Twin Cities Men's Center

Brief History

The Men's Center is an incorporated, educational non-profit 501(c)3, volunteer organization which began in 1976 as an outgrowth of the Men's Awareness Network in the Twin Cities in 1973. TCMC published the large-format Men's Survival Resource Book in 1979.

TCMC began these projects which each became new Twin Cities organizations: Men in Violent Relationships in 1977 (now the Domestic Abuse Project), HTLV-lll (HIV) support groups in 1985 (now the Minnesota AIDS Project), and Fathers and Sons support groups in 1990 (now the Father's Resource Center). TCMC sponsored the Twin Cities exhibition of Judy Chicago's Birth Project in 1989. The first annual Men's Leadership/Wingspan conference was hosted by TCMC in 1990.

TCMC offers a variety of workshops, brunches, retreats, playshops, presentations and conferences. TCMC hosted Midwest Regional Men's Conferences in 1978, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1992. Presenters from these conferences participate in weekly programs on Wednesday nights at the Men's Center. In 2001, the TCMC hosted the Men's Health & Well-Being Symposium. TCMC provides speakers and custom-designed programs for schools and community organizations.

Since 1996, The Men's Center began offering Men Helping Men with Anger Management classes, pioneering this vital healing field.

We continue to offer a variety of support groups and resources for Twin Cities men.

For a detailed history written by Sean Faulk in May, 2000, see his Master's Thesis, Men Talking.

The Men's Center's Mission and Values

Our mission:
The Men's Center provides resources for men seeking to grow in body, mind and spirit, and from that foundation advocates for healthier family and community relationships.

Our values:

1. We believe men can and should support each other through times of personal challenge and change.

2. We believe in authenticity, which means acknowledging to ourselves and each other our hopes, fears, strengths and weaknesses as men seeking to grow.

3. We believe in honesty among men, which means men freely expressing themselves
emotionally, socially, intellectually and spiritually in ways true to their own growth and masculinities.

4. We believe in respecting diversity and mutuality in our support groups, workshops,
conferences and outreach activities which means supporting and empowering all men.

5. We believe in the equality of men and women.

6. We believe in recognizing and appreciating our similarities and differences as humans of all races and national origins, and in the process fostering mutual respect and brotherhood for us all.

7. We believe in the power of our common humanity, which means regardless of our
sexual orientations, gender identities, or other issues that separate us, what we have in common transcends our differences.