Giving Men a place to Belong!
The Edge Building
The Edge building is our Sister building on the Kilton estate. It is just around the corner and was where the Oasis was based even before we were known as the Oasis. This building however fell into disrepair for a time and has taken many years to bring back to life.
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This last year saw the newly named Edge building open its doors and begin building its very own set of projects for the community. The edge is an extension of the Oasis and is part of the Oasis Charity but having this separate building has meant that we can run different types of projects in a space that is more applicable to men/ young people.
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We are still in the early days and only just getting started, but watch this space over the next few years as we hope to add more projects to our existing ones, improve the site and help improve the Kilton estate for its community even more.
Who are we aimed at?
Well the Oasis Community Centre facility caters to everyone but has less areas designed specifically for Men and Young adults/ Older teens. The Edge building has provided the perfect space for this and so has been aimed more at the Men and Young adults/ Older teens groups. It is however still a multifunctional building and can be used by all at different times.
What are our aims?
Our main Mission statement is the same as the Oasis Community Centre which is to be 'A heart for the community, in the heart of the community' but our goal is slightly different. We aim to provide a fun, activity driven, safe space for Men in particular. Men are, by nature difficult to reach. They often feel like they don't need or don't deserve any help or support. That they should go through things alone and often get overlooked in many ways.
We feel this is wrong and want to be a part of helping to change mens views about themselves and peoples views on how men should act and be.
How many times has the words 'Man up', 'Be a Man', 'Real Men don't cry' or something similar been used as young people grow up. This has had an overwhelmingly large effect on more men than anyone even realises, causing them to shut down, Not show emotion, feel 'less than' if they do show emotion, suffer in silence and a host of other things. Well we aim to try and change these twisted views surrounding men and provide a place where men can feel accepted, valued, safe and even loved.
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At one time men could go to the local pub or snooker hall and meet a friend or two for a drink, a game of pool, snooker or darts and a chat but even this has stopped in recent years with the decline of local pubs and snooker halls and the additional pressures of Covid.
We want to encourage men to engage and talk to each other again. we want them to have somewhere they can go where they are able to meet new people, make friends, get any support they may need and have a good time in the process.
What Projects are happening at the moment?
Currently we have several different things happening in the building through the week and also monthly.
We Currently have the Police Cadets group using our facility once a week. A new group called 'In Sam's Name' Which is a support group that is promoting positive mental health and wellbeing for people who might be on the edge of suicide. They are currently using the building once every two weeks.
And our Oasis Power Up women's group which started this year to promote health, wellbeing and fun for the ladies.
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Our main project at the moment though is our Men on the Edge Drop in every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am-1pm. This project is the main title for all our work at the edge with men.
So what exactly is Men on the Edge?
Men on the Edge is a place where Men can come for help, support, guidance, training, teaching, friendship etc. Every man is different and we are all on the edge of something whether that be more positive things like the edge of an idea, the edge of success, the edge of a new job or things that aren't so positive such as being on the edge of bankruptcy, depression, anxiety, loneliness or even suicide.
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Our main focus is to support men with whatever it might be that is going on in their lives at that time. We want to provide a safe, secure environment where all feel like they are welcome and valued.
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Men on the Edge is designed to be a place to make friends, socialise, get support if needed and generally give guys a fun place to come and be involved.
What Facilities are available at the Edge Building
The Main Hall
The Edge Building has a large main hall with seating areas, Table Tennis table, Football table, Air Hockey table, Pool Table and a Dart board. It is kitted out with projection unit and sound system allowing us to have cinema evenings. We also have WIFI connectivity for this building.
The Kitchen
We have a fully equipped kitchen which will allow us to cook meals for groups and maybe teach others how to cook or bake.
Computer Room
We have now installed a computer room which will allow us to help people to get online, fill in forms or run computer training courses to teach people how to use a computer.
Toilets
We have 4 toilets for the building. 2 for the Men and 2 for any Women that are on site.
Outside
We have a large outdoor space that is currently getting developed bit by bit. We have many plans for this area and will update the website as and when we add something new.
The Outer Edge
The 'Outer Edge' as we have fondly nicknamed it is our outdoor cabins. We are currently awaiting planning permission to keep them on site and will be renovating them into 2 office areas (for any meetings or counselling purposes) , a lockable storage area and a Woodworking shop which we are hoping to use in project driven work to teach men basic woodwork skills.
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How To Find The Edge
The Edge,
Plantation Hill,
Worksop,
Kilton,
S81 0DT