The Vision
Contribute to a more wholesome, heart-centered way of living manhood.
Bring a radical acceptance and appreciation for each man’s unique expression of masculinity.
The issue
A culture in which men are encouraged to pursue unrealistic ideals of perfection and disregard emotional needs and vulnerability.
Where men are driven towards a narrow expression of manhood and fragmenting themselves by hiding unwanted sides of their personality.
A lack of spaces in which men can acknowledge the fear and shame that is holding them back from fully expressing themselves.
A lack of healthy male role models that young men can learn from.
A culture of communication among men that stigmatizes honest self-expression.
A deep longing for more connection, depth and meaning inside of many men.
And no guidance on how to get there.
These challenges are intertwined with social issues other groups are facing. I believe that contributing to a healthier, more wholesome view of modern manhood will lead to more authenticity and personal freedom for all people.
Men embodying a healthy relationship with themselves will positively influence the people they interact with in their roles as fathers, brothers, sons, partners, lovers etc.
My offering
The Evolving Men Virtual Summit
A virtual summit is an online conference.
A host brings together experts for interviews which attendees can watch for free and learn from for a limited amount of time.
Attendees can choose to buy lifetime access to all interviews."
The Virtual Summit will focus on portraying healthy male role models who have contemplated their masculinity deeply in order to show the diversity masculinity can be expressed through.
The Virtual Summit aims to inspire young men to pursue what they deeply desire instead of meeting shallow images of manhood.
They will be encouraged to ask further questions and keep on exploring their masculinity, knowing they are not alone in their pursuit.
The Virtual Summit will function as the grand opening event to all further plans of Evolving Men.
Evolving Men after the Virtual Summit
- in-person workshops/ events
- creating a blog with an active community of men supporting each other in their learning & growing, acting as a platform for connection, inspiration and overall a new culture of relating among men
- a membership area offering more in-depth focus through monthly topics that will be explored in live webinars, a private forum as well as a growing library of video and audio recordings
- online courses on topics such as emotional mastery, sexuality, self-compassion, healing attachment wounds etc.
Overall, Evolving Men aims to:
- Create spaces
for authentic, vulnerable relating among men - Establish an online
community of men who support each other’s development - explore tabooed topics and widen the window of what masculinity entails
What I believe men need in order to develop a mature masculinity is
- connecting with male role models they can learn from
- developing deeper relationships with other men
-spaces in which they can express repressed emotions such as shame, fear or anger and experience being accepted even with all their repressed parts
- rituals that help them transition from immature to more mature expressions of masculinity.
I believe each man's life journey is unique and every one's next step is different.
Coming together in our diversity can be a highly impactful and freeing experience when everyone is appreciated as he is.
Budget
This campaign aims to collect funds for organizing a professional Virtual Summit, accompanied by an experienced team that will support me with the many tasks surrounding the summit so that I can fully focus on engaging with the interview partners and the viewers.
6500€ are needed to get started; that will cover 2/3 of the necessary investment for running the Virtual Summit.
FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: facebook.com/menevolving
Website: evolving-men.com
Who is behind this campaign?
My name is David and I'm a musician/writer/social entrepreneur/movement enthusiast/coach.
Trust me, it took me long enough to reduce it to these five!
I've been exploring wholehearted living in many ways, which has lead to me studying psychology, Nonviolent Communication, Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Contact Improvisation, Radical Honesty, Interpersonal Neurobiology.
i've been co-facilitating mindfulness and meditation groups for the last several years.
In recent years, I've contemplated more what it means for me to be a man. I started with many questions and no gratifying answers. So I immersed myself more deeply into this topic.
I've been organizing men's circles since last fall, I've connected to some leading men's workers and encountered many men who have been asking themselves similar questions.
This project is a result of my exploration.
I believe that having a judgement-free space to start asking oneself important questions provides the starting point for an exciting journey of self-discovery that ultimately benefits all of humanity.
In my work, I create a space that allows anything to arise - the good, the bad and the ugly.
I like to dive deep into the shadow and explore the hidden light.
I work with body-centered awareness and the relational space between myself and everything that surrounds me.
I believe healing unfolds when we allow our Nervous System to release at its own pace.
The intelligence of our system comes more fully into play when we stop blocking our natural impulses.
We do not force. We allow.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. Pre-purchase/donate:
To make this a reality, I need your help! You can donate or pre-purchase access to the Virtual Summit through this campaign. If we are able to reach out to 130 who purchase the 50€ Evolving Men Virtual Summit Lifetime access, I would be able to reach the tipping point of 6666€! If you wish to support the project but do not have a credit card, contact me, we'll find a way!"
2. Share:
To help raise awareness on this critical conversation around manhood, please share the Crowdfunding campaign, start the conversation and challenge the norms!
