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What is the
New Warrior?

The New Warrior
Training Adventure

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Training Adventure

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The Next NWTA is on
14th of 14 May 2010
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What is the New Warrior Training Adventure?
The New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA) provides a crucial experience for the healthy balanced mature male. This new way of balanced maturity offers the opportunity for men to be true equals among other men or women. The training is modeled on the "Hero's Journey" of classical literature and myth. Ritual initiation processes have been found throughout many cultures and societies. These rituals helped maturing boys to move away from the comforting embrace of their family, and safely allowed them to enter the world of emotional maturity (i.e. masculinity).

The NWTA provides a new opportunity for each man to transcend his self-created limitations. The training opens the door to initiating men into a new way of "being a man". The NWTA is available to all men regardless of cultural differences, especially with respect to faith, age, color, class, sexual orientation, gender, ability, ethnicity, and nationality.

Becoming a part of The ManKind Project Los Angeles Community begins with this truly unique weekend training. Your completion of this training serves as your experience of initiation into the community of men known as "New Warriors".

The NWTA is a three-day weekend educational and experiential process that is guided by senior men, facilitators, and certified leaders of the Community. Generally, there are as many staff men on the weekend as there are new men. There are generally no less than 28 and no more than 46 initiates, with an average of 32 new brothers per weekend. The weekend is a finely coordinated series of activities including group discussions, games, guided imagery visualizations, journaling, and individual work. The entire program is designed to help each man to touch his own truth, and is built around individual personal growth and awareness.

Much is not told about the exact processes and flow of the weekend. This is because the training is experiential, and we rely on the power of mystery and the veil of the unknown to help each man experience the full power and possibilities of the adventure.

“The only devils in the world are those running around in our own hearts. That is where the battle must be fought.” -- Mahatma Ghandi

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Why The New Warrior Training Adventure?
The NWTA is a traditional masculine initiation similar to the initiations that exist and always have existed in traditional cultures. This training is geared to serve men in today's world. The NWTA characterizes three distinct parts or passages. There is "The Descent," "The Ordeal," and "The Homecoming." Also, like traditional initiations, the actual events of the NWTA are kept confidential in order to not jeopardize the full experience for each man who chooses to attend a weekend.

The training tests participants physically, mentally, and emotionally. It invites men to take a hard look at their lives, to see what is working and what is not, and to transcend their limitations. The NWTA is about looking at those parts of ourselves that we hide, deny, and repress, so that we can be more authentic and aware men, allowing us to make choices in our lives with the full knowledge and insight of the consequences of those choices. It is also about the harmonious connection of mind, body and spirit in our daily journeys.

Men have been warriors since the beginning of time and every man has his warrior side. Social forces, however, pressure many to repress this part of themselves. It is then that they unconsciously substitute a distorted shadow for the healthy warrior energy so essential to sustaining individual and communal balance. Many times it is these shadows that we hide, deny, and repress and which we are unconscious of.

The New Warrior is a man who has confronted his hidden, denied, and repressed destructive "shadow" forms and who knows his inner self and the ways in which he is at his most effective self in the world. The New Warrior is at once tough and loving, wild and gentle, fierce and tolerant. He lives passionately and compassionately, because he has learned to live more fully and truly then ever before.

"In 1983, I wrote The Secrets that Men Keep. After experiencing the New Warrior Training I'm rewriting that book. It's the most important men's work occurring in the U.S., and perhaps in the world, today." --Dr. Ken Druck Psychologist, Consultant, Author

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What Else Can You Tell Me About The NWTA?
The NWTA is about taking a look at our lives as men - how our lives work and how our lives don't work. Here men learn how to be fully accountable for their actions and the subsequent consequences; how to begin integrating the dark and soulful qualities of our masculine nature; and how to stand up and take full responsibility for our lives. We learn to find courage in the face of our deepest fears, and to live a life of integrity and congruency. We learn to transcend the momentum of toxic masculinity, finding within us the sacred masculine energy that is capable of discernment and protection that seeds life with passion, zeal, and creativity. We learn to step forward as men without apologizing for who we are, and to steward that energy with an open heart and with compassionate mindfulness.

