Integration groups

Each Essentially Men weekend is followed by an integration group that the participants are invited to attend. The integration group runs one evening a week for the five weeks following the course and is facilitated by men experienced in men's groups. This in effect means that participants are sharing their lives with men from the course over a period of six weeks, which helps to ground the experience in everyday life.

Following the integration group, for those who are interested (which is usually most participants), ongoing support groups and networks are set up tailored to the needs, interests and location of the men. There are many dozens of such groups operating in the Auckland region, meeting weekly or fortnightly. For those from other parts of the country there is the possibility of linking into local networks of men who have attended Essentially Men for an integration experience.

The purpose of the integration group is to:

• Help integrate the learning and experiences of the weekend into everyday life.

• Support any changes men are making in their lives and direction.

• Develop the skills and roles for operating effectively in a peer men's group.

• Deepen friendships and connections with other likeminded men and grow an ongoing support system.

In a nutshell the integration group is based on becoming skilled in the practices of listening to others and sharing oneself. This develops men's ability in the arts of communication, and giving and receiving support, which means a better life for them, and for those they are involved with. The deeper sharing also means they are more likely to connect with and value their own uniqueness without having to hide it, and so be more in touch with their contribution in life.

The men's groups that are established operate independently and provide their own leadership and set their own direction and culture. However they are united by the purpose of men focusing on what is going on inside them and sharing that with others. This differentiates them from most other men's groups, which are based on such things as hobbies, sports, business, service clubs etc. The groups operate within what is loosely known as the Essentially Men Network and can call on resources and participate in events and gatherings that foster their evolvement.

As a result of spending time in such a men's group and network most men find that their sense of identity as a man in relation to the surrounding culture changes. Their masculinity is more able to express itself on the basis of connection to their inner world and relationship, and their sense of contribution to society, and they have become part of the subtle yet profound cultural revolution that is changing the world one man at a time.

Essentially Men, 13 Maidstone Street, Ponsonby, Auckland, Phone: (09) 376 2386, essentiallymen@clear.net.nz