SHOVELHEADS

Comprised of men diverse in background, biography, life situation and profession, we’re focused on building tight-knit relationships that go beyond the formal structure of the circle.

Being a Shovelhead means you’re looking not only for self-improvement and community service, but also to build strong friendships with the men around you.

We’ve joined the Circle in mid-2018 and are gradually building our own structure, rituals and foundations.
To forge strong connections. To support men being their best. To dig vigorously and go deeper than ever before.

 

Shovelheads Meeting Structure

We follow a set structure, adapted from other strong teams such as the NUTS and 10/90. The structure allows us to ensure we get all men supported, according to need, as well as making time for (circle) business topics and commitments.

The meetings are led by the man who is this week’s host or their delegate.

  1. Arrival (10 minutes) – Members can arrive, socialize, get connected
  2. Grounding Mediation (5 Minutes) – To bring all members fully in the here
  3. Headlines (5 Minutes) – Round-robin, each member states a notable event of the last week as if it was a newspaper headline, gives a quick taste of each member’s week
  4. Burns (Optional, time varies) – Any member can voice issues with any other member and get them resolved on the spot, this allows all men to be present for the support section without harbouring anything that could keep them apart
  5. Five-Finger Pulse (1 Minute) – Each man holds up an amount of fingers, depending on their need to talk/get support. This goes from 1 (very little need) to 5 (Emergency). This allows the team to give the men with the greatest need the most attention and also allows a quick check in on how members are doing
  6. Support (60 -75 Minutes) – Following the Five-Finger Pulse priority, the men get between 15 and 25 minutes to freely share, ask for support and work through issues. More time might be given if the situation warrants it.
  7. Business (5 – 15 Minutes) – Discuss any Circle business, e.g. rotation jobs, news from the circle etc.
  8. Commitments (10 Minutes) – A review of each man’s commitments from last week, what has been achieved, what caused a miss, how the man is going to address any missed commitments and the setting up of new commitments for next week, including support structures. This segment allows each man to be held accountable for smaller, ongoing improvements to their life. Accountability and the need to “face the men” provides the nudge to get men to be what they say they are: Men of their word.

 

Visiting the Shovelheads

The Shovelheads are open to visitors, though capacity is limited. Usually one visitor is admitted on a 6-week cycle.

The visitor should contact the Shovelheads’ team captain in advance, check if the team would be able to accomodate them and also discuss what the intention of the visit is, to make it as enjoyable and effective as possible for all involved.

 

Joining the Shovelheads

The Shovelheads are currently not accepting additional members.