Peach City Men’s Shed (Penticton)
About
What is the Men’s Shed?
Simply put, a Men’s Shed is a group of men who get together in their community to develop new skills, discover new interests, and make new friends. But it’s so much more than that. For many men, aging and retirement can lead to loneliness and a loss of purpose; and that’s where Men’s Sheds come in. Symbolic of that backyard workshop where men share stories and tinker with woodworking or electronics, a Men’s Shed is grounded in the idea that men communicate more effectively when they’re “shoulder to shoulder” with other men.
As health concerns related to social isolation and depression are often unrecognized, and men can be reluctant to seek help, Men’s Sheds have a vital role to play in fostering emotional well-being and transformative, fulfilling relationships for men in their retirement years. Shed members cross age, culture, and socioeconomic status, and no two Sheds are quite alike. Some Shedders gather in a workshop to build and fix things. Others focus on hiking or gardening or cooking. Most team up with local organizations to do special projects that support their community. But what all Sheds have in common is a welcoming environment where men create shared experiences, celebrate accomplishments, and build community.
Membership
Members come from a wide range of ages, abilities and skills.
Typically Men’s Shed members are retired men but many sheds also have younger family men and some include women.
We are from a variety of circumstances. Some are lucky enough to still have their own work shops but many have had to move into condo living and yearn to get back into a workshop.
What We Do
A large part of the Men’s Shed movement is for mental health. Many members have lost the support of friends and spouses and need the structure of regular meetings to have a reason to get out and socialise.
The Peach City Men’s Shed will achieve this and will promote activity within the group.
Not only are we able to provide the above but we are community driven by taking on woodworking projects to benefit the community at large and to help individuals.
Funding
The Peach City Men’s Shed is a non-profit society and relies on funding from other groups to help with expenses. For the projects we undertake we would look at donated materials.
As a new Shed we are actively seeking woodworking tools and machinery as well as materials of all kinds for our community project undertakings.
Goals
The ultimate goal is to acquire a space in the Penticton area where we can establish a woodworking shop that is available to members at any time. The workshop could include space for our regular meetings and as such will need to have some basics such as a washroom and has to be fully accessible.
This will be a place where we can efficiently complete our projects.
The best case scenario would be a no cost space but if funding is available then we will look at rental option.
Possible Projects
Visit our Projects page to see what we’ve done in the community!
Modifying living spaces to be more accessible by adding handrails and ramps as needed, for example.
Assisting other charitable groups by building benches, tables or whatever might be needed to help them help their clients.
We will consider any need.