mentoring program - men's sheds | australian men's shed
TRANSCRIPT
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
MENTORING PROGRAM
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
City of Melton
• Outer Western community, 35kms from
Melbourne
• Population = 144,457
• During 2015 - 2016, we had the fourth fastest
(4.4%) and the fifth largest (5,816) growth in
Victoria
• 2007 - 2016, population increased from
86,196 to 138,641 (52,445) or by 61%
• By 2041, population will be 347,700, almost
the size of Canberra today
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
Our Men’s Shed Journey
• Opened the Melton Men’s Shed
in 2009
• One of the first Sheds to be run
and funded fully as a service of
Council
• Operates four days per week, and one evening
• Activities: Woodworking, Community Projects, Meals, Cycling,
Gardening, Games, Health Forums, Social
• Averages 21 Shed visitors per day
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
The Journey cont….
• Opened the Taylors Hill Men’s
Shed in 2015
• Operates three days per week
• Activities: Woodworking, Community Projects, Meals, Gardening,
Shed Band, Health Forums, Social
• Averages 31 Shed visitors per day
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
Council’s Role
• One full time Shed Programs Officer,
supported by Positive Ageing Officer
• Each Shed has a significant budget to
cover promotional, tools and equipment,
program and all other operational costs
• Support other communities, Sheds and
Councils
• Council undertake administrative duties,
developing partnerships, supporting the
volunteer Team Leaders
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
Mentoring Program
• A six week program (Terms 2&3) for six
Grade 5 boys
• Students at risk of disengaging from
school, or would benefit from having a
positive male role model
• Students must attend all classes at
school to participate
• Students mentored by a Sheddie to
build projects they get to take home
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
The Challenges
• Choosing projects that give enough
hands-on, but aren’t too complex
• Ensuring schools keep the Sheds
informed about changes
• Accessing tools the students can easily
use
• Teacher engagement
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
The Achievements
• Since 2012, all 15 local PS Schools
have participated
• Nearly 100 ‘Trainee Sheddies’ have
participated
• Sheddies love the program, especially
those living away from their grandkids
• Teachers report that the boys make
strong commitment to the program, and
attendance and engagement at school
are vastly improved
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
The Achievements
• Sheddies develop their mentoring,
communication and teamwork skills
• Students develop basic woodwork
skills, new friendships and esteem
• Partnership of Melton and Taylors Hill
Men’s Sheds, Brimbank/Melton Local
Learning and Employment Network,
Dept. of Education and local schools
• Students contributed to Foster Family
community project
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
A Thriving Community Where Everyone Belongs
Shed Resource
A USB resource with our:
Grant applications,
Operations Manual,
Research,
Lesson Plan
and plenty more
Darren Cunningham
Positive Ageing Officer
Melton City Council
03 9747 7332 / [email protected]
www.melton.vic.gov.au/MensShed