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About Us
About The Sharing Shed
The Sharing Shed fosters positive change in both urban and rural communities by promoting mental health education and awareness and offering support tools. Through the sharing of time, talent, and resources, we aim to enrich communities and provide safe spaces for connection and understanding. Our services, including mental health first aid qualifications and tailored workshops, are available throughout Western Australia. We collaborate with businesses, caregivers, professionals, and individuals to enhance their capacity for connection and understanding. Interested in learning more?
Our Journey
42,700 Km
In 12 months Gabriella has travelled 42,700km
around regional and remote West Australian.
5,690
Over 5,690 Youth have been supported to build confidence, resilience and gaining employment skills
1035
Trained over 1035 individuals to qualify as Mental Health First Aiders in urban, remote and regional WA communities
Inspiration for The Sharing Shed
The Sharing Shed was founded by Phillippa Henderson, a country girl with firsthand experiences of abuse, crisis, and isolation. During a challenging period in her life, navigating abusive relationships, health crises, and the legal system without support, Phillippa's friends noticed her increasing isolation and declining mental health. A transformative trip to Bali, surrounded by supportive friends, planted the seed for what would become The Sharing Shed.
Encouraged by her experience, Phillippa envisioned a place where everyone could offer their talents, time, or treasures to create positive change. The Sharing Shed aims not only to educate loved ones to support individuals in their darkest hours but also to uplift communities and infuse the world with hope, fun, and positivity
My love and thanks to the Bubble Girls
Introducing Gabriella
Gabriella (Gab's) Margaret Baker was my dear friend and an extraordinary woman who continues to live within my heart and many others. She was full of compassion, a nurse at Lady Lawley Cottage .
Gabriella died by suicide in 2011. She was a beloved cousin, daughter, friend, colleague and nurse, and the ripples of her death are still felt. Her funeral was filled with hundreds of people, in shock, expressing their heartfelt emotions and remembering Gab for the happy, loving, beautiful soul she was.
I received a little light blue heart when I left that funeral, and I still pick it up, questioning, how did I not realise her sadness? How did I miss the signs? How did this happen? It’s a huge reason I became educated in mental health first aid and decided to teach others to have those tough conversations around suicide and notice the signs.
The Sharing Shed’s trusty mental health bus is named Gabriella in her honour. It’s a simple reminder that numbers lose meaning when referring to statistics. 65,000 attempted suicide in 2020. Suicide takes more than 3000 Australian lives every year, and each one had a name, a story, and left a community in mourning.
Let’s change that.
Lady Gaga is playing a pivotal role in leading the charge for the TeenMHFA initiative, a groundbreaking effort aimed at promoting mental health awareness and support among teenagers in USA. Concurrently, the Sharing Shed is deeply engaged in the implementation of Teen Mental Health First Aid programs specifically within Western Australia, fostering a community-driven approach to mental health education and advocacy. Together, they are making significant strides in enhancing the well-being of young individuals by providing essential tools and resources for mental health first aid.
