With more than 200,000 volunteer hours recorded, new national research released for Men’s Shed Week reveals ‘the ripple effect’ of how Men’s Sheds strengthen men and their communities.
Men’s Shed Week, happening now, celebrates the immense impact of Men’s Sheds throughout Australia. There are more than 1,300 registered Men’s and Community Sheds across Australia. New research from the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA) reveals just how impactful these sheds are.
The 234 Men’s Sheds participating in AMSA’s 2026 National Impact Snapshot, representing more than 12,000 active members, collectively reported more than 3,300 community projects and activities in the past year, with more than 2,000 community organisations and groups benefitting from the work reported by participating sheds.
The rewarding sense of purpose this contribution brings to often older retired men has a huge mental health impact.
Quality of life
AMSA’s additional 2026 Shedder Survey found 84.5 per cet of shedders said their quality of life had improved since joining their shed, from 494 responses. 98.8 per cent said they felt more connected to others, 95.5 per cent said they were more likely to learn or share skills, and 96.2 per cent felt more able to contribute to their community.
Behind those numbers is a simple story. A man finds somewhere he belongs, meets people, keeps his skills and experience in circulation and often learns something new along the way. In time, what he gains from the shed becomes something he can give back to another member, a young person, or an external organisation.
These relationships extend throughout local communities, including schools and preschools, aged care facilities, disability organisations, sporting clubs, veterans’ groups, councils, environmental projects, emergency services and community events.
AMSA Executive Officer David Helmers said the findings demonstrate why the impact of Men’s Sheds cannot be measured simply by what happens inside the shed.
Benefits flowing out
‘The story of Men’s Sheds has always started with the men, but it doesn’t end there. When a man finds mateship, purpose and a place where his skills are valued, that benefit flows through the shed and into the community around him,’ he said.
‘Men’s Sheds aren’t only places where men receive support. They are places where men participate and contribute, sharing skills, mentoring others, volunteering their time and putting their experience to work in ways that strengthen their communities.’
The Australian Men’s Shed Association joined the bipartisan Parliamentary Friendship Group of Men’s Sheds to celebrate Men’s Shed Week at Parliament House on September 8.
Local shedders shared a BBQ lunch with members and spoke of the impact their sheds had made in their lives and their communities.
Case study
At Newcastle Men’s Shed in NSW, the ripple effect can be seen through an intergenerational mentoring program that has been bringing experienced shed members together with local high school students for eight years.
More than 150 young people have participated in the program, working alongside shedders to develop practical skills while also benefiting from their knowledge, experience and encouragement. For some participants, that experience has contributed to pathways into scholarships, trade college and apprenticeships.
Shedder Geoff Hamilton said, ‘The program is essentially to take youngsters that are academically floundering and to lift their morale and show them there’s other things. And excitingly out of the first 8 students I had, 2 have got apprenticeships, one’s on a trial and three have got scholarships.’
Rod Kleeman, a teacher from Wallsend Callaghan College who is a supervisor on the program said, ‘It’s amazing the relationship they form here with mentors, it’s very very different from the relationship they form with teachers at school. It’s a mutually beneficial thing, where we see the mentors get a big boost to their mental health and wellbeing and the kids leave here the best version of themselves they can possibly be.’
The program is one example of how the knowledge and experience held within a Men’s Shed can continue to have value well beyond its membership, creating opportunities for members to contribute while strengthening connections between generations and within the wider community.
Built on purpose
Mr Helmers said this was at the heart of this year’s Men’s Shed Week theme, ‘Built on Purpose.’
‘Men’s Sheds give men the space to belong, create, connect and contribute,’ he said. ‘That might mean making a new friend, learning a skill, teaching someone else what you know, helping with a community project or mentoring a young person.
‘When you consider those everyday experiences across more than 1,300 Men’s Sheds around Australia, you begin to see the scale of the ripple effect – stronger connections, useful skills and experience staying in circulation, and thousands of men continuing to make a valuable contribution to their communities.’
You can find the Men’s Sheds operating in your area here.
Note: the 200,000+ volunteer hours, 3,300+ community projects and activities, and 2,000+ organisations/groups benefiting are conservative reported totals from sheds participating in this study. They have not been extrapolated across the national Men’s Shed movement.