The NWTA creates an opportunity for each man to be honored and blessed, not for what he has done, but rather for who he has become. When a man finally accepts and believes that he is enough, then he can step into the world knowing that what he does is enough as well. Achievement becomes a function of our creative energy, rather than a measure of how good we are.

Finally, the NWTA does not claim to solve the problems of our time, nor does it offer any broad range solutions or ideology. It does take the important first step in addressing them, in that it points to the life of an individual man, his choices and consequences, and his ability and willingness to take a good hard look at himself. The New Warrior is the initiated man who is conscious to his choices, his actions and his feelings, and steps into the world with the passion and intention to fulfill his mission in life, open to the support and service of other men.

Like a stone dropping into a pond, the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA) sends ripples through the lives of men, their families, and their communities. It begins with a man making the choice that he wants to step into this new place.

"Never doubt that a thoughtful group of committed citizens can change the world, for indeed it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead

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Why Should I Do The Training In Los Angeles?
There are more than 1,400 New Warriors who have been initiated in The Mankind Project Los Angeles Community (MKPLA). New Warriors are men that have been initiated through attending the experiential and educational three-day weekend experience. The weekend programs are held in various locations throughout the region overseen by MKPLA. MKPLA is the home of the many men who live and work in the Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern County areas, or who visit the area. Many men are initiated in the Los Angeles Community having been invited by family, friends, or business acquaintances who themselves have been initiated into our Community.

MKPLA uses a highly motivated and experienced staff to lead the training programs. Most staff members are volunteers. These men have all attended the training and have a passion for assisting and supporting other men on their journeys. A core group of MKPI trained certified men facilitate the basic processes on the weekend.

A key to the NWTA weekend is that you direct your own training through the responses and decisions you make along the way. The staff serves as your guides and mentors, but you choose your own level of commitment, and the depth to which you will explore your life.

The weekend trainings begin on a Friday afternoons and finish on a Sunday afternoon. The Mankind Project Los Angeles Community New Warrior Training Adventure weekends take place in the various mountain resort areas from the Santa Ynez valley to the San Bernardino Mountains in scenic and remote areas. The training sites offer men a chance to do their work in a natural, safe, and spiritual setting.

We empower men to live to their full potential, trusting that they will co-create the healthy solutions needed by society. We foster Loving Families, Strong Communities, and Productive Workplaces in a sustainable environment.

Our intention is twofold. First, to enable men to live lives of integrity, accountability, and connection to feeling. And second, to be of service in each man's life, both as individuals and in the community. This enables men to live their lives with passion and personal responsibility creating strong sustainable relationships.

In The ManKind Project Los Angeles Community our mission stands as the foundation for how we as a Community of men show up in the world:

Our Mission is to create a community that empowers men
to manifest their dreams by discovering and teaching
the sacred knowledge of being a man.

We do this through trainings, educational programs, and programs to support the men of the Community.

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Who Comes to the Trainings?
During your training you will stand shoulder to shoulder with a rich mix of men, with diverse occupations, ages, beliefs, and preferences. All participants come to share a common experience of themselves as self-directed empowered men. They come with an idea that receiving their personal initiation into manhood is crucial to their full development as men. More importantly, men come to the training to improve their lives, to set their direction and mission in order to experience more fulfilled lives, and to face those parts of themselves that they hide, deny and repress and which limit their ability to get what they want in life. Men come from all walks of life with the same intention… to improve on their own lives and to seek what is missing.

