The Men’s Shed support group has opened a new location in Grande Prairie. Project Lead Richard Nasedkin says the goal is to bring people together and connect.
“We are setting up a space that men can gather and form a community while supporting each other in whatever is going on in their lives. We hope to offer them a place where they can do some woodworking and develop interests that may be outside of their family and outside of their workplace,” he says.
There’s one other Men’s Shed support group in Edmonton that had to shut down in 2021 because they didn’t have a space to meet anymore. The meeting space in Grande Prairie has been secured for two years.
“Just before the pandemic started, we were meeting and looking for a space to use. I think people during the pandemic who had small social circles have seen those circles disintegrate and there’s been an awful lot of what I would call a chronic loneliness problem in our society right now,” he says.
There is still much work to be done on the new space, and Nasedkin encourages anyone interested to come and check out the group.
“Right now it’s a blank canvas, we have painted the floor and we are working on securing an electrician to put in the plug-ins and the like. We have some very basic woodworking tools and we’ll be building some benches, as well as a small kitchenette, and bringing in some furniture eventually too,” he says.
Nasedkin says during the opening they had 20 people interested. Eight people in total have attended the meetings and he’s had four additional people approach him about the support group. “I’m really excited to see how many people come out on Tuesday,” he adds.
The Men’s Shed is in partnership with the Resource Centre for Suicide Prevention. The group meets Tuesday nights from 7-9 p.m. at 114367 97 Avenue in Richmond Industrial Park.