Men’s Sheds could soon be operating in Revelstoke, providing a mental health and community resource highly sought out in Revelstoke.
Representatives from Salmon Arm’s shed held an information session Saturday, April 6 at the Revelstoke Community Centre, providing tips on how they started and answering questions from community members interested in bringing a Men’s Shed to Revelstoke.
“We had 30 people show up to our first meeting, 15 of them became the core group,” Richard Anderson from Salmon Arm explained. “It started ten weeks ago and we’re really starting to see what role this is going to fill.”
Anderson and co-presenter Terry Coates stressed that Men’s Sheds could outwardly be a shed with tool access or could find other spaces to operate out of as long as the focus was on safe spaces for connection.
“The main goal, whatever shape it takes to get there, is to advance the health and wellbeing of men,” Coates said. Some sheds in B.C. have naturally gravitated to volunteering on projects throughout the community while others have become spaces where those knowledgeable in trades and skills can teach others, he explained.
“Not every shed starts with tools, not every shed has the space to get a whole woodworking set up for everyone to use. Sometimes you’re in a backyard for a while.”
Anderson originally assumed Men’s Sheds were similar to Maker Spaces and had joined to access tools for a couple of projects he was interested in. Quickly the whole scope of what Men’s Sheds could offer was shown to Anderson.
“Men, we kind of talk shoulder to shoulder,” Anderson shared. “You’re working on a project and kind of having conversations, but you don’t always get together just to talk.”
Representatives from Revelstoke Women’s Shelter Society (RWSS) attended the event in a show of support for men’s mental health resources.
“We often get asked: what about the men?” RWSS said in a social media post advertising the Revelstoke meeting. Anderson explained that various B.C. Men’s Sheds had found support through women’s groups.
“A lot of the time they see that need, and that allyship can be the sort of secret sauce to getting things going,”Anderson explained.
For some communities, Men’s Sheds also provide purpose for men who are ageing out of work and previous community roles.
“Older folks, they’re downsizing and moving to smaller homes,” Coates said. “Getting rid of a lot of their tools, maybe their work space and garage, and then just feeling kind of lost without a way to work on projects.”
That need is what sparked the original formation of Men’s Sheds in Australia in 1993, where founder Maxine Chaseling noticed her father struggling to mentally and emotionally recover from a heart attack. Failing to enjoy the card games and table banter at his community centre, Chaseling’s father found purpose while working on more manageable projects in his shed. Other men in the community eventually joined him, working to fix lawn mowers, creating small woodworking projects
The core idea of creating space where men could work together and build on successes sparked the formation of other sheds internationally. With conversations around men’s mental health growing more and more common, Coates explained communities are eager to set up resources and support.
“Find allies in your community, organizations and folks who can support you. Whether that’s by providing a regular space you can meet up in or helping advertise so you can reach more men who need this,” Coates said. Whether reaching out to local MLAs and MPs, your city council or other community organizations, Coates and Anderson both agreed getting word out about the Men’s Shed would help with longer term sustainability.
“There is a spontaneity to the whole thing,” Anderson stressed. “It’s really interesting to see the way a small group of guys can make something that really helps the community.”
Attendees at the event agreed on starting with a couple of meetings and exploring where the Revelstoke group’s focus might lie. All Revelstoke attendees showed interest in creating a group that focused on mental health support and connection, no matter what shape that took. For more information about future Men’s Shed meetups, email Michael Ferreira at [email protected].
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