Tech for Good Dublin: A Solutions Brainstorm for Men's Sheds Ireland

This session is an unique opportunity to make a real difference by giving two hours of your time to brainstorm ideas with us. No special skills or experience is necessary and everyone is welcome.

What is Men's Sheds? Their motto is “Men don’t talk face to face; they talk shoulder to shoulder". Members of Men’s Sheds can come from all walks of life. Groups around Ireland provide a setting for activities that break down barriers, reduce isolation and bring people together in positive ways. Find out more here: http://menssheds.ie/about-us/

We need your help to brainstorm how Men's Sheds Ireland can solve some of the challenges they face but don't have the time, money or skills to address themselves. We will work together in a fun, informal setting and come up with ideas that Men's Sheds can try. We have free donuts and tea/coffee and a fantastic Facilitator to help keep us focused.

To start us off, Richard Taplin from Men's Sheds Ireland will talk about what Men's Sheds is all about and some of the specific challenges which are being experienced. These may be to do with communications between members, managing projects like community gardens, or wanting to use more technology tools to help achieve goals.

Next we will discuss ideas that may help overcome the challenges Richard presented. No specific experience in technology is needed, and solutions do not need to all be technical, a practical approach and consideration of the people involved is key. Paper and pens will be provided and we will work in small groups. Coral Movasseli will facilitate this part of the event (more info. below) and Richard and other Men's Shed members will be available to answer questions.

Towards the end of the session we will share our ideas/solutions with the room and a scribe (Ellen) will record the key points. A summary will be provided to Men's Sheds for sharing with their Ireland community. Anyone who wishes to further volunteer their skills can offer at this point before we wrap up.

Coral Movasseli is the Managing Director of Girls in Tech Dublin (https://dublin.girlsintech.org/) - a dedicated platform for women-in-tech and entrepreneurs. A techie problem solver at heart, she is passionate about changing the world and has experience working across sectors including cleantech, politics, manufacturing, and healthcare. Coral has kindly agreed to wear a facilitator hat to our May event and work with everyone in the room to come up with creative ideas and technologies to solve the challenges shared by Men’s Sheds. Linked-in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coralmm Twitter: https://twitter.com/Coral_sReef