Bowen Island Men’s Shed—Upgrades

The Bowen Island Men’s Shed is a new organization on Bowen. Founded in 2024, its goal is to provide a social space for men to work together, build new skills, and form friendships while doing productive, meaningful work in the community. Men’s Shed volunteers have hustled to get all their ducks in a row: during their first year, they organized themselves, negotiated a home in the sea can behind IPS, ensured that the electricity, heat, and lighting were in place, and with the grant, insulated the container. They are in the process of setting up the dust-extraction and ventilation systems. The Community Impact Grant that helped fund these upgrades will make the shed a year-round, safe workspace.

Now that the shed is operational, Men’s Shed members are working together to build the benches that will provide working space both inside and outside the workshop.

The Bowen Island Men’s Shed is one of many in the global Men’s Shed network, which was founded in Australia to enhance older men’s health and well-being, and now has clubs around the world. The goal was to provide some relief from the boredom, loneliness, and social isolation that many men experience after they retire. It is part of the growing recognition that social connection and emotional well-being are critical for good health—not only as we age, but throughout our lives.

Men’s Shed members take part in building projects while also mentoring IPS students in carpentry, design, and other practical construction skills. This intergenerational exchange—seniors sharing knowledge and skills with youth—has reciprocal benefits, and is one of the priorities of the Foundation. The Bowen Island club will bring seniors into the middle-school classrooms at IPS to create opportunities for hands-on learning, help the students acquire valuable life skills, and foster a sense of togetherness within the broader community.

Among the first projects at the shed (in addition to the insulation and ventilation) has been the construction of new worktables for the shed and working with IPS students to build toolboxes—a project geared toward training in the use of basic hand tools needed for carpentry.

It’s not all work at The Bowen Island Men’s Shed—members convene on Saturdays during good weather for coffee and socializing—friendly, inclusive events that attract twenty to thirty participants weekly.

One of the exciting and unexpected aspects of the program for vice-president of the club, Steve Elves, is the breadth of skills and expertise that people of all ages bring to projects. He also takes great personal enjoyment in working with the kids to build things.

The Men’s Shed initiative supports a number of the Community Foundation’s Vital Conversations priorities—in particular, community building through youth and seniors working together. It also aims to strengthen the mental health and well-being of men across generations.

At the same time, its impact is broader in practice. At IPS, most of the students participating in the recent building workshops were girls, reflecting the club’s wider community reach and inclusive nature.

Grounded in ideals of volunteering and shared purpose, the Men’s Shed demonstrates how people working together can make a real difference, one life at a time.

Lead image: Men's Shed members reveal the insulated sea can