A local men’s group is currently seeking more members by hosting an open house event on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at The Common in downtown Squamish.
The group, associated with the Samurai Brotherhood, began a Squamish “squad” in mid-2020.
Now that several members of the group have completed personal goals, they are looking for new members once again.
“Everyone who was in this club for a year and a half has explored a lot of personal topics over and over and has been getting value from just being with the men in the community,” said Thierry Muller, the captain of the squad. “Just showing up every week trying to advance themselves and further themselves in life in general.”
Since its start, Muller said the group topics can vary from mental health to relationships to finding purpose, among many other topics.
“It’s often topics that are quite personal in nature. It would be conversations, for instance, about people struggling with issues in their relationship and they want to find solutions to overcome it, or they want to be seen and heard and see how other men can relate to their story,” he said.
“We basically provide like an open space for open dialogues where the guys can feel safe and not judged by the group. It’s really a place to explore and talk about topics that can be difficult.”
Before a few members accomplished their goals, the group was at about 10 men, said Muller, but it could hold space for a maximum of 15.
“Beyond [15 men], you just don’t have space for everyone to be seen and explore their stories,” he said.
However, Muller added that they could explore creating a second group to accommodate a significant interest.
As for the open house event on Feb. 24, there is no limit for the number of men who can come and learn more about the group, aside from gathering restrictions due to the pandemic, said Muller. The event will also be free to attend.
For those who wind up joining the group, there is a $100 per month fee for the first three months and a $65 per month fee for each month after that. Once joined, the group also requires a weekly, three-hour commitment, said Muller.
But once committed, Muller said the group will help its members be accountable to their goals
“One of the things that a lot of guys crave is to be more accountable to themselves and to others in general. So we have systems in place to basically set accountabilities every week, so guys can claim what they want to achieve that week or that month. We follow up with them and make sure that they’re doing what they want to do,” he said.
For more information about Samurai Brotherhood, please visit samuraibrotherhood.com. For more information about the event in Squamish, please visit their Facebook event page.
