our story
kinhood began in 2018 as a series of retreats exploring authentic expressions of masculinity, in response to growing awareness of gender based harm, male violence, and a lack of accessible connection and intimacy for men.
the goal of the retreats was simple; encourage men to revisit our relationships to intimacy, accountability, and self expression.
in the first two years we gathered together over 100 men, with each gathering bringing new depths of intimacy, connection and community.
in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, our ability to gather felt simultaneously inaccessible and more needed than ever.
we took a leap of faith and chose to bring our gatherings and community online.
we didn’t know if the intimacy, trust, and connection developed in retreats would translate.
what we did know is that the space we held and the connection it fostered was desperately needed.
the online retreats were more successful than we could have imagined.
we brought together over 100 men and provided support for many in a trying time.
over the past four years our community has grown in size, in relationship, and in the desire to continue deepening together.
it’s become clear that pockets of intimacy and connection in retreat are not enough;
what’s needed and desired is continuity and consistency, as individuals and as a collective.
and so we’ve created kinhood, a place for men to gather together and build community.
a place for connection, intimacy, accountability, support, expression, relation, and belief in new kind of culture for men.
our approach
we’ve spent countless hours asking ourselves the question, “what even is men’s work?”.
we’ve experienced so many versions of men’s work that didn’t fully resonate.
they tried to make us into “better men”, show us the paths to “success”, or guide us toward becoming the archetypal “man”.
at kinhood, we don’t hold any expectation of who or how a man should be.
we believe that masculinity can hold complexity, multiplicity, and contradiction.
each one of us is bringing expansiveness to what it means to be a human being socialized as a man.
we aren’t experts. we don’t have it all figured out. and we certainly don’t have shortcuts or secrets to sell.
we’re all learning and growing, and we’ve figured out that we’re exponentially greater when we grow together.
whenever we gather together, we all have something unique to offer, and we all have something new to learn.
this is why kinhood is dedicated to creating opportunities and experiences for men to come together.
we’re committed to showing up in right relationship, and to growing a culture of care for men.
we’ve identified values/elements/principles with which we approach our work together:
accountability - showing up in a good way for ourselves & our relations
connection - cultivating a sense of belonging
expression - expanding the boundaries of masculinity
access - creating inviting space for all men, especially those often marginalized
emergence - inviting change and practicing adaptability
embodiment - getting out of our heads and remembering how to feel
nurturance - showing love, affection, and care
ritual - illuminating the sacredness in our lives and actions
earth connection - framing our lives as a part of a greater living being
our team
kinhood organizers
dor haberer
Dor has facilitated men’s work for the past 5 years. he incorporates somatic modalities into his work and is trained in Shiatsu Therapy, Qi Gong, and 5 Rhythms dance. Dor has a Masters of Integrative Ecological and Social Design and is always thinking of how his offerings impact social and ecological regeneration and culture. Dor brings together his connection to his ancestral Arabic Jewish Roots, his love of ecology, and orientation towards simplicity and pleasure into his work.
ophir haberer
Ophir is a Jerusalem-born facilitator, educator, mediator, ritualist, storyteller, and organizational consultant. He has been guiding men’s work for over 5 years and has facilitated for numerous organizations all over the country. He helped pilot and direct MenschUp, the mens’ program for the Shalom Bayit, the Jewish Center for Domestic Abuse. He is a certified somatic trauma therapist through the Hakomi Institute of California, and a certified Esalen Massage practitioner. He is passionate around working with clients and communities to move trauma through the body.
alex voynow
Alex is an educator and facilitator raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia and currently based in Santa Cruz, on ancestral and present Awaswas land. Through community building, earth connection, and a commitment to accountability and regeneration, Alex moves through and helps others move through processes of self/collective healing and liberation. As a rites of passage guide, nature connection mentor, community historian, and community organizer, Alex brings a passionate relationship to the work of inner and outer ecological healing at the core of our vision of men’s work.
ben poretzky
Ben began his men’s work journey in response to his experiences as a fraternity member, athlete, and corporate manager. in dealing with chronic body pain, he sought a deeper understanding of his body, and desired to develop a more supportive approach to self care . Through years of studying and practicing mindfulness, Ben has been expanding his relationship to his body, gender, and identity. Ben approaches men’s work with an eye for structure, ensuring that the channels are open and resources are available for organizers, facilitators, community members, and the organization itself.
eli klarman
eli is an entrepreneur, educator, and cook. he has been working at the intersection of community building and organizational operations since 2015, when we founded an indoor rock climbing gym in New Orleans and built a home for the climbing community where there had previously not been one. eli came to men’s work with a desire for more meaningful relationships with partners, friends, family and community, and is passionate about inviting others into their process of doing the same.
alexandr soran
associate chaplain
Alexandr (he/they) is a jack of all trades from Kalapuya land in Oregon. He is currently a Master of Divinity & Chaplaincy student at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he studies the intersections of masculinity, ecology and liberation theology. An inhabitant and lover of liminal spaces, Alexandr commitment to deep solidarity and liberation for all beings manifests through his exploratory approach to multifaith chaplaincy and men’s work.
reflections
words of gratitude from community members and past participants.
"Beautiful, essential, nourishing and surprisingly easy to settle into.
I'm more in touch with my true self than I've ever been & trust that I've made lifelong friends."
"This was an amazing opportunity to connect with other men, use each other as support in unleashing our potential as humans, and is the perfect response and practice activity to heal the greater rifts of the world."
“This is powerful, necessary work. The facilitators are pure magic. If you are someone who has been conditioned as a man, please check this work out to investigate how it might enrich your life, the lives of others, and society as a whole.”
“This community is willing to put in the work and act as a brotherhood to heal the iniquities in our system, to re-socialize what being a strong, vulnerable, emotionally-connected man can be, and to support each other through our difficulties. The poetry of words, spirit, and empathy invigorated me to be a better me, one who can ask for help and will show up to lift up those less enfranchised.”
“I can't thank you all enough for creating this space and welcoming me into it. We're in a lonely and isolating chapter of an already lonely and isolating dominant cultural experience. It takes great courage and vulnerability to carve out space for a refuge like the one that we had last weekend together and I'm grateful that you poured yourselves into that effort. For me, it was rain on a parched field.”
“The retreat was such a powerful way to connect, even during the physical distancing of this COVID pandemic. This workshop reinforced my desire to do more work undoing the way patriarchy has shaped me. I think this requires lots of healing and transformation, which needs to happen in our minds, emotions, and our bodies. I loved how this retreat emphasized embodied practice and ritual. I've been in workshops before where the entire conversation remains cognitive, and this workshop deepened my understanding that healing can deepen when we pay attention to what's happening in our bodies.”
