NGM Circle: Wolf Pack Reborn!
We are excited to announce that we have a new look and feel for our community events and are moving away from the Wolf Pack name and imagery. Next Gen Men’s community discussions are reborn as NGM Circle.
Don’t worry, even though Wolf Pack is getting a new name and look, the purpose has not changed.
The purpose is still to gather people together every month, and unpack "what it means to be a man". Across Canada, we will continue to create space for people of all genders to gather in their communities, connect, learn, and contribute to discussions about men and masculinity. Working together through the tensions and experiences of learning to be a man in the world, our goal is to support men in creating and promoting healthier, more positive masculinities. NGM Circle will remain grassroots work, and continue to be volunteer-led and planned in each city.
This rebrand was developed in response to feedback from our community in hopes of better reflecting our values, vision, and what actually goes on at our events. Our hope is that this rebrand will help to strengthen our efforts across the country as we continue to grow.
The circle is symbolic of our approach to groups, everyone as an equal at our gatherings which is representative of our core value of Equity.
Circles have no hard edges, they are safe and approachable, allowing for Curiosity.
Circles are containers, our circles connect our community members, inviting social risk and Courage.
Our circles bring people together to learn from and with one another, building Empathy.
Circles go on in an endless loop, symbolizing the embedded cultural transformation we envision: healthier ways of being a man accepted and celebrated in society over time.
Circles are timeless, like the social change we work towards. They have boundaries; circles connect and separate space. This is symbolic of our work to create a real, vibrant community, to make our own culture that is different from the things we see that hurt us and others.
The NGM Circle name is also a nod to the amazing feminist activist and scholar, bell hooks. In her book, Feminism is for Everybody, she describes that the origins of the second wave feminist movement were consciousness-raising circles. These were informal gatherings in activists’ homes or other welcoming spaces, where participants could dig deeply into issues of sexism patriarchy, and other injustices, like racial and class discrimination, that affected their lives. The idea behind these groups was not only collective organizing and community-building, but to support attendees to challenge their own internalized sexism, racism, homophobia and more.
When we know better, we can do better.
We hope you will join us in welcoming these changes as we work to build and promote healthy ways of being a man and support the next generation.
P.S. Thanks to Marc Rimmer for the amazing new logos! 🧡
— Ryan