ManKind Project

The ManKind Project (MKP) is a global network of nonprofit organizations focused on men's emotional development, self-awareness, accountability, and peer support. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer brand, it functions as a movement and service network whose local communities deliver retreats, follow-up training, and recurring men's groups. Its central program is the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA), an intensive residential experience that MKP describes as a modern form of male initiation and a structured journey of descent, ordeal, and return. Participants are asked to examine their behavior, relationships, responsibilities, and assumptions about masculinity through facilitated exercises and group work. MKP emerged from the mythopoetic men's movement of the early 1980s, a current influenced by writers and practitioners including Robert Bly, Robert L. Moore, and Douglas Gillette. In 1984, former Marine officer Rich Tosi, social worker and therapist Bill Kauth, and university professor Ron Hering created an experiential men's weekend initially known as the Wildman Weekend. As demand grew, the organizers established the New Warrior Network, which later developed into the ManKind Project. The organization has retained the language of initiation and warrior identity while presenting its work primarily as personal growth, emotional literacy, responsibility, and relationship development. The NWTA generally takes place at a retreat center over approximately 48 hours. Courses commonly involve a few dozen participants and a substantially larger support staff. Participants temporarily surrender electronic devices, weapons, and jewelry, and agree to confidentiality concerning the retreat's processes and other participants. MKP says these rules are intended to reduce distractions, create a distinct environment, protect privacy, and support participant safety. The experience has also attracted criticism from observers who argue that isolation, confidentiality requirements, emotionally intense exercises, and restrictions on sleep or diet can resemble coercive group techniques. MKP has disputed descriptions of the organization as a cult or as a coercive mind-control program and has described efforts to improve medical screening and professional oversight. After the initial weekend, participants may attend integration training and join an Integration Group, commonly called an I-Group. These small, recurring groups provide a setting for men to share personal experiences, practice accountability, and apply lessons from the NWTA to everyday life. Bill Kauth's 1992 book A Circle of Men helped articulate the support-group model associated with this continuing work. Participation, fees, meeting formats, and local availability vary by community. The network has expanded beyond the United States into regions including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico, South Africa, French-speaking Europe, and the Nordic countries. MKP materials have also described developing regions in Israel, the Netherlands, and Spain. Related or affiliated initiatives have addressed adolescent boys, veterans, prisoners, people undergoing life transitions, and women, although these programs are not all identical in structure or governance to the core MKP network. Research cited in discussions of MKP has reported improvements in participants' self-described assertiveness, social support, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being after the NWTA. However, the available studies have important limitations, including self-selection, retrospective reporting, and the absence of comparison groups in some research. The organization has also received public attention through participants such as musician Jim James, actor Wentworth Miller, actor Eka Darville, and filmmaker Frederick Marx. MKP remains an active international personal-development network, but its local nonprofit structure, program practices, and public profile differ across regions.

The ManKind Project developed from the mythopoetic men's movement that gained visibility in the United States during the early 1980s. That movement encouraged men to explore archetypes, emotional life, ritual, responsibility, and relationships through language drawn from mythology, psychology, and literature. MKP's founders—Rich Tosi, Bill Kauth, and Ron Hering—translated some of these ideas into an experiential weekend for men. The program began in 1984 under the name Wildman Weekend. As participation increased, the organizers created an entity known as the New Warrior Network. The weekend was later renamed the New Warrior Training, and ultimately became the New Warrior Training Adventure, the organization's signature program. MKP's approach combined facilitated group exercises with ritualized transitions, confidentiality, personal disclosure, and practical reflection. Its stated objective was to help participants confront habitual behavior and develop greater responsibility, emotional awareness, and clarity in their relationships and lives. The network's post-retreat model became an important part of its identity. Men who completed the NWTA were encouraged to continue their work through integration training and small Integration Groups, or I-Groups. These groups generally meet regularly and use structured rounds in which participants speak and listen without interruption. The model was described in Bill Kauth's 1992 book A Circle of Men: The Original Manual for Men's Support Groups. Local groups have varied in longevity and effectiveness, and not every group has remained active over time. MKP expanded through local nonprofit communities and regional structures in North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and Latin America. Its published geographic structure has included twelve established regions and numerous areas in the United States, with developing regions reported in Israel, the Netherlands, and Spain. The organization has also been associated with related initiatives such as programs for adolescent boys, veterans, incarcerated men, and people experiencing major life transitions. Woman Within International is listed among related programs, but it is a distinct initiative rather than simply another name for the core MKP program. The organization has been the subject of both favorable participant accounts and sustained criticism. Research conducted on men before and after NWTA participation reported improvements in self-described assertiveness, responsibility, social support, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being. Researchers nevertheless noted methodological limitations, including selection effects, maturation, historical influences, and the lack of a control group in one study. A later dataset covering dozens of trainings and follow-up periods reported that several positive changes persisted for as long as two years, though such findings do not establish that MKP alone caused the changes. Public criticism intensified after reports describing the retreats as emotionally intense and potentially unsafe for some participants. Critics focused on the use of isolation from ordinary routines, confidentiality expectations, physically or psychologically demanding exercises, and alleged limitations on sleep and diet. A 2007 report also quoted concerns that such practices could be hazardous when conducted without adequate professional safeguards. MKP responded that it was not a cult and described measures including medical questionnaires, physician review, and a team of mental-health professionals assessing suitability for participation. A separate controversy followed the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the parents of Michael Scinto. The suit alleged that MKP was responsible for his suicide after he attended a 2005 training. The case settled in 2008, with terms not publicly disclosed. The lawsuit and the broader criticism remain part of the organization's public history, although they do not by themselves establish the allegations as proven. MKP has also gained visibility through members and supporters in entertainment and documentary filmmaking. Jim James described the experience positively in an interview, while Wentworth Miller discussed the role he attributed to the organization in his coming-out process. Actor Eka Darville has credited the brotherhood with helping him become a better father, and filmmaker Frederick Marx has made work involving MKP-related communities and ceremonies. The organization continues to present itself as an international network for men's growth, emotional well-being, accountability, and peer connection.

