Creating connection through local leadership
Neighbourhood Node, a grassroots social enterprise that is strengthening community connectedness and inclusion in Adelaide’s west, is using a Neighbourhood Grant from Foundation SA to embed sustainable, community-led change through its Minor Works Program.
The $5,000 grant will help train and empower residents, particularly those with lived experience of mental health challenges, to co-design and lead small-scale neighbourhood improvements.
“Ours is a story of evolution,” Neighbourhood Node co-founder Joost den Hartog says.
“We believe connected neighbourhoods are the foundation of a thriving society and we activate under-utilised assets, foster inclusion, and strengthen local identity.”
With two community spaces currently in use, The Pear Coffeehouse in Alberton and QT in Queenstown, Neighbourhood Node’s reach and impact continues to grow.
Strengthening neighbourhoods
Launched in 2024, the Minor Works Program is a scalable model for neighbourhood strengthening, supported by another SA-based funder, the Fay Fuller Foundation and SA Health. Piloted in Alberton, Queenstown, and Port Adelaide, with plans to expand across the Cities of Port Adelaide Enfield and Charles Sturt, the program targets areas with diverse communities through a range of activities including:
- A project support system offering tools, guidance, and mini-grants
- Co-design training for local volunteers to become community mentors
- Activation of public spaces for gatherings and micro-events
- Resource development including toolkits and adaptation guides.
The Minor Works Program helps turn community ideas into exciting activities and projects. At bi-monthly soup nights people can come and talk about what they would like to see happen in the neighbourhood and begin thinking through a supportive pathway to bring the project to life.
The flexible and inclusive program guides ideas through four simple stages: Dreaming big, Planning it out, Doing the work, and Celebrating the success.
The Minor Works Program grew from residents’ informal efforts to support one another, enhance shared spaces, and foster connections.
“These were things like neighbours organising verge clean-ups, hosting street events, and launching repair projects,” Joost explains.
“While there was intention and energy, support structures were lacking so we worked with locals to develop the Minor Works program to nurture this energy into a more coordinated and sustainable effort using tools and systems that simplify community-led action.”
With the Minor Works Program poised to be rolled out in communities beyond Adelaide, Joost says the power of community-led initiatives cannot be underestimated.
“Working in partnership with local residents, councils and the social sector, we have been able to demonstrate that grassroots action, when properly supported, can lead to transformative and lasting change.”
