Fishin' with a Mission

Sometimes the efforts of one extremely motivated man can do so much good for kids in his community. This is the case with my brother in mission, Mustafa Mahdi. I've watched this man be relentless over the years in finding ways he and a few other men can be a positive force in the lives of young men around them. Nothing fancy, no big budget, just little by little, he keeps showing up. And guess what happens? The boys come, hungry for the blessings of male attention and the fun.

Mustafa's tools are a chess board and a fishing pole. He serves youth and families in metro Atlanta, as well as Fulton and Clayton counties. He calls his two programs, "The SMART MOVES Chess Club," and "Fishin' with a Mission to Save Our Sons." Here's a link to a Man-Making Blog post on the chess club that I did in 2009! There is zero cost to the young people involved in any of Mustafa's programs. Everything, including Mustafa's time, is either donated or paid for out of Mustafa's pocket.

"Someone should do something
about those kids!"

Baba Mustafa is one of my heroes in the work of man-making, and he's been at it a long time. To be sure, he's a great role model for the kids he supports. He's also a powerful role model those of us who, after watching yet another tragic boy story on the evening news, have said to themselves, "Someone should do something about those kids!"

Mustafa Selfie at Chess Club

To learn more about this good man and his work, check out this Facebook page. It's where he's holding a little fundraiser to try to collect $2000 for snacks, chess boards and pieces, fishing rods, reels, and bait. While you're there, honor him for his commitment and efforts. You may also want to slip him a $5 or a $20. I did because Mustafa and men like him so deserves our support.

Thank you, Baba Mustafa! 

You are a gift to your community and the world.

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Masculine Gravity and the Guy's Hike

The last Man-Making Blog post described the work of two powerful man-makers, men who I claim have caught man-making fire. Another way I speak about that desire to be more and more involved with young men is "masculine gravity." It's a term that describes the mix of fun, pleasure, joy, laughter, and a powerful sense of rightness that works on men who spend some time in a pack of men and adolescent males.

HOW MASCULINE GRAVITY WORKS: After a very little time spent in a mixed-age guy-pack, a man quickly realizes the young dudes are not as scary as he thought they'd be, he learns the young guys like having them around, and that the time with these guys is really fun! In addition, a man will find all kinds of reminders of his adolescent years, for better and for worse. There is always the kid who reminds a man of the young lad he was as a teen, and the exchanges and behaviors of the young guys conjure up memories of his days in the boy pack. In that side-by-side way men make connections, a man may find a young guy hovering around him or asking him a question that starts a conversation. If a man responds to that invite, a connection is often made. If the hike or event is long enough a man is likely to hear young guy stories that will touch his heart with their unreserved and often familiar truths. All of these forces acting together create a feeling he's in the right place, he really is made for this work, and leaves him with a hunger for more. That's masculine gravity, and it always leaves a man feeling better about himself for the time spent.

. . . it always leaves a man feeling better
about himself for the time spent.

I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't feel that gravitational pull, and you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't feel some form of pull or call to this work. So just FYI, this "force" is already working on you.

On a recent outing, I was actually able to see masculine gravity working as I watched a group of men ripen to man-making over the course of a five hour event.

Wasson Peak is the highest peak in the Tucson Mountains. At the top, you get a 360 degree view of the whole Tucson basin. Hikers have to work to earn that view. On January 25th, the Desert Men's Council, a group I belong to, held their Annual Guy's Hike. On that day, a multi-generational tribe of almost 30 males, between the ages of 9 and 70 reached the summit.

It is always sweet for me to see how the guy-pack drama unfolds. In the pre-hike circle, it's usually the case that not everyone knows everyone else. So in the circle, we ask each male to say his name and what he's looking forward to in the experience. There's a little safety training, counting off by numbers, and then making a commitment to face the ordeal together. We agree to support each other and to all arrive together at the top.

Shortly after we head out, the young guys unconsciously begin to immediately sort themselves by age, personality type, and fitness level. The men will initially struggle to wrangle the pack, and then eventually yield to the overwhelming energy of the young males who take off up the trail. Also, as it always happens, the oldest alpha male in the boy-pack follows the leader's instructions and holds the young dudes back till the slower boys and men catch up. Waiting for those at the back of the pack is a challenge for the faster guys, and trying to step it up and not be the caboose is a challenge for the slower guys. As a result of these demands and sacrifices, somewhere along the way up the mountain, we become a true band of brothers. Along the way, we explored a long wash, scrambled over huge boulders, and found ancient petroglyphs on the walls. We passed fenced-off entrances to old mines and had spectacular vistas all the way.

