What is a Men's Shed?
At its most fundamental level, a Men’s Shed is a group of men bound together by the common desire for camaraderie and purpose beyond one's individual capabilities. The Shed can take on many different forms though the most common form is that of a workshop-type space where men can tinker with their hands to their own enjoyment and can work on larger-scale projects together for the benefit of the community. Some examples of projects include building community garden beds, building bird houses for seniors' housing complexes, or changing oil for low income families.
History of Men's Sheds
The men's shed movement originated in Australia. Maxine Chaseling came up with the idea of a men's shed after her own father had become depressed and felt stuck at home after having a heart attack and not being able to work anymore. She noticed that the only thing that seemed to give her father purpose was to work in his shed. Applying this observation at a larger scale, she created a shed-space for other older men that she worked with through her employment at a local centre focused on providing services for the elderly. The idea caught on fire and the rest is history.