This past Tuesday we were glad to welcome Punch Jackson to talk to us about Men’s Sheds. Men’s Sheds is an organization that began in Australia when a few men decided to get together to talk, drink coffee, swap stories and create things. The space was usually someone’s tool shed, but could also be a warehouse space, truck bay, coffee shop or meeting room. It is a space where men can get to know each other through a shared project such as woodworking, metal work, doing tech repairs, rebuilding things, learning to cook, carving, refinishing furniture, fixing things or just tinkering. It was a way for men to make new friends and have something interesting to do in their week.
Loneliness and boredom can often set in and finding a way out can be difficult. Men can often find themselves adrift after they retire or become unemployed, become separated or widowed, downsized their home and now have no workspace, or their wife just wants them out from underfoot. This gives them a place to go, things to do and people to do them with. Men are often reluctant to talk to each other face to face but will talk shoulder to shoulder with other men while doing something else with their hands. Some groups also bring in speakers to talk about topics of interest. The men who come to Men’s Sheds come from all walks of life, old and young, professionals and tradesmen. The younger men help the older men with technology and the older men help the younger men with things like how to use woodworking tools.
Man’s Sheds has now spread to many different countries with about twenty-five hundred groups in all. We have around forty groups in Canada, with around nine groups in Alberta. Each group has it’s own focus with many different types of meeting places. Finding a suitable meeting place and sponsors to cover the cost of rent and maintenance for the meeting place is the most difficult issue for most groups. Rural areas seem to have less trouble with this than urban groups. Finding men who are willing to help to set up a group can also be a challenge.
Some of the projects that Men’s Sheds have undertaken are things like building a gazebo and planter boxes for a senior’s residence, making wooden toys for a day care, refurbishing bicycles for children or making benches for a local park. The benefits that the men receive are a sense of purpose, learning new skills, a chance to be creative, a chance to give back to their community. They also learn health by stealth, as many men’s groups talk about men’s health.
Rotary was a key to getting Men’s Sheds started in many places in Australia. Rotarians can help by letting them know of spaces that may be available for them to use, or by helping to get funding or sponsorships for groups. We can get more information on their website mensshedsyeg.ca, by email at mensshedsedmonton@gmail.com, on twitter @mensshedsyeg, on Facebook at Edmonton Men’s Sheds or by phone at 780-717-6710.