Illustration of a green notebook, paintbrush, hammer and glue
Social Spaces

Workshop

EFFORT LEVEL

Easy to Moderate

COST

Low to Moderate

Red graphic element

About this Idea

Create a dedicated hobby room or set up a table in the corner of a common space for groups or individual residents to use for creative projects. Ask residents to donate tools, supplies, tables, and chairs. You can even poll the community to find experts or those with hidden talents to lead creative workshops such as glass painting, knitting, or birdhouse building.

Hint: Encourage men to gather and socialize by setting up a ‘Men’s Shed’. This does need not to be a shed, and might just be a designated time for men to congregate or a corner of the workshop space that is set up with a workbench and donated or shared tools that can be used by the community. One building in Toronto set up a space in their building that was dedicated to woodworking and crafting through donations of tools and supplies.