"Some people sleep until morning. Others know they have to bring the morning." -- Shlomo Carlbach

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Who Staffs the Trainings?
Most of the staff are volunteers (90%), giving their own time and money to participate. MKPLA is blessed to have experienced and qualified leaders participate on each NWTA. These men have gone through the NWTA themselves, and now offer their skills and talents to support the staff and the initiates. All staff, paid (small expense stipends) or unpaid, are initiated New Warriors themselves, having gone through their own NWTA weekend. Many of these men have backgrounds similar to your own, and have life experiences that may be similar to yours. It is for this reason that they are able to support, follow and guide you on your experience of the journey in an effective manner of mentoring and facilitating.

The staff prepares the weekend, yet you alone are the one who runs your own training by the choices you make along your personal hero's journey. The staff serves as your guides and mentors, and you decide your level of participation. You will have every opportunity to transcend your own limitations. You alone decide how far you will go.

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My Life Is Already Working, So Why Should I Do The Training?
If it is, Great! Men who take the training are already succeeding in life. The fact that men are even choosing to consider the training is an indication of their openness to personal growth, awareness, and success in their lives. New Warriors come from all walks of life. They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, business executives, business owners, free lance consultants, psychologists, therapists, college and high school teachers, carpenters, masons, musicians, architects, government workers - the list goes on and on. The question for you may be: "Do I want to achieve a breakthrough - a quantum leap forward in my own life? Or, do I want to stay where I am? Only you have that answer. Only you can choose the journey.

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Will This Training Help Me In My Work/Career?
While NWTA is not a management-training weekend, it does address vital issues of leadership, vision, and accountability. Because you become more clear and focused, you let go of emotional beliefs and feelings that no longer serve you; and you will be enhanced as a man, better equipped to manage your life. Your capacity for taking risks and for leading others is also enhanced. People will follow a man who knows what he is about, what he wants, and where he is going.

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What's The Value Of The Training For My Family Life?
You will be far more in touch with your own feelings and more able to experience and express a full range of emotions. For many men, the results of the training have included 1) the capacity to connect and relate to others is enhanced; 2) personal boundaries are better defined and self-image is heightened; and 3) men feel and are better equipped to open their heart to connect and relate to family members, opening up to their gifts of vulnerability and trust. This is not about changing the man who you are, it is about transforming those unique qualities so that you get all of what you want in your life, particularly in the intimacy of your family.

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Will The Training Change My Relationships With My Spouse, Girlfriend, and Other Women In My Life?
Probably. The impact is most often very positive. Most women want men in their lives who are strong, yet have the capacity to be compassionate and gentle, men who have and show their feelings authentically. The training fosters both fierceness and gentleness. You will get to look at your reliance on women throughout your life and the positives and negatives of how you relate to women. Overall, you are likely to be clearer about what you want and are choosing to offer in your relationships with women, and you will be more open to show your authentic feelings.

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Does The Training Look At The Role Of The Mother And Father?
Men planning to attend the weekend often assume that their big issues will be around their fathers and other male figures. You will have an opportunity to look at these beliefs during the weekend should you choose. Additionally, you will get to look at how both parents shaped your development, and how your relationship with your mother while growing up may be impacting your close relationships with women today. And, father issues may be looked at to see how you as a man are showing up in the world and how your father influenced those choices during your life's journey.

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I Don't Like Men! So Why Should I Attend a Training of All Men?
A very good question. Many men, perhaps most, have good reason to be angry at the many men who have broken agreements with them, not kept their word, not stood in integrity, and sold out on their highest choices. The hard truth is that "like cures like". This means that if we have been hurt by a man, most often a man will be required as an agent of our own healing. Most of us have distorted images of men -- either demonizing men as total tyrants and villains, or idealizing them and putting them on unrealistic pedestals. You will see the common humanity within all men and come to see the nature of manhood as it is; glorious, and yet without illusion. It is this common bond of manhood that enables the training to be so powerful.

