The City of Playford, in collaboration with the Playford Data Observatory, commissioned a research project in 2016, investigating the various supports and opportunities young people had in Playford. The research was designed to understand the various elements that allowed a young person to successfully transition to a positive social and economic outcome.

The Playford Youth Report found that 10 years of age proved to be a pivotal age for change and that three core things stood out as being catalysts for change:

• young people volunteering
• being engaged in sports and recreational activities
• being engaged with arts and culture

Playford 10 works in local schools (Category 1) to connect 10-year-olds to ongoing activities within the community. As part of the Playford 10 project, participants get to try a range of different activities and complete a community volunteer project.

Playford 10 runs a volunteering in the community project each year. This project links directly to the Curriculum of Giving and Department of Education’s volunteering in primary schools rollout. There are great benefits to children learning service value at primary school level.

Calvary Central Districts Hospital

The children worked closely with the Calvary Central Districts Hospital to co-design a garden outside of the oncology department. The children selected a bird theme, which provided an opportunity to learn about native birds.

A volunteer organisation, Birds SA, provided a workshop for the children to deepen their understanding of the habitats of native birds to the region. They then researched and drew birds with the help of artist John Whitney, then painted bird murals for the garden.

The children also designed and planted the native garden with help from the City of Playford Biodiversity Team and hospital staff to attract birds.

The children found the project rewarding and have increased their understanding of the role of a hospital, hospital staff and also experienced the benefits of volunteering by displaying compassion and empathy for the patients. They have also increased their knowledge of native birds, biodiversity and garden design. The project brought together community collaboration between the City of Playford (Playford 10 and Biodiversity Teams), Elizabeth Grove Primary School, Calvary Central Districts Hospital, Birds SA and John Whitney as well as two local businesses who donated irrigation and water features.

ECH Day Centre Smithfield

Children met with Day Centre clients from ECH Smithfield and asked them questions about the things they liked to do when they were 10. The eighty year olds and ten year old built up great rapport with each other and it was decided a mural would be created on the side of the ECH Centre in Smithfield. Using ideas from day clients and children it was decided the mural would be of a robot knitting.

The Children had been working on their school becoming waste free and were keen for the mural to also help the environment. Day Centre clients and children collected over 6,000 milk bottle lids to create the mural. They then worked with professional artists Hyde and Seek to create the giant robot knitting mural.

The mural features prominently on the ECH Day Centre building in Smithfield. This intergenerational project formed some great connections, promoted recycling and has culminated in a fantastic mural.

Nurture Kits for Nurses

Nurses are amazing caring people and the children involved in the Playford 10 project wanted to create little nurture kits to give to nurses when they are having a hard day. The children have created bookmarks, candles and little joke books and will work in partnership with Rotary and the Calvary Central Districts Hospital to create and distribute Nurture kits. As part of this volunteer project a nurse visits the children’s school to talk about what it mean to be a nurse and gives insight into health careers.

Through Playford 10, local sporting clubs are connecting with schools to provide introductions to different sports. A range of different sports have been trialled by children in the Playford 10 project, making connections to clubs easier for children and their families. Playford 10 has connected children and their families to local sporting clubs leading to new active and healthy lifestyles.

The Playford 10 Project has been working closely with arts and music organisations. Through the project children have had opportunities to be actively involved in arts experiences. Some examples of these include:

‘Be a buddy not a bully' Art Mural Project

This beautiful, bright mural was created by children. The project had children design and paint a mural titled Be a buddy not a bully, working with artist Robin Tatlow–Lord to create the colourful masterpiece. If you look closely you can see some great positive education messages in there.

SALA - Cube Project

Children created giant works of art onto cubes at Northern Sound System for South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival. The theme of the exhibition was ‘my community’. Some of the cubes included audio which lit up and told the children’s stories when activated. The young artists painted more than 20 large cubes with the support of illustrator, Robin Tatlow-Lord.

Claymation Project

Playford 10 children created Claymation’s (stop-motion animations) alongside artists from Life Without Barriers. They learnt skills in storyboarding, directing and editing. The theme for the films were ‘special people in my life’. The films were screened as part of the Dream Big Festival.

10 Minute Dance Parties with Northern Sound System

The team from NSS and children involved in Playford 10 worked with Artist, Joseph O'Farrell to host 10-minute interactive dance parties like no other for students across South Australia. The dance parties, located in a transformed shipping container, provided young people with an experience of sound, colour, light and art.

While providing children with new skills, the positive and reaffirming experience was aimed to prove the power of music to lift the spirits, motivate the mind and bring people together.

Music Connections

Playford 10 works alongside the Carclew’s Music Match program to bring music experiences to Children in the North. There have been excursions to Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as well as incursions with Musica Viva. Children have been supported with instrument hire and music lessons from Open Academy. Each year children from partnering schools have the opportunity to perform in the choir alongside Adelaide Youth Orchestra at the Shedley Theatre.

Playford 10 is supported by many stakeholders which include:

• Anglicare
• Dept of Human Services
• Dept of Education
• Young Adelaide Voices
• Carclew
• Music Match
• Adelaide Youth Orchestras
• Open Academy
• Volunteer SA/NT
• Crows Foundation
• Rugby Australia
• Cirkidz
• Young Adelaide Voices
• Northern Sound System
• Calvary Hospital
• ECH

Playford 10 has been financially supported financially by:

• City of Playford
• Dept of Human Services
• Dept of Education
• Dept of Premier and Cabinet
• Anglicare
• James and Diana Ramsay Foundation
• Wyatt Trust
• Elizabeth Grove Primary School
• Elizabeth Vale Primary School