Men's Sheds. Attention beats expertise.
Nearly 600 community workshops in the UK where old blokes fix things and drink tea. Invented by an Australian woman watching her dad.
THE GIST ON MEN'S SHEDS: "Attention beats expertise"
What is a Men's Shed?
A community workshop where old blokes meet to fix things, build things and drink tea. There are nearly 600 in the UK, and they're one of the most effective male mental health institutions ever built.
The whole thing was invented by an Australian woman watching her dad.
Where did the idea come from?
In 1993 an aged care worker in South Australia, Maxine Chesling, watched her father fall apart. He'd had a heart attack, been forced to stop working and slid into depression. The only place he seemed like himself was in his shed.
So she opened one for other men. Today there are over 3,000 in 15 countries.
What did she spot?
Something no clinician had. Men bond in a very particular way: standing next to each other in the pub, fixing cars together on the driveway, going for a walk.
She took an environment that already existed, filled it with tools and put a roof on it.
Why does it matter?
Male loneliness has become one of the biggest health stories of the last 30 years. 75% of suicides in the UK are men, and it's the biggest killer of men under 50. In a recent survey, one in four UK Sheds said they'd saved a member's life, and another one in seven were confident they had.
The mental health industry assumed expertise equals intervention. Sheds prove attention beats expertise. The industry studied male suffering for 100 years to work out how to fix it. Maxine studied one man who was fine on Tuesday afternoons and copied what he did.
Do you know anyone who'd benefit from a Shed?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
What is a Men's Shed?
A community workshop where men meet to fix and build things and drink tea. There are nearly 600 in the UK.
Who started them?
Maxine Chesling, an aged care worker in South Australia, in 1993, after watching her father struggle.
Do they help?
In a recent survey one in four UK Sheds said they'd saved a member's life, and one in seven were confident they had.
See you on the next one.
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