Mansfield Park, Adelaide

Your neighbourhood.
Your future.

Young people from around Mansfield Park are coming together — mentoring younger kids, making real friends, and shaping what this neighbourhood becomes.

Get Involved See what's next ↓
How it started

Something is stirring in the Parks.

Young people from around Mansfield Park are waking up to an idea: that they can shape what their neighbourhood looks and feels like. Not waiting for someone else. Not watching from the sidelines.

In May, we gathered for the first time at The Parks Library to ask the simple but powerful question — what kind of community do we want to build together?

That was just the beginning. More gatherings are on the way — see what's next.

Young people connecting at the Parks gathering
Why we gather

A two-fold moral purpose

Everything we do is driven by two simple ideas — and both start with you.

01

Serve Your Community

Mansfield Park is shaped by the people who show up for it. Through conversations, creative work, sport, and snacks, we figure out — together — what kind of neighbourhood this can actually become. Especially for the kids growing up here right now.

02

Grow as a Person

The program has a way of revealing things about yourself that you didn't know were there. You'll be stretched. You'll figure out what you actually stand for. You'll leave different — not just more capable, but more yourself.

The Junior Youth Program

What is the Junior Youth Program?

It's for 12 to 15-year-olds. Small groups meet regularly with an older youth — their animator — working through a sequence of texts alongside conversation, arts, sport, and service to the community.

Everything in the program is built around three aims:

01

Power of Expression

Building the confidence and language to think clearly and speak up about what matters.

02

Spiritual Perception

Learning to see the world — and other people — with more insight and less judgement.

03

Moral Foundation

Working out what you actually stand for, and finding the strength to act on it.

Groups work through the 14 junior youth texts developed by the Ruhi Institute — you can read more about them at ruhi.org. Alongside the study, junior youth put what they learn into practice through service to their own community: community days, tree planting, helping younger kids in the neighbourhood, and homework clubs.

Youth gathered around an animator at the whiteboard
Get Involved

You're not just here for yourself.

Part of what you'd be doing here is mentoring younger kids — 12 to 15-year-olds who are at a stage you were at not long ago. You'd be their animator: not a teacher, not a parent — someone who actually gets it because they've been there recently. Someone worth listening to.

You're not just growing yourself. You're lifting up the generation coming right behind you — showing them what it looks like to care, to show up, and to take responsibility for something. That changes you in ways you won't expect.

Being an animator isn't a side role — it's the heart of what we do. We're looking for more animators — if that's you, get in touch.

Friendship

The friendships tend to stick.

Not group chats that go quiet after a few weeks — the kind that comes from doing something together, showing up consistently, and caring about the same neighbourhood.

A lot of people who've come through this program are still close with the friends they made here, years on.

At a gathering

What a gathering looks like

Conversation, creative work, sport, and snacks. No lectures.

01

Conversation

We talk about what matters to us — the neighbourhood, our goals, and what we can actually do about either.

02

Arts & Expression

Creative activities that let you think differently, express what you care about, and connect with people you'd never normally meet.

03

Sport

Getting active together is one of the fastest ways to break the ice and build a bit of team spirit.

04

Snacks

Some of the best conversations — and friendships — start over snacks. We'll have some on hand.

Where The Parks Library 46 Trafford St, Angle Park SA 5010 ↗ Get directions
Last Gathering Saturday 30 May  ·  2pm – 4pm
Who 15–24 year olds  ·  Free entry
In the room

This is what it looked like.

A look back at our first gathering at The Parks Library.

Young people having fun together
Animator mentoring junior youth
Youth walking together
Junior youth having fun together
Youth deep in discussion
Junior youth gathered in a circle
Junior youth running at sunset
In their own words

What young people say

Real reflections from participants in this program — in communities around the world where it has been running for years.

"It is the responsibility of every person to share whatever they learn with others. Just as a flower blooms and spreads its fragrance, we should be the same way — we should reach out."

A
Amira Osei Animator of Group

"I learned that we have to continually make an effort. If we're struggling, we shouldn't just drop it and go home — we should complete the task. I try to apply this in my studies."

J
Josh Nguyen Junior Youth

"I have learned that in our lives we need to make a choice about how we can serve. We need to seek out our talents. I will become a teacher and teach children these things."

L
Leila Faraj Junior Youth
What's next

Community Days — coming soon.

We're planning regular community days for Mansfield Park: more chances to connect, mentor, and build something together. Dates and details will land here first.

Want to be the first to know? Get in touch and we'll let you know as soon as it's locked in.

Get involved

Want to be part of what's next?

Whether you want to join a future gathering, become an animator, or just find out more — reach out. We reply to every message.

Email Us — [email protected]

15–24 year olds welcome  ·  Free  ·  Parents welcome to reach out too