Following in the footsteps of other communities in Alberta, Westlock is seeking men to take on a leadership role in establishing a Men’s Shed in the area.
As a dedicated space for men to work on fun projects while also fostering a sense of community, a Men’s Shed is a perfect example of the steps leaders are taking in Canada to promote mental health and safety in men.
Originally founded in the early '90s in Australia during a time when unemployment was at an all-time high and the suicide rates skyrocketed among men. At this point, men's lives revolved around their work schedules, which contributed significantly to their social connections. Maxine Chaseling has been attributed to being the creator of the first one after seeing her father sink into a depressive state after his retirement. She wanted men to have a safe space where they could connect over coffee, work on a project and share their skills.
The shed spread fast across the country and eventually made its way over to Canada, where more than 40 are set up across Alberta, including in Morinville, Whitecourt, Valleyview and Ponoka.
Punch Jackson, a board member from the Alberta Men’s Shed Association, talked to some men at the FCSS Father’s Day barbecue in June about potentially bringing one to Westlock.
“You know, when I was there in Westlock for that barbecue and talking to the few guys and they were living in seniors residences and they didn’t have anything to do," Jackson said. "And that was sad.”
Jackson acknowledged the informal gatherings that happen in communities.
“There will be gatherings of men at all those different coffee shops, whether they’re local coffee shops or Tim Horton’s or A&W or McDonald’s, you’ll see gatherings of men, and they’re there in the morning and they talk at about the same time every morning,” he said.
Westlock does have male-oriented gatherings, like the Tractor Talk that happens once a month at the Canadian Tractor Museum. However, the purpose of a Men’s Shed is to encourage a space for men to be vulnerable and connect with others, Jackson said.
“Women talk face to face and men talk shoulder to shoulder. When they start working on the lawn mowers and things, they're working shoulder to shoulder. So that's when they start talking to each other. By the fifth week, some of them said it just gave them a reason to get up in the morning."
The association’s goal is to have a thousand up and running by 2032 in the whole country. However, Jackson said that some of the barriers they see are finding someone to take on the task.
“The barriers are finding a leader, and then if they want to have space, that’s a problem," he said. "Like if they want to have a workshop, finding space is an issue in the big cities, and it's even an issue in the rural communities, but less.”
Men’s Sheds can be a combination of being in company while also doing something good for the community, said Jackson. “The men make the key decisions, the men decide what they’re gonna do. It depends on the guys that are in the shed, and [in] many rural communities, there’s lots of retired farmers and they are innovative and usually have a lot of skills.”
Jackson says that some groups choose activities that will benefit the community, like making and tending to a community garden, while others have made book nooks for the streets.
Part of these safe places is also encouraging men to take care of their health, he said. “We have a phrase called health by stealth, and you just send messages about ‘Well, guys, when’s the last time you had a health checkup? You’ve taken better care of your car than you have your body; it’s time you went in and [got it] checked.'”
The FCSS is looking to make this a reality here in Westlock, but would need assistance to make it happen. They urge anyone who is willing to run the program to contact them for more information.
