Mibbinbah (Men’s Spaces)

The Mibbinbah project can be thought of as two distinct but related components: 1) Men’s Sheds/Spaces Pilot Project and 2) Men’s Chronic Conditions Project.

• The first is a pilot project which sought to identify, celebrate and discover the characteristics of existing Indigenous Men’s Sheds/Spaces through the employment of local Indigenous Male Project Associates. These Project Associates (PAs) were trained in the use of participatory action-research (PAR) methods to help in the development and sustaining of the Sheds/Spaces during the research program. Further training in Indigenous Leadership, community communication and media, and computer and Internet skills, enhanced sustainability.
• The second project sought to understand if and why participation in chronic conditions programs by Indigenous males is improved through association with ‘safe’ and ‘well-facilitated’ Indigenous Men’s Sheds/Spaces.

The Mibbinbah project was developed and deployed under the joint leadership of Jack Bulman (Ngulli Gau-Rema Shed/Space, Queensland) and Rick Hayes (La Trobe University, Victoria). Jack and Rick are leading researchers in non-pathologising approaches to health promotion in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Men’s Sheds.

Related resources:

• Fact sheet (2008) Exploring the health benefits of ‘safe’ places for Indigenous men
• ‘Promoting Indigenous Participation in Health Promotion Education Through Community-based Participatory Research‘, Aboriginal & Islander Health Worker Journal, May/June 2008, vol. 32(3).
• ‘Mibbinbah Indigenous Men’s Project, an Action Research Project Centred on Capacity Building’, Case Story in Researching Indigenous Health: A Practical Guide for Researchers, Alison Laycock with Diane Walker, Nea Harrison & Jenny Brands 2011, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne, chapter 6, p. 150.
• Project website: www.mibbinbah.org