Bend ‘Man Camp’ to teach men about strength,vulnerability

(Update: Comments from organizer, presenters, participants)

More than a dozen men have signed up for a gathering Saturday at Skyliners Lodge, west of Bend, called “Man Camp.”

“I hope they come away from this experience feeling better about themselves and also about the future of men and of women — the future for all of us,” camp facilitator Ethan Anderson said Thursday.

There are certain expectations that come with being a man, including having a tough exterior, said camp presenter Mark Montgomery.

“I think what most men have learned is, ‘Keep my armor on all the time.’ And if you keep your armor on all the time, your underwear starts to stink,” Montgomery said.

“Most men are terrified of feeling our feelings,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been trained — to have a battlefield mentality where we just tough it out and we just move on. We just move on and do what needs to be done. And if you’re on a battlefield, that makes perfect sense.

“But if you’re in a relationship with a partner, with children, with a family, with colleagues with employees, that’s not a viable way to go through the world and relate with other people,” Montgomery added.

And “Man Camp” hopes to remove those barriers, said organizer Amy Turner.

“I think we would like the men to walk away with a healthier idea of what it is to be a man, that it’s much more dynamic than maybe some singular views that they might have,” Turner said.

Turner, the creator of “Man Camp,” said she organized the event after hearing from men that they wanted it.

“This is giving men an opportunity to come in and talk about things that are actually really important to men,” Turner said. “And I know that because they tell me it’s important to them. It’s not stuff that’s generally talked about over a beer, it’s not at the bar, or around sports or around other things.”

And it quickly came together, providing an opportunity for men to gather in a safe space and discuss feelings — something that’s not always easy for men to do, said participant Roger Wayland.

“It’s really hard to turn the mirror on yourself and be open to these kinds of exercises,” Weyland said. “At first, it’s just uncomfortable and exploration, and you kind of work your way through it. For me I really wanted to have a better relationship with my partner, I wanted to have a better relationship with my kids, so I was willing to kind of do the work and ask myself the hard questions and look into it.”

The hope is that men walk away from the camp with a lesson learned and an action plan.

David Visiko is one of the presenters. He’s teaching a class called “Drumming into the Strength Of Masculine Vulnerability” that involves West African drumming.

“It’s very powerful to be your most authentic self, to be vulnerable to show vulnerability, to really embrace emotions and be able to share them and communicate them,” Visiko said.

And both presenters and participants believe they will.

The camp is on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Skyliners Lodge. The cost is $145.

In the meantime, if you wish to learn more, visit: http://thecouragetribe.com/man-camp-2017/