At the top there was relief, awe at the vista, and lots of congratulations all around. The group photo really says it all. All males, pulled together in a common victory. The way down was quieter as the fatigue set in, but we were welded together in a way, and the waiting and supporting each other got easier. It was a demanding five-hour round trip hike that ended with very tired bodies and many new friends and happy memories. Oh, the young guys reminded me they got awesome Facebook pictures and some serious bragging rights along the way.

In the check-out circle, everyone is asked to name a feeling as a highlight from the hike. I guess "tired" is a feeling because many claimed it, and even in that, we were on common ground. The majority of the check-out statements reflected how the experience had exceeded their expectations, that it was really a lot of fun, and that it was good to be outdoors and active and with a group of guys. Even being physically exhausted and with tired legs and sore feet, most of the young dudes said they wanted more, soon! There were four men who individually came up to me after the hike, thanked me, and said they, too, were interested additional events, our Rite of Passage weekends, and the other work of our Desert Men's Council group. It's all about masculine gravity.

Here is the link to just a few of the photos from the hike. These pictures only begin to tell the story of the perfect day, the laughs, new friends, physical effort, BIG vistas, and tired bodies at the end. If you look very closely, you can see the masculine gravity working, pulling the guys together, and pulling men toward man-making!

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The "Walking Toward Manhood" Rite of Passage

I got out of the military in 1971. I had entered the service as a frightened young man and came out a few years later as a slightly older, very confused, and still young man. After catching my breath for a few months, I bought a ticket to Amsterdam on Icelandair for two hundred bucks and began hitchhiking around Europe, alone, for 7 months. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was honoring a call from deep in my being, and in doing so, repeating the ancient rite of passage of walking toward manhood.

In Australia, there is an old tradition in which young male Aboriginals set out on their version of walking toward manhood. It’s called the walkabout. The goal of a walkabout is to enlighten and heal the walker as he wanders alone across the Australian Outback.

The Aboriginals believe the Outback was literally formed by the songs their ancient ancestors sang and the directions for crossing and surviving in the desert are embedded in the music. The young males on a walkabout would follow these songlines for guidance.

Lacking any ancient tradition for guiding young males in my culture, the route, experiences, and lessons learned during my walkabout in Europe were pretty much left to chance. What I did have in common with all the young men who, each in their own way, head out on a walkabout, was that I left my people, comfort, the familiar, and my confused state behind. I didn’t realize it then, but like so many wanderers, I was on a quest to find myself to discover important lessons and values that could anchor my life. I was looking for the man I could become.

One beautiful example of a contemporary walkabout and young male rite of passage is the walking journey of Andrew Forsthoefel. At 23, he set out on a coast to coast adventure to walk across America. Along the way he wore a sign that said Walking to Listen. Because this young male journey is archetypal, wired into our human psyche, his quest was recognized and supported in important ways by countless people who crossed his path. Lucky for us, Andrew recorded himself and many of the voices that carried gifts for him.

In the recording below, Walking Across America - Advice for a Young Man, you can hear Andrew’s story. Listen closely for the ancient rite of passage elements, the departure, the trials he had to endure, the important lessons learned, and the struggle to incorporate it all into the wiser man who returned.

Because you are a fan of Man-Making, I can promise you will be seriously moved by the telling of this tale. It may help you to recognize walkabout hunger in our young males, remind you of your own, or encourage you to set out on your own journey of discovery if you never have. It's well worth the time you'll invest.

If the player is not visible, you can find Andrew’s recording at this website.

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Wild Boys, Wilderness, and Woodcraft Rangers

After the recent blog post with a discussion of boys and Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD), Tim Wernette, a regular Man-Making Blog contributor, emailed me about Woodcraft Indians. In my research into that organization, I learned a lot more about the history of NDD. I also learned how, in the early 1900’s, one man's attempt to do something about boys and NDD resulted in the formation of the Boy Scouts, the Brownies, and the creation of a multitude of other organizations that are still helping kids a hundred years later.

The man was Ernest Thompson Seton. The full name for the organization he started was The League of Woodcraft Indians because they borrowed heavily from Native American culture, and their goal was to get young males into the woods.  The organization was clearly for non-Indians, but it was very successful in getting American boys into the wilderness.