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Is This Just Another "Empowerment" Training?
The NWTA is not just another of the "empowerment" trainings that you read so much about these days, or see on infomercials on TV. The NWTA is about taking responsibility for one's life through authentic and real choices and actions. It is not about someone else telling you how to be. It is about you "choosing" to become aware of yourself, the choices you make, understanding the consequences of those choices, the feelings you have, and being the unique individual that you are in the world. It is more then empowerment, it is offering a new way to live life to its fullest.

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Why Can't I Get A Course Syllabus Before The Weekend?
If everything about the weekend were explained beforehand, the mystery and beauty of the experience would be gone. You would not "experience" your experience as it is happening. We know that the concept of eating a meal is not the same as actually eating a meal. Going to a baseball or football game is different then watching it on television. Likewise, the concept of personal transformation is far different from the experience of actually being in the cauldron of transformation. It is men's personal and powerful participation in the unknown experiences of the training that enables men to transform their lives and see with greater clarity where they want to go on their continuing life's journey.

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"I'll Do It Later...?"
A "no" to now is a still a "no", which may be a metaphor for putting your life on hold, rather than "being" and actively living your life with high intention, passion, and purpose. As men, we are adept at ignoring or putting off handling our emotional lives. We assign that job to mothers, wives, and girl friends, and then are unhappy with how they handle the job we gave them. You are encouraged and invited to take charge of your own emotional life, to stand up for yourself, ask for what you need and want, and to make your own choices as a man among men. You can find all kinds of reasons to not do the training. " I don't have the money"; "I don't have the time"; "I am previously committed to something else"; " I am busy"; "I don't need to do this now"; "my therapy is adequate to get me through life"; "I can't take time away from my family or my work", and "I am in fear of what might happen". These and many more reasons have been used to justify the word "no". Only you can make the choice to do the training. Only you can make the commitment to improve your life. Only you can say "yes" to the invitation to come to the weekend. Once you make the choice and feel the commitment within you, the money and the time will be there. There will be no reason not to go!

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I Feel Anxious and Unsettled About Attempting This. Why?
If so, this is a good sign and it is welcomed. Initiation of men by men is a powerful and deep experience that has been lost in our culture. Opening yourself up to personal growth may be uncomfortable. Initiation and growth involves risk and reward. It is he risk of truly facing yourself, and the reward of having a safe container in which to achieve that intention and live your life more fully. The intuitive and creative part of you which is sometimes unconscious, may sense a deep need for personal insight. Every man requires this for mature masculinity. Trust your heart. Trust the feeling that your body experiences as you read these words. Trust the person who brought you to this place. Trust the man who offered you the invitation to come to the training. Men often gain the greatest growth when they experience the most uncomfortable places. Trust that you being uncomfortable about this new way opens the door to a great opportunity to grow and become aware of yourself. And, trust that there is no accident that you have been guided to The ManKind Project New Warrior Training Adventure, however you got here.
"The truth is, I was afraid of this training. Even though I've written about men and worked with men for many years, the fact is -- as I discovered on the Weekend -- I didn't really trust men. I'm glad I overcame my fear. This was the most powerful training I've ever done, and the changes it started in me have been both deep and positive." --Mark Gerzon Author of A Choice of Heroes
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Can I Get A Shorter, Less Expensive Version Of This Initiation?
No. The training is what it is and stands on an eighteen-year history of results and performance. Thousands of men have validated the impact and usefulness of the process we use. There is no free lunch in life. To achieve the breakthroughs, men require the time, design, and processes that we have built into the training. The cost of the New Warrior Training Adventure is comparable to other transformational weekends. Many other trainings offer fewer results and cost more. Many men have stated that the cost of the NWTA weekend is less than the many years of counseling and therapy, and is further less than the value of the lost life experiences due to not being fully present in life. A better question may be "Are you willing to invest the time and money in yourself?" Money is a symbol of the value men place in things. Are "you" not worth it? Look closely at your personal commitment to the your own life. What are you prepared to do to increase your life's value? If you are ready, now, we look forward to welcoming you to the next New Warrior Training Adventure.

