Why a Provincial Association of Mens Sheds?
Men's Sheds Ontario (MSO) is a collection of Men's Sheds within the province who regularly network for mutual support and sharing of ideas.
Our Mission
The Mission of Men's Sheds Ontario is to support existing Men's Sheds in Ontario and help establish Sheds in additional communities. MSO will not have any direct control over, or responsibility for, any individual Shed.
Our Objectives
1) To represent the interests of Men's Sheds in Ontario (MSO) to provincial bodies;
2) To support established Sheds within the province & build a network among them;
3) To provide support and resources for emerging Sheds in Ontario;
4) To maintain a provincial registry of established and emerging sheds;
5) To raise public awareness of the social, physical and emotional health benefits of Men's Sheds;
6) To provide benefits to member Sheds such as discounted group liability insurance rates;
7) To develop strategic alliances with key organizations in the province;
8) To host Provincial Conferences (in person or virtual) as needed/wanted.
Services Offered
The Men's Shed movement is a bottom-up organization by design, where all the power resides at the Shed level.
Sheds decide if they want to be involved with the Provincial or Federal Shedding organizations and how much they want to be involved. Membership and therefore fees are voluntary.
We strive to make free to any Ontario Shed (and beyond) our information and guidance. Yet some things simply cost money per shed. For example, your portion of a Group Liability Insurance, should you choose to participate in that part of our offerings.
Other things should be covered for all, like a free mini-web site for those sheds too small or without tech savvy members to make their own.
To date, we have no source of revenue, no membership fees and therefore no budget. We hope that will change and with a very few dollars we can do good across the province, but for the most part that is up to you.
Our provincial association of Sheds is all about supporting a local Shed's undergirding mission; the mandate, raison d'etre for Men's Sheds, is to enhance the health and well-being of men. This includes physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. As such it is, in part, a health initiative. It fulfils this mission by providing peer support, a place to call home away from home, a range of fun group activities to enjoy life, the opportunity to work on projects that improve the community and a sense of accomplishment when the project is complete.
Click here for suggestions on how you can help.