The first U.S. Woodcraft Tribe was set up in 1902. It was a direct result of Mr. Seton’s property being vandalized by neighborhood boys. As the story goes, after numerous repairs to his property, Mr. Seton went to the local school. Instead of looking to punish the young vandals, he invited them to a weekend campout on his property. During this time he told them about Native Americans and their connection to nature. He spoke about Native American language, lore, and culture. He taught them some basic wilderness skills, and I’ll bet some time was spent sitting around a fire and telling exciting stories of the then not-so-old west.

Out of this one weekend experience, The League of Woodcraft Indians evolved, and soon there were Woodcraft groups all across the United States. If you want to read a complete and detailed operating manual for a Woodcraft Indian group, take a look at Seton’s Birch Bark Roll (PDF document from the New York Public Library or this online version.)

If you don’t worry about political correctness and can allow for the era in which it was written, the Birch Bark Roll, in amazing detail, lays out the perfect template for a boy-literate organization. It describes the organizational structure with Native American names for the various positions. I especially love the chapters on, The Child Spirit of Woodcraft, Twelve Secrets of the Woods, Tribe and Council Activities (games), and even songs to sing around the campfire. Songs have titles like, Zuni Sunset Song, Ghost Dance Song, and a blessing song called, Prayer of the Warriors Before Smoking the Pipe, all with sheet music included!

While the details are complicated, in 1910, Mr. Seton, along with Daniel Beard, the man who had started The Sons of Daniel Boone, were instrumental in the founding of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Seton became the Chief Scout of the organization for its first five years. Because of disagreements about the more militaristic direction Seton felt Scouting was moving, he left the BSA in 1915 and re-established the Woodcraft Indians separately. Later he renamed his organization The Woodcraft League of America, and claimed he never really merged the group into the BSA.

Today, there are still Woodcrafters who are active in the movement. One of the better known groups in the U.S. might be the Woodcraft Rangers in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1922, this group modified Seton’s original emphasis on outdoor life and is working to support urban Los Angeles kids. Currently, the Woodcraft Rangers serves over 18,000 underprivileged youth annually in after-school and summer camping programs.

If you want to know more about the large and rather amazing web of international organizations launched by one man’s interest in what we now call Nature Deficit Disorder, and his willingness to show up for the boys in his hood, just do a Google search for Woodcraft Indians. The result of that search takes my breath away, but then I just love the, What One Man Can Do, stories.

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Men, Boys, and the Wilderness

Four years ago, myself and a group of men started the Desert Men's Council in Tucson, AZ. It's been a fun and challenging adventure that has connected me to really good men, a pack of adolescent males, and occasionally, offered an outing in the desert wilderness or mountains near Tucson. I especially like going camping in the outback with a tribe of males.

I didn't have a father or other men in my life who took me camping. There was one outing when I was a Cub Scout that is still alive in my memory. We only went as far as a town park on the edge of the city where you could still hear traffic. But as a first timer, playing with other guys in the woods, grilling a hot dog outside, sitting around a fire under the stars, and sleeping in a smelly old army tent, all bordered on magical. I can still smell that old tent canvas. I was allowed to sharpen a stick with a real buck knife, and I learned how to start a campfire, put up a tent, and laugh when someone farted at the fire. All those memories come rushing back and the potency of that experience comes back to me every time I go into the wilderness with men and young males.

This last weekend, the men and young guys of the Desert Men's Council held their annual Council Rocks Campout (photos at this link). There were the normal pre-departure challenges to arrange transportation for our food, water, all the campers and their gear. It was sweet to watch the mom's hanging around and seeming to not want to let go of their sons. Finally, after counting off around the circle, a pack of twenty-four males, ages ten to sixty-eight, and a few dogs, loaded into cars and drove over pavement, dirt, and then finally a 4-wheel drive road to get to our campsite in the Dragoon Mountains near Tombstone, AZ.

It was a perfect young guy location. Not a house in sight, in the foothills of the mountains, huge boulders to climb on, and wall paintings and petroglyphs that pre-date the Apache Indians who used the place as a meeting ground.

On arrival we set up a first class camp by dividing into teams. Fire team, kitchen team, and even a team for digging the latrine! With camp prepared, we gathered in a circle to make sure everyone was accounted for (again counting off). We discussed how we were going to approach the challenging afternoon hike, covering the critical importance of hydration in the desert, what to do if we encountered a mountain lion (unlikely), snakes (very possible), and how to travel as a band of brothers, making sure everyone was OK, and that we'd arrive back together safely.