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How Do I Know This Is Right For Me?
We can't answer that question for you. However, if you want to achieve breakthroughs in your life, if you want to feel better about yourself as a man and feel more at ease around other men, if you want to be able to trust and connect with other men, women, family, friends, and business peers and relate with your own deepest self, you are probably ready to take the training. You know if you are ready. You know if this is right for you. Are you willing to make the choice? Only you can answer this question.

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What Are The Age Limitations Of Doing The Weekend?
You should be at least 18 year of age. The majority of men in our trainings are between 30 and 50. However, the training has proven valuable for older teens, men in their 70's and 80's, and all ages in between. Many young men out of high school or college find that the NWTA offers further direction in choosing a man's life path and career. Many fathers and sons, many brothers, and generations of related family members have experienced the training together with great successes. Age is not the limitation. The question is "Are you ready to step through the door at your age?"

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Explain How You Men Are Able To Trust One Another When Most Men Don't Trust Other Men?
We are a spiritual community. We are not a religious organization. We are men. And, all men are inherently the same deep down in their masculinity. We have a shared experience that intensifies and connects us when we attend the NWTA weekend. Yet, we are not naive about men. We have a very deep awareness of what the shadow side of men is capable of, and we are discerning about opening our hearts with other men. We have experience dealing with physical and sexual abuse, ritual abuse, suicide, divorce, financial struggles, and other large and small traumas. The framework and container of the weekend is strong enough to handle any life experience a man has ever had. Ironically, many of the struggles and traumas of life are shared by more than one man. As a result of the open and honest space that we provide, men trust men within this safe circle of men. We welcome you and we offer a safe place where you and other men can talk and share.

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What Happens After the Training?
Several days after you have completed your initiation into a new way of thinking, acting, and feeling, you are welcomed into the community of your families, friends and fellow New Warriors at a graduation or "Welcome Home" ceremony. Then, at your option you may choose to participate in follow-up programs. We call the first of these programs an "integration" group, and it is designed to assist and support you in integrating your weekend experience into your daily life. The time commitment is 3-hours for one evening a week, and it continues for eight weeks. You are offered the support of men who attended the weekend with you, along with experienced senior men of the Community, so that a strong foundation of mentorship and guidance is available.

After the 8-week integration training is complete, you will also have the opportunity to continue your personal growth and awareness by participating in on-going Integration Groups that meet once a week or once every other week. It is here, in the safety of the I-Group that you will gain the support from your fellow men and offer your support, as well. If you travel, you will be welcomed into I-Groups throughout the Country and the world should you choose. The Integration Groups are as, or more valuable, as the NWTA weekend itself, so we urge each New Warrior to join one. Again, you alone choose whether to participate or not after the weekend.

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Does The NWTA and Warrior Work Make a Difference?
Like a stone dropped into a pond, the New Warrior Training Adventure has been sending ripples through the lives of men, their families, and their communities for almost two decades. This work has expanded from one training in the early 1980's, to trainings several times every month throughout the United States and the world. The growth and healing that men experience as New Warriors doesn't stop with themselves. New Warrior men and The ManKind Project Communities that they belong to, are mentoring disaffected youth, working with gangs and incarcerated young men, building shelters for the homeless, creating programs for Vietnam-era veterans, bringing this work into prisons to men who are confined, and working in other ways that cry out for healthy masculine presence.

Yet, none of this is required or expected of you as a New Warrior. It is however, a powerful opportunity for you to explore. We know that when one man makes a change, the world changes in response. Does this work? Does it make a difference? Ask any man who has been initiated into this work, and watch how his life has unfolded after being initiated, and after he has worked on himself in the integration programs.