• 2008

  Settlement of the Scinto wrongful-death lawsuit

  [1]ManKind Projecten.wikipedia.org

  A lawsuit brought by Michael Scinto's parents was settled, with the settlement terms remaining undisclosed.

• 2007

  Public criticism of training practices

  [1]ManKind Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Media coverage brought criticism of the retreat's intensity, confidentiality, isolation, and alleged coercive features to wider attention.

• 1997

  Early participant follow-up research

  [1]ManKind Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Researchers studied men before and after NWTA participation and conducted follow-up assessment approximately 18 months later.

• 1992

  Publication of A Circle of Men

  [1]ManKind Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Bill Kauth published a manual describing the men's support-group approach later associated with MKP Integration Groups.

• 1984

  Founding of the men's experiential weekend

  [1]ManKind Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Rich Tosi, Bill Kauth, and Ron Hering created the Wildman Weekend, the predecessor of the New Warrior Training Adventure.

An experiential, peer-based personal-development network centered on men's emotional well-being, accountability, modern initiation, and continuing community support.

• Residential personal-development training · 1984

  New Warrior Training Adventure

  MKP's principal program is an intensive residential weekend for men. The organization frames it as a modern initiation involving self-examination, accountability, emotional disclosure, and a symbolic journey through descent, ordeal, and return. Participants generally leave electronic devices and weapons aside, follow confidentiality rules, and take part in facilitated exercises at a retreat center. Courses commonly run for about 48 hours and combine a few dozen participants with a larger trained staff.

• Peer-support groups · 1992

  Integration Groups

  Integration Groups, often called I-Groups, are continuing small-group communities for men who have completed the NWTA and, in some locations, for others exploring MKP. Meetings commonly occur weekly and use structured rounds that give each participant an opportunity to speak and be heard. The groups are intended to help members apply retreat principles to relationships, work, emotional health, and personal responsibility.

• Follow-up training

  Integration training

  Integration training is offered after the initial weekend in some MKP communities. It provides a bridge between the NWTA and longer-term group participation, helping attendees process the retreat and establish practices for continued personal work. Formats, timing, fees, and lodging arrangements differ by region.

• Targeted personal-development programs

  Specialized affiliated programs

  Programs associated with the wider MKP ecosystem have included Becoming a Man for adolescent boys, Boyz II Men, Inner King, Inside Circle for incarcerated men, the Underground Railroad Training Odyssey, Vets Journey Home for combat veterans, and Warrior Monk for people in life transition. These initiatives have different audiences and may have separate organizational arrangements.

• 2007

  Criticism of allegedly coercive training methods

  A Houston Press report presented criticism that MKP's retreat exercises and operating rules could be traumatic or unsafe and might resemble coercive group techniques. MKP rejected the cult characterization and described screening and professional-safety measures.

  Source

• 2007

  Michael Scinto wrongful-death allegations

  The parents of Michael Scinto filed a lawsuit alleging that MKP's training contributed to his suicide after a 2005 retreat. The case settled in 2008 without public disclosure of the terms.

  Source

Read more

• 2007

  Expansion of participant-safety screeningOther

  Background

  Public criticism raised concerns about emotional intensity, participant suitability, and the safety implications of the retreat format.

  Action taken

  MKP stated that physicians reviewed medical questionnaires, that screening questions had been expanded, and that mental-health professionals were involved in assessing suitability.

  Aftermath

  The controversy remained part of public discussion about MKP's methods and safeguards.

  Source

• 1992

  Formalization of continuing peer supportStrategy

  Background

  MKP needed a way for men to continue personal work after completing the initial retreat.

  Action taken

  The organization promoted Integration Groups and related follow-up training, while Bill Kauth documented the model in A Circle of Men.

  Aftermath

  I-Groups became a recurring local structure through which participants could practice accountability and maintain community ties.

  Source

• 1984

  Creation of an experiential men's initiation programStrategy

  Background

  The founders sought to adapt ideas from the emerging mythopoetic men's movement into a structured, immersive weekend experience.

  Action taken

  They launched the Wildman Weekend, later renamed and developed into the New Warrior Training Adventure.

  Aftermath

  Growing participation led to the formation of the New Warrior Network and eventually the broader ManKind Project network.

  Source

1. 1ManKind Projecten.wikipedia.org
2. 2ManKind Project official websitemankindproject.org