Timber & Timberframe
Tackling poverty and teaching skills
with MEDITE SMARTPLY
The New Community Men’s Shed, a
social enterprise established in May
2019 teaches joinery skills using
SMARTPLY OSB to male refugees in
Waterford, Ireland.
Members are drawn from the Viking
House Direct Provision Centre
for refugees in Waterford and are
encouraged to engage in team joinery
activities to build not only skills and
useful items, but new connections too.
“Refugees are among the most
vulnerable groups in our community,”
said Frank Kennedy, Manager at the
Men’s Shed, “They arrive in the UK with
few to no connections to their host
community, little English language
speaking ability and are most likely
to enter a cycle of poverty which may
last for generations. We think that we
can prevent this by engaging them in a
Men’s Shed.”
Members are encouraged to engage in
30 hours or more of group activities
at the Shed, during which time they’ll
build items of furniture and also learn
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basic English through immersion in the
language.
“We try to create an informal
environment- this is a place to relax
as much as it is to learn and focus
the mind on productive activities,”
explains Frank. “However, our golden
rule is that English must be spoken at
all times. This way, the members learn
because they simply must- much as
they would have to without the Shed.
The difference is, we’re a friendly, safe
space, where they can ask questions.”