Working with Men Workshops

Working with Men Workshops are delivered in one or two day formats, in your own local area, and help community welfare/health professionals develop stronger ways of working with men and family relationship issues. The locally based workshops allow organisations or networks of services, to develop better opportunities for providing programs to men and families and can be facilitated with either small or large groups.
The one day workshops focus on:
* an understanding of men’s needs
* what men might want when accessing community services
* how workers can engage men in service delivery
* what would make programs more ‘male friendly’
* how to market services to men
* skills used when working with men
* effective ways for female workers to work with men
The two day workshops allow participants an opportunity to develop their own local plan for working with men and family relationships (either individually, in group work or using a community development focus), overview current programs that target men and further practice skills used in the engagement of men.
Other professionals have identified the workshop’s impact as being:
“we will be more understanding of men’s needs, communication and marketing”
“it has given me a good start for enjoying fathers in a community project that has only supported mums in the past”
“will change the strategies I use n the future in engaging men”
“it made me realise how my environment (work) has affected my perceptions of young fathers and men, and how to change that”
“direct impact on how I work with young people, child, father and using the engagement triangle”
“I will approach things differently when in contact with fathers/partners of the children”
“I am much more aware of how we are now perceiving and treating men and how we might change our personal and organisational practice”
“I will try not to judge the men too quickly and give them a fair chance (no negative expectation)”
For more information about how to organise these workshops in your local area contact Andrew King on 0412 404 577 or email aking@burnside.org.au or visit our Burnside website.

Mark Thomson - Sheds

This story takes us from the city to the suburbs, where we look at that great Australian tradition, the back shed. Best selling author of "Blokes and Sheds" and shed devotee, Mark Thomson, shows us his shed and talks about why these structures have always been so important in Australian life.

Blokes, Sheds and Rare Trades

Blokes, Sheds and Rare Trades, the books and the Exhibition: In the Adelaide City region of South Australia

The shed looms large in our heritage. The giant sheep station shearing sheds, for instance, are the shelf of poems and paintings, telling their stories of backbreaking labour and pastoral fortunes. The buildings in this yarn are far more modest, because of their very nature - they are backyard sheds. One South Australian observer, however, has opened a nation’s eyes to their meanings, rules, secrets and ties that bind blokes and sheds. In the Adelaide Hills, on a shed amongst the backyard gums, we found the title “The Australasian Institute of Backyard Studies.”

the... "blokes" booklet

Blokes, men, fellas, boys, local lads, call them what you will, rural men are faced with many challenges living on the mid north coast of NSW

Key to mens' health could be found in the shed

Tracy Bowden's report:

KERRY O'BRIEN: And now an important story about men and their sheds.It's
well-documented that in general men are less healthy than women.We're more
likely to become seriously sick and to suffer higher rates of mental illness and
suicide.And, mugs that we are, we're apparently far less likely to seek
help

Nambucca Mens Shed

The early stages of retirement come with a period of adjustment for most people. When leaving the work place is coupled with moving to a new town - or city - the loneliness can be compounded. Link to ABC story

Men's Shed

Very interested to hear any information on how the Men's shed is going up your way. The council in Orange are still in the process of having endless meetings and committees to see whether one would be viable here.

Anne Burfitt

Blokes and Computers

Wyong Outreach has just started a new Bloke's course. In the past we have been lucky to get 6 to 12 starters, but this Semester we have 19, which is really good for Kevin but not so good for me as we only have 14 working computers!

It's an odd mix, ranging from a fully-sick, fully-pierced, fully-wired (I-Pod), 'net savvy 18 y.o. to a 60+ can't cope with the technology type and everything else in between.

Will no doubt be great fun.

David.

Community Computer Recycling

A possibility for a blokes project.
"Community Computer Recycling" is operated by Grant High School in South Australia to provide free computers (including software and basic training) to community organisations and people in need in our community. Students in the computer technician class gain practical skills through this program.

What I would like to see

I would like to see some exercises that other computer teachers use when delivering the basic computing modules. I will be more than happy to post some when I get home for everyone to use. I have a basic set of ten which I use which give the blokes step by step instructions. They may not be perfect but you could at least change them to suit yourselves.

Lea Parker
Outreach, Orange

Blogs for Blokes

An Outreach Exchange blog for the sharing of resources and ideas about courses for blokes.