A Community of Accountability
Family Shed is a place for veterans and the community to tackle projects that give us a chance to talk while working shoulder to shoulder. It’s a place to connect with each other, learn new skills, and share what you know with nieces, nephews, and neighbours.
Yes, I am a veteran. I am also a Rotarian. Family Shed follows Rotary’s example and sets aside the segregation of programs that are “by veterans for veterans.” The last thing any of us needs is to remain isolated after getting home.
Side by side with our family and neighbours, we need to learn the skills needed to do more than just talk. We need you to listen. We also need people to support, encourage, and applaud as we bridge the gap from military service to civilian life. From service to life.
Why Family Shed Exists
Imagine coming home from an overseas deployment and being unable to relate to your family because you just have no idea how to put the experience into words. It’s like steam without a pressure release
Now imagine the same scenario from the perspective of the veteran’s spouse, parents, or neighbour. How are they to relate to something that can never, despite Hollywood’s best efforts, be imagined; only experienced
It is thanks to Hollywood that when we think of veterans, we think about World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and maybe Korea. Even then, we just think about the heroic stories projected on the screen. There is no thought for the unrelenting tension, emotional trauma, and loneliness of service. Yes, even in the midst of your buddies, service can be an emotionally barren environment
Did you know that, today, Canadians are serving in Ukraine, Gaza, and even counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean? Veterans today are much more than just old people in wheelchairs
Canada has no need of Canadian soldiers defending her. We are surrounded by ocean on three sides and a peaceful neighbour to the south. So Canadian soldiers are adept at going to other countries to protect people who are unable to protect themselves. Unlike the Hollywood portrayal of soldiers, a Canadian soldier’s first priority is saving life; protecting others
That’s why it’s Family Shed. The love of the Family room mixed with the accountability of the wood Shed (you know, the place where dads used to hand out spankings). It’s a place to tackle projects that give us a chance to talk while working. It’s a place to learn new skills and share what you know with nieces, nephews, and neighbours
Family Shed is a place where those trained to protect and defend can lead by example and build the successes they desire.
The Family Shed Difference
Yes, I am a veteran, but Family Shed sets aside the segregation of programs that are “by veterans for veterans.” The last thing any of us needs is to remain isolated after getting home. We need our family and neighbours to learn the skills needed to do more than just talk to us. We need them to listen, but we also need people to support, encourage, and applaud as we bridge the gap from military service to civilian life. From service to life
Family Shed is there to wash away isolation. For the senior who wants to share knowledge with youngsters or maybe learn some new technology from the youngsters. For the teenager who feels disconnected and ineffective, who wants to make new connections and meet their need for Belonging. For the family member who needs something that’s missing at home without having to leave home behind. For the soldier who needs to shift their perception from “accepting help” to “receiving gratitude” from an appreciative society. A society that recognises soldiers voluntarily give up their rights while they serve to protect those unable to protect themselves.
Family Shed is about helping people stand up and achieve. We all know the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” What we tend to forget is that the village is needed to help people stay happy, healthy, and successful
The Back End Stuff
Family Shed Objectives
Support veterans to live emotionally stable lives on civvy street
Support young adults (13-29) in growing to be mature, responsible adults
Reduce the suicide rate to less than 1/100,000 globally
Family Shed Vision
A world connected by healthy relationships, motivated by personal responsibility, and supported by community accountability
Mission
Develop four aspects of Family Shed:
- Family activities
- Veterans only
- Women only
- Men only
This provides each population a welcoming environment where they can always engage with the primary purpose of supporting and enhancing personal well being and health
Form supportive communities where the 5 Needs are satisfied:
Belonging is fulfilled by experiencing companionship when faced with life challenges and life opportunities
Purpose is fulfilled by participating in individual, group, and/or cooperative projects that stimulate creativity, share knowledge, and/or encourage learning
Freedom is encouraged by inviting participants to guide the programming choices
Fun is enhanced by tailoring programming to encourage personal responsibility and community accountability
Survival is strengthened by teaching financial literacy and interpersonal skills
Family Shed Premise
Did you know it takes ten support soldiers to keep one combat soldier in action?
That’s why the majority of soldiers leaving military service never have difficulty on civvy street. They never had the stress or exhilaration of combat. Then there’s a much smaller group that gets out and gets by, but they live a life filled with difficulty. And the smallest group, the folks who get into crisis, are the ones you hear about when programs talk about helping veterans.
The question that never seems to get asked is: Why do these people end up in crisis? Are they somehow broken or deficient?
The answer is far simpler than that. The people who get into crisis are the folks who lose their family when they leave the military. They have no blood relatives, or their relatives are unprepared to be supportive, and the military is the only family they have. They leave and find themselves alone.
Soldiers know that a small error of even one degree, half a degree, can mean missing the target completely. Right now, their target is to complete their service and move on with life. They are unaware that some of their brothers and sisters are having difficulty doing that.
The tiny shift needed is recognising that some people need help to move on with life. They lose the only family they have when they leave the military, so they need people from the military to stick with them. It’s the tiny bit of help we call friendship, camaraderie.
Family Shed aims to provide that camaraderie. This is why it’s important to start working with soldiers over waiting until they leave the military. We can educate soldiers about the occasional need of their comrades so they are prepared to support each other when they leave the military.
Family Shed is a safe space for veterans to learn new skills and share their training. It is a space for civilians to stretch and grow as they learn that some soldiers have difficulty letting go of the toxic nature of military life.
That’s why some events are veteran only. Others are for men or women, and most are oriented toward families. Soldiers sometimes need to relearn what it is to be in a healthy, supportive family. That’s what Family Shed does. It combines the warmth of the Family room with the discipline of the wood Shed. Family Shed.
