Mensheds

A nice piece in today's Guardian by Pete May draws attention to the Australian Mensheds not-for-profit company which puts sheds right at the heart of their work. Here's their mission statement:

"The growing problems with men's health, isolation, loneliness and depression are now looming as major health issues in Australia. Men's Sheds can play a significant and practical role in addressing these and other men's issues and at the same time act as a catalyst in stimulating their community's economic activities."

Or as they put it "economic gardening at work".

Their main goal is that every community in Australia will have a men’s shed and Mensheds also plan to:
* To engage the elderly, differently-abled, youth, veterans and other groups of men of the communities in both rural Australia and urban Australia, and to specifically address any issues of isolation, loneliness and depression;
* To support the social interaction of men in transitional periods (e.g. Redundancy, Bereavement, Retirement, Ill Health, Relocation, Respite Care);
* To share, disseminate and preserve the skills, abilities and interests that are relevant to the community.
There are some great voice-over presentations on the site which you should definitely explore.