (detailed) questions. That the participants respect such decisions is a prerequisite for this form of organization to work.

financing

The men's meeting is financed from the participation fees. Surpluses from previous years and subsidies play a minor role.

subjects

In 1992, for example, there was a workshop on professional men's work , in which opportunities for exchange and networking were discussed. In 1997, topics such as the coveted male body - straight, bi or gay , why men prefer to pee standing up or testicle bathing as a method of contraception were discussed in workshops . From a “smelling workshop” (1998) you can read: It “was about who can smell himself and who cannot. The man perceived the scent on the man and, said one participant afterwards, some men should ideally be filled directly into flacons. “For many years, childcare has also been offered at most workshop times .

Men and war

Triggered by the Kosovo war , at the men's meeting in 1999 ( Ruhlsdorf ) there was intense discussion about whether men have a special responsibility for acts of war. A declaration was drawn up by participants in the nationwide men's meeting. The discussion on the subject continued in Switchboard magazine .

Men's meeting in the media

At the meeting in Bad Kissingen (2010) a television team was present that collected material for a documentary on behalf of Sat.1 . This was broadcast in 2011 and repeated several times. The following year there was a workshop on the broadcast. The opinions ranged from "The film was simply disastrous." And "The medium of television cannot convey the atmosphere of the men's meeting, so there is no need for such a documentation." To "The presence of the film team triggered an important reflection process for the men's meeting. "

After the men's meeting in Duderstadt in 2012 , articles appeared in Spiegel und Welt . That sparked a controversy that can be read in Switchboard magazine .

criticism

The fact that men's meetings repeatedly took place in places with restricted mobility has been criticized in the past. So far, the men's meetings in 2007 and 2012 have taken place in houses that wheelchair users could largely use without assistance.

In the past few years there has been regular debate about whether and how the men's meeting should be positioned socio-politically. So far it has not been possible to make a binding decision on this.

Web links

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Brzoska, Georg: Men's politics and men's movement , in : Brandes, Holger and Bullinger, Hermann (ed.): Handbuch Männerarbeit , Psychologie Verlags Union, Weinheim , 1996, pages 74-90
  2. ↑ Schölper, Dag: Zivilgesellschaftliche Männerpolitik in Deutschland , in : Theunert, Markus : Männerpolitik , Verlag Springer VS , Wiesbaden, 2012, page 351
  3. ↑ Item "History" on the website of the 25th Men's Meeting 2007 , Güntersberge , (link checked on July 20, 2015)
  4. ↑ Self-presentation of the men's meeting 2012 in Duderstadt (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  5. ↑ Frey, Manfred: Talking, thinking, crying - and caressing each other a little , in : Münchener Abendzeitung , May 12, 1997 about the men's meeting in 1997 in Finsterau .
  6. ↑ Deilecke, Thomas: Men meeting '92 , in : Newsletter anti sexist men, Issue 16, pages 28-9, Berlin, 1992
  7. ↑ Self-portrait for the men's meeting 2008 in Göhrde (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  8. ↑ page History of the men's meeting 2014 in Hübingen (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  9. ↑ Deilecke, Thomas: Men meeting '92 , in : Newsletter anti sexist men, Issue 16, pages 28-9, Berlin, 1992
  10. ↑ Frey, Manfred: Talking, thinking, crying - and caressing each other a little , in : Münchener Abendzeitung , May 12, 1997
  11. ↑ Paaßen, Georg: Men in Flacons in : Switchboard issue 5/1998, page 11 (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  12. ↑ List of workshop offers on the website of the men's meeting 2007 (link checked on July 20, 2015).
  13. ↑ The spectrum of creativity! Key words for some of the workshops offered at the men's meeting 2001 in : Switchboard issue 147 / August September 2001, pages 27–8 (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  14. ↑ Page children of the men's meeting 2011 at Bilstein Castle (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  15. ↑ Declaration by participants of the nationwide men's meeting in : Switchboard issue 6/1999, pages 10–1 (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  16. ↑ See issues 125 / July 1999 , 126 / August September 1999 and 128 / November 1999 (links checked on March 16, 2014)
  17. ^ Riedel, Thomas: Wimp or Macho? - Problem zone man , first broadcast in the SAT 1 documentary series 24 hours , February 2, 2011, repetition May 22, 2013 ( video )
  18. ↑ Schürfeld, Uli: "Sissy or macho ..." - or are they normal, special men? , in : Switchboard issue 196 / autumn 2011, pages 23–5 (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  19. ↑ Scheuermann, Christoph: Man goes. LOCAL DATE: At the 30th German men's meeting, it's sexy to be weak. , in : www.spiegel.de dated May 26, 2012 (link checked on March 16, 2014)
  20. ↑ Heise, Katja: Strong sex, very weak. Show feelings at the Göttingen men's meeting in : Die Welt compact from June 4, 2012 (Link checked on March 16, 2014)
  21. ↑ Ott, Walter: Letter to the Editor , in : Switchboard Edition 200 / Fall 2012, page 47 (Link checked on March 16, 2014)
  22. ↑ Güntersberge (Link checked on July 20, 2015)
  23. ↑ Duderstadt (Link checked on March 20, 2014)