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What Will I Get Out of All of This?
What you get from the NWTA is your own personal choice. Only you will know how your life has changed or been transformed as a result of your own personal experience. Thousands of men have gone through the training and experienced an awakening and an opportunity to transform their lives into productive, successful, and fulfilling ones. Whether it's a young man of 18 years or a mature man of 75, the NWTA is an opportunity for men to connect with men, and experience the masculine, mature growth that they may have been searching. It is an opportunity to look inside and see the authentic man that lives within you.
"Previous cultures throughout history always intended authentic masculine initiation. But their vision and their cultural context of the world was necessarily limited. Since the first earthrise photograph from outer space, we have entered a new mythological era. For the first time in human history, we have before us the possibility of authentic masculine initiation - an initiation into the global brotherhood." --Dr. Robert Moore Coauthor of King, Warrior, Magician, Lover

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Am I Ready?
This training is not for every man. Apply only after serious consideration and foresight. Do not be swayed to enroll by the urging of a spouse, friend, or even a New Warrior you may know. You alone will know when you are ready.

To participate, you must be in reasonably good physical condition and be willing to face the prospect of transformative change in your life. Men with physical impairments that might limit ones ability during the training are invited to participate. Physical limitations to not impair personal growth and awareness. We invite you to not allow your physical or emotional limitations to constrain your personal growth. You should be ready to participate fully in all training activities. You should be ready to take a hard look at yourself --- your deepest fears, what you have learned from your past, and the ways in which your life is not now truly working for you. This training is not for every man. Trust yourself to know when you are ready.

The best way to find out if your ready is to attend an "Open House" where New Warrior initiated men can offer you information and answer any questions. For men who would like to experience a small portion of the Warrior processes, you may consider attending certain I-Groups that are open to guests for a limited number of meetings. We are available to answer your questions so that you can make a conscious choice to attend the weekend.

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When are the Training dates?
The schedule for upcoming trainings for the Los Angeles is:

May 2010 Los Angeles
August 2010 Los Angeles
November 2010 Los Angeles

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How Can I Get Assistance From The Community?
The ManKind Project Los Angeles Community conducts business through a Council elected annually by the Community. There are thirteen men who hold Council seats and four men who are "advisors" to the Center Director. Information about the Community can be obtained through this Los Angeles Community web site at www.mkpla.org. Information about The ManKind Project International can be obtained through the Project web site at www.mkp.org. The Community issues a quarterly newsletter entitled "The Talking Stick", which is mailed to each initiated man. Men are waiting to assist you in your choice to attend a New Warrior Training Adventure and to support you on your journey.

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What Is The Fee For The Training and What If I Have Financial Limitations?
The New Warrior Training Adventure fee for the 3-day weekend is $700.00, which pays for a man's room and board for the weekend, and the related expenses to conduct the training and the business of the Community. As a non-profit organization, The ManKind Project Los Angeles Community generates no excess revenue at the end of the operating year. The expenses of the training and the business of the Community are transparent to all initiated men.
Men will not be turned away or denied the opportunity to attend a weekend due to financial conditions or limited resources. The ManKind Project Los Angeles Community has a Scholarship Program, a Deferred Payment Program, and a Man-of-Service Program for those men who have limited financial resources and show a passion and intention to attend the weekend. These programs are available when honest financial limitations are identified. Each man's situation is reviewed individually and all efforts are provided to offer every man the opportunity to attend the NWTA. For further information on these programs contact a Community representative or identify your needs on the registration form.

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How Do I Register?
When you are ready, fill out this form to register. Trainings are often booked-up well in advance, and it may be some time before you are admitted to one. We suggest you plan ahead, and clear your schedule for more than one possible training date. A man of the Community will contact you upon our receipt of your registration form. We encourage you to use this man as a resource as you begin and continue your journey.
"New Warrior Training is an authentic initiation into the cauldron of mature masculinity. I recommend it highly to deeply committed men. The NW staff are loving, generous, and deep-intentioned men who will evoke the very best within you." -- Forrest Craver Convener of the North American Confederation of Men's Councils

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