I had an opportunity this past April to staff an event for the Mankind Project in South Sioux City, Nebraska. I was looking forward to this event with great anticipation as it was my first experience with staffing this type of event. What I gained is clearly beyond the scope of this brief letter.
Lakota men from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota made the trek to participate. Some adjustments were rapidly made on behalf of the presence of these men to accommodate our cultural differences.
What really impressed me was the quickness and flexibility of the changes made in this event by the leadership. I have recently been on a quest for more information about what it takes to be a good leader. I was in awe of the men in leadership roles at this event and wanted to bring back as much as I could absorb from their examples.
Additionally, I found that men from racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds looked far more different from myself from a distance. These differences seemed less pertinent and meaningful when we interacted in close quarters. Rather, when we were close, it became easier to see what we have in common and to have respect for our differences.
It also impressed me that having clear intentions supersedes the specifics of an approach. Mistakes and missteps may be made in our approach and we can recover and return to our intention. The overriding intention at this particular event was to be present for all men who were in attendance, regardless of their background.
I was left wondering about the clarity of my own intentions at the Men's Center. Do I always have clarity surrounding any man in need who walks into our offices? We can always make adjustments in our approach, but it is my feeling from this experience, that I must always start with a clear intention to be present and available to any man who seeks our services.
Bobby Schauerhamer,
Board Chair
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We are pleased to offer our members a unique and extensive collection of quality reading on men’s topics. This month, we received a wonderful donation from a newer member. We have five copies of:
No More Mr. Nice Guy
A proven plan for getting what you want in love, sex, and life by Dr. Robert A. Glover
Other new offerings include:
Sober for Good, New solutions for drinking problems by Anne M. Fletcher
Many Roads, One Journey, Moving beyond the 12-steps by Charlotte Davis Kasl Ph.D.
Addiction, Change and Choice, The new view of alcoholism by Vince Fox
The Truth about Addiction and Recovery by Stanton Peele, Ph.D. and Archie Brodsky
Rational Recovery, The new cure for substance addiction by Jack Trimpey
The small book, A revolutionary alternative for overcoming alcohol and drug dependence by Jack Trimpey
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
And while you are enjoying our many book resources, consider a browsing our large and growing selection of periodicals.
And while you are enjoying our many book resources, consider a browsing our large and growing selection of periodicals. Here you will find such works as:
- Men’s Health
- Lavender
- Transitions
- Bi All Means
- Edge Life
- D.A.D.S #1
- Voice Male
- Men’s Journal
- Rainbow Families
- Essential Wellness
- G.R.I.P.
Book Returns Needed:
Some of these books have become so important in our members’ lives that they seem to have been out since I had hair. While we have no specific time limit, please consider if you are still using any Men’s Center books you now have, and return them to availability.
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