Before heading out we made sure water bottles were filled and then, just before departure, we all gathered around the latrine. It was a first class setup, with a long trench, privacy tarp, pile of dirt and shovel, a great view, and even a bag for used TP to honor our "no trace" intentions. The idea of using the latrine at all was a major shock for the city kids with us. Until that moment, the notion really hadn't crossed their minds. There was some basic training, lots of questions, and wary glances as they considered the possibility of this new experience. I'm sure that for more than one of them, that was the moment they decided they could "hold it" for two days.

I always like seeing a line of men and boys waling on a trail on the way to face a challenge. It's an ancient scene wired into the male DNA and somehow just feels right. As you can see in the photos, it was a challenging hike of about 3 hours in temps that approached 90 degrees. There was rough rock, mini-canyons to negotiate, and plenty of prickly desert plants to get the attention of those who went astray. The tired tribe returned to camp with a rock and cactus bites, great memories, some awesome shots for their Facebook pages, and serious bragging rights.

The fire team started the dinner fire, and the kitchen team assembled the meal. Finally, good food was shared, and the campfire conversations started. Jokes were made, stories from the hike were told, people were honored, and serious topics about male lives were also unfolded. In the process, new friends were made and our male community grew tighter. Tired bodies hit the sleeping bags that night. Most slept out under the stars with such deep quiet you could, at times, hear your heartbeat in your ears.

Dawn, 9 AM for most of the young guys, began an easy move into the day. A breakfast fire and the smell of food being prepared got even the sleepiest dudes out of their bags. Breakfast, and then a morning circle around the fire, gave each male time to check in with what they were feeling, what they liked the best, and what lesson they learned on the experience they would take back to their lives at home. It was a gentle time, where everyone had a chance to be seen, heard, and honored.

I know this is a long story. But if you got this far, it's because there is something in the story that speaks to you. Speaks to a part of you that knows this story, or maybe doesn't and possibly hungers for this experience still. You can believe the men who put on the event are just like you. We all had vastly different skill sets, none of us could have done it on our own, but together, we figured out the details and filled in the blanks to make it all happen. You could too.

If you and some of you male friends were to gather and begin to remember the camping you used to do, or wanted to do, remember leaving the women and children to head out in a pack, the time spent around the fires, the beauty of the night skies, and the "guy conversations" that always occur, you might just stir up enough interest to bring those gifts to some young males in your world. It really doesn't have to be far, elegant (think hot dogs), or in any way perfect. But you can be sure that if you have some young guys along, it just might be life-changing memorable for them. And it will be very good for you're masculine spirit too.

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The Heartroot Nature Connection

Where I grew up in the city, there was a little acre or two of wilderness near my house. Not much by adult standards, but large enough for an 8 year-old adventuring boy. The place had “wild animals,” including rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional skunk. There was plenty of brush for hiding and ambushing intruders, animal prints for tracking, shade for hot summer days, and a few really old trees which seemed to anchor my urban forest. My small band of young-guy brothers knew every inch of that small wilderness. We knew the web of forest trails so well we could run them in the dark. We had secret hiding places, a meeting ground, and even built defensive “forts” to stand off unnamed enemies. It was a kind of wildness that truly fed my young boy spirit.

That little forest was also my backwoods escape place. It offered the comfort and soothing solitude I needed when the insanity of my alcoholic family home life was approaching more than I could bear. By high school, that wilderness had shrunk into irrelevancy as girls, cars, and school became way more important. But I have never forgotten that little patch of sacred ground. Did you have a place like that when you were a kid?

As I grew into adolescence and then on toward adulthood, there were no men around to teach me the masculine arts of hunting, camping, canoeing, and wilderness navigation, much less take me into the wild places. I have pretty much remained a "city kid." In fact, I’m still a little embarrassed around men who comfortably make their way into the wilderness and, occasionally, take me along. They now call that condition, Nature Deficit Disorder, or NDD, a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods. NDD is most simply defined as the human costs of alienation from nature, and it's the counter-point to my boyhood fondness for places green and wild.

When Luc Tunkel wrote to me about his work with Heartroot Nature Connection, the memory of the wild and natural place of my youth came to get me . . .along with my fear of the big outback. Luc, it turns out, is just what NDD males need. He is someone who can gently introduce guys to the wilderness in ways that minimize fears while building a skill-based confidence and a love of things natural.

