News and Dialog: Leadership Blog
— Men's Gathering 2010
July 17, 2010 at 05:19 PM
Help Us Spread the Word!
Help us get the word out - download and print a copy of our flyer and give it to a friend, post it on community bulletin boards, at your local coffee shop, etc..
If you would like professionally printed copies to distribute to a group or organization, please contact Andrew Gross at andrew@menswork.org.
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May 02, 2010 at 04:47 PM
Successful Leadership Team retreat
Just returned from a wonderful weekend retreat in WV with the leadership team. The weather was beautiful, it was great connecting with the team, and we accomplished a great deal. Stay tuned for more details about our plans for the Gathering in the Fall.
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April 20, 2010 at 10:54 AM
Vision for the future and response to questions about the Buffalo Gap site
We would like to bring you into the discussion that has been taking place between the Leadership Council members and relay our ideas about the vision we have for our community and the future of the Men’s Gathering.
This post will also address questions that have been raised regarding the re-opening of the Buffalo Gap site.
Vision
We always want the Chesapeake Men’s Gathering to be a place for men to have a meaningful and powerful personal experience. It should be a place where men from all walks of life to come together in comradery, and share in the exploration of what it means to be a man.
In addition to that, the mission of the Men’s Council is to promote men’s work in general. Our hope is that the Men’s Gathering is also a place for men to learn about other groups that are involved in supportive men’s-community building. As such, we hope to bring back the notion of the Chesapeake Men’s Gathering as a ‘gathering of the tribes’. A place were men from different groups can come to share about what they do, and where men can find out about the other things that they can do throughout the year to support themselves on their inner journeys and personal missions.
And finally, we always want to continue in the tradition of providing a place to bring the young men and boys in our lives, where they can witness positive male role models, and set the groundwork for their own growth into strong and well-rounded adults.
Response to: We’ve heard the Buffalo Gap Camp has reopened. Will we ever move back there?
Those of us who have experienced the old Buffalo Gap site in West VA will always love and feel a deep connection to that location. We were one of the last groups to leave that site, and were sad when it closed down. Having said that, there are many reasons for moving on.
First, we have no certainty about the on-going commitment to the BG site by the current owner. For many years we struggled, hanging on to the least minute, wondering if the site would be available to us for the next year. Most locations book their sites long in advance. Waiting until the last minute to find out if BG would be available almost resulted in not having a Gathering several years ago. We do not want to put ourselves in that position of uncertainty ever again.
The Ramblewood owner has a strong commitment to his site, and has a fully booked season. His philosophy and intention for his site is perfectly aligned with kind of work that we do. We have already begun to develop a strong partnership with him, and also expect to be able to bring men from other Ramblewood events to our own event.
From a financial perspective, the Ramblewood owner has been very supportive to us with his pricing for use of the site. To put it plainly, between the requested ‘minimum attendance’ and per-person cost provisions of recent contracts and proposals from the new managers of BG, staying at that site would be irresponsible.
Finally, Ramblewood is convenient to four major metropolitan areas: Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and even NYC. Our vision includes growth of our community. The BG site is VERY limited from this perspective. Given our hope for long-term viability of our community, we believe that Ramblewood is a much better location for us.
Future Discussion Topics will include:
* Will we have a regular weekend for our event that we can count on from year to year? Will that be earlier in the season than the 2009 and 2010 event dates? (the short answer is “Yes”, but come back for more on this)
* How do you hope to realize your vision for our community? How can community members get involved?
* What are the specific plans for this year and future gatherings?
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January 16, 2010 at 11:31 AM
Date for 2010 gathering is October, 22 - 24, 2010
As you can see, planning is already underway for our 20th annual gathering. Mark your calendars now.
October 22 - 24th, 2010
If you have any thoughts about issues and themes that you would like to see us address at this year's event, please post your comments here.
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October 17, 2009 at 05:03 PM
An incredible weekend
To all that were at this year's Gathering, it was wonderful seeing all of you and sharing the wonderful weekend with you. Aside from the rain on Saturday morning, the weather was wonderful. The connection and camaraderie was beautiful. Ramblewood turned out to be a perfect fit for us. I thank all of you for bringing your energy and your hearts.
If you have not done so already, please fill out our online feedback form.
To those of you who could not make this year's Gathering, we missed you.
Very soon we will begin planning for next year's event. Stay tuned for news.
- Andrew
P.S. - I also invite you to post comments about your experiences of the Gathering that we just had. Just hit the comment link below.
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September 26, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Looking Forward – What do men need today? - Looking for your input
Whether or not you will be able to make it to this year’s Men’s Gathering on October 9th – 11th, we would like your input.
Part of the theme for this year’s event is “Looking Forward – What do men need today?"
I am interested in hearing from you about the issues or ideas that you are passionate about when you think about this question: What do men need today?
The pieces that we get back from you may be used in one of the exercises that will take place during this year’s Gathering. So here are some suggested guidelines followed by instructions on where to post your responses.
To maintain both a personal as well as outward focus, I’m interested in hearing your place in the issue that you write about:
- How do you feel in the face of this issue?
- To what degree are you personally engaged in the issue and how is that working out for you?
- In context of the issue that you are writing about, what is your vision for yourself and the world?
Your piece does NOT have to be hopeful and positive – there can be plenty of passion around things about which we feel powerless, shameful, and angry as well. Your piece can be a call for action, a challenge, a plea, or just a question around which you wish to engage with others.
Keep your writing tight and focused – try for something that would take little more than two minutes if read aloud.
Your written piece should be an invitation for men to engage with you. It should focus on what men can grab onto – so keep the information about the issue short, and go long on your passion and what you are hoping to see. If you do come to this year's Gathering, there will be plenty of opportunity for men to discuss the issues that spur the most juice.
Once you have something written, please click on the Comments link below and post your piece. Or if you prefer, send it to me directly at andrew@menswork.org
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September 06, 2009 at 02:15 PM
One month away!
This year's gathering is just a month away! As you can see, now that we have a new location we have chosen a new name. Going forward we will be known as the Chesapeake Men's Gathering. We look forward to seeing you in October. All the information about the weekend can be found on the home page at MensWork.org.
We also have some marketing materials available for download. On the Logistics page you will find a PDF version of this year's brochure along with index-card size advertising posters that you can print and post in your neighborhood coffee shop, commuity bulletin board, hang on your cube or office door, etc. Help us get the word out!
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March 08, 2009 at 02:39 PM
New Site - Contract signed with Camp Ramblewood
It is with excitement that I relay the news that we have signed a contract with Camp Ramblewood for this year's upcoming Gathering of Men.
You can find a bit of information about the location at http://www.ramblewood.com
Ramblewood is less than 2 hr. north of downtown DC, near Havre de Grace, MD. The photos on the Ramblewood website do not do it justice. It is a secluded location with a beautiful pond, outdoor pavillion, well maintained cabins, acres of wooded hiking trails, frontage on the Susquehana River, and many other features that make it an ideal location for us.
Stay tuned for our plans for this year's gathering. We are confident that our partership with Ramblewood will continue for years to come. I look forward to seeing you in October!!
- Andrew
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