Mossman’s ’She Shed’ to help women develop strong social connections
Community Services
Women in the Douglas Shire will soon be able to learn and share new skill sets with other women while making strong social connections and offering mutual support to one another.
Mossman Support Services has developed an exciting new program for local women called ‘The She Shed’. Ready for commencement in April, the She Shed will be a safe environment for all local women.
Heather Taylor, manager at Mossman Support Services, said that the She Shed will help women develop independence and confidence to undertake home maintenance projects while building on connections with other women in their community.
“This project offers the Women of the Douglas Shire a space to meet other women, learn and share strengths and vulnerabilities while learning further self sufficiency skills, strengthening themselves, each other and the community and improve mental health”, Ms Taylor said.
She explained that the idea came about when participants of other programs voiced their desire for a She Shed. “Also at our brainstorming sessions a She Shed continually came up”, she said. “It was clearly evident that these women felt a lot of passion in getting the She Shed up and running.”
Importance
Ms Taylor said the project is important because it will provide a space for women to get together and connect with each other. “This will develop a strong feeling of belonging in their community”, she said.
“This along with the learned and shared skills in the program will help to empower those attending, this is going to really make a difference in many people's lives. People feel good taking part and giving back and this will very much be a reciprocal program.
“We are really excited to offer this program and watch it grow. It seems everyone that hears about it also gets excited, with lots of ideas jumping out. This makes us realise this project is very much needed and wanted in the community.
“We are hoping to get a variety of women from all ages and walks of life, those who can teach and those who want to learn. I imagine most attending will be doing a bit of both.”
Model based on Men’s Shed
The model for the She Shed will be based on the already successful Men’s Shed. “The Men’s Shed is an excellent model to base the She Shed from, with connection and mental health being at the forefront while building on and sharing skills”, Ms Taylor said.
“This will be an independent program from The Men’s Shed so we are looking at benches, tools and safety gear to purchase. We were fortunate enough to get a grant from Douglas shire Council to go towards the initial set up and some of the classes.”
Flexible Program
“We will have a flexible program of teaching and learning for the next six months with ongoing input from participants, where after that, we are anticipating the organic ongoing development of it, just as our Men’s Shed has continued to grow.
“All of the projects have been determined through consultation in talks, meetings and a community survey. It will also be a work in progress where some projects may die out while others continue to grow.
“The She Shed will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 1pm. The only day The Men’s Shed and She Shed will be operating on the same day is Wednesday.
“We think that’s fitting as it’s also the day we have community lunch and Emergency Relief available, so it will be a really vibrant day at Mossman Support Services.”
Learn more about the She Shed and other programs at Mossman Support Services here.