The title of Luc’s website says it all, Heartroot Nature Connection. Through his training experiences, he offers, what he terms ancestral skills, a way of learning to live in a mutually beneficial relationship with the natural ecosystem. Just some of the skills Luc can help you learn include: crafting your own bow and arrows for hunting, and the ancient arts of shelter building, friction fire making, tracking, fishing, backwoods navigation, and gathering edible and medicinal plants.

Just a few of those talents would greatly increase my confidence and comfort in going into the great outdoors. The best part of Luc's training is you get to learn these skills in his backyard, the mountains and backwoods of Montana. Now that’s one large, beautiful, green, and wild patch of sacred ground!

If you want to get a small sense of what it’s like to actually have a heartroot nature connection, read this inspirational Springtime Prayer Luc wrote last March. Reading it made me want to be him and experience nature through my pores and whole being. The prayer begins with these lines:

Let the Thaw be witnessed by untainted senses, understood without judgment or expectation. May my squishy footsteps bring me to yet unexplored expressions of Truth. Let my voice ring in resonance with birdsongs, welcoming the lengthening of days and renewed growth. (read more)

Instead of wanting to be Luc, as an NDD guy perhaps I should just pack up and go spend a week with him in Montana. Maybe I'd begin to develop my own Heartroot Nature Connection. I think I need to better understand what I have lost, or maybe never developed, as a man in relationship to the natural world.

If you had training in the great outdoors by the men around you while you were growing up, tell us about it. Add it to the comments section of this post or send me a note and I'll add it for you.

If, however, you are an NDD guy like me, imagine how the man you are today would be different if, as a boy you had men like Luc around for guidance. Men who could help you harvest all the gifts of discovery, personal and natural, waiting in the great outdoors. Then you may want to consider the young males around you today who have never left the worlds of cement, asphalt, artificial, man-made, the mall, and digital places. Can you think of a way, possibly along with some of your men friends, to give those guys the gift of a visit to a wild and green place?

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Nature Literacy: Kids and Green Space

When we do our Rites of Passage weekends, or our “Guys” outings with young males, as much as possible, we try to get them out into the natural world. Never has a generation been so cut off from the physical earth, it's joys, beauty, and lessons it holds. About a year ago I offered a Man-Making blog post on the notion of Nature-Deficit Disorder. For me it gave a name to the costs a young person experiences when they are kept from the natural world. It turns out that there is a growing body of research on the topic, handouts for motivated mentors and examples of programs where adults are teaching kids about the great outdoors.

A recent Wired Mag article titled, The Psychology of Nature,describes some research done at a large housing project on the South Side of Chicago. Some of the residents had a view of nothing but concrete sprawl, the blacktop of parking lots and basketball courts. Others looked out on grassy courtyards filled with trees and flowerbeds. The researcher, Frances Kuo, the director of the Landscape and Human Health Laboratory at the University of Illinois, discovered simply living in an apartment with a view of greenery led to significant improvements in mood, attitude, and ability to cope with problems. Kuo believes simply looking at a tree refreshes the ability to concentrate, and "there is something inherently “restorative” about natural settings.” She is even studying the impact of green school grounds on kids' academic performance.

A long term advocate of the importance of connecting kids and nature is Jon Young. Jon has 25 years of mentoring people, in what he terms a deep nature connection. He is the author of Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature, the go-to book on the topic. Jon is also one of the founders of the very successful Wilderness Awareness School. The School's approach to nature education draws upon the vast experiences of naturalists and even that of indigenous peoples from around the world.

In the (somewhat promotional) video below, Jon describes some of the healing of young people he has witnessed as a result of taking kids into the natural world. He also introduces us to two women who are pioneering different programs designed to increase earth literacy in young people. Check out the links below this video clip to learn more about all of these programs. If the clip doesn’t appear use THIS LINK.

For now for me, I'm going for a walk!

RESOURCES:
Jon Young's book Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature.

Information on the Wilderness Awareness School.

Wendolyn Bird - Children, Nature and You - Adding Awe and Wonder to Children's Lives - Invigorating kid's imagination using the natural world. For children 3-5 years old. You may also want to download Wendolyn’s PDF Nature Guide.

Karen Howell: Earth literacy for young people through applied permaculture and the children’s garden. Exploring A Sense of Place programs.

The Children and Nature network website.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources No Child is Left Inside initiative.

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