Men’s health and communities of practice in Australia
Journal of Health Organization and Management
ISSN: 1477-7266
Article publication date: 10 April 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the social opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men created through Men’s Groups/Sheds across urban, regional and remote areas of Australia. Men’s Sheds are a safe space, resembling a work-shop setting or backyard shed, where men are encouraged to socialise and participate in health promotion, informal learning and engage in meaningful tasks both individually and at the community level.
Design/methodology/approach
Explore five case study sites through Wenger’s (1998) active communities of practice (CoP). Qualitative methods are presented and analysed; methods comprise semi-structured interviews and yarning circles (focus groups). Five Indigenous leaders/coordinators participated in semi-structured interviews, as well as five yarning circles with a total of 61 Indigenous men.
Findings
In a societal context in which Indigenous men in Australia experience a number of social and health issues, impeding their quality of life and future opportunities, the central finding of the paper is that the effective development of social relations and socially designed programs through Men’s Groups, operating as CoP, may contribute to overcoming many social and health well-being concerns.
Originality/value
Contributions will provide a better understanding of how Indigenous men are engaging with Men’s Sheds, and through those interactions, are learning new skills and contributing to social change.
Keywords
Citation
Henwood, M., Shaw, A., Cavanagh, J., Bartram, T., Marjoribanks, T. and Kendrick, M. (2017), "Men’s health and communities of practice in Australia", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 207-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-12-2016-0234
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited