Youth Board 2025

Our 2025 Youth Board has brought together eight young people once a month to share their ideas, play test exhibit elements for our 2026 exhibition and all the while planning their special event. Our Youth Board included a mix of people passionate about arts, design and science. Some were in high school, other were working or at university. They all brought with them unique and passionate insights to every meeting.

For the 2026 exhibition, the Youth Board helped to shape our 2026 exhibition. Some of the discussions included exploring what kinds of music or soundscape should be played in particular galleries. They have  tested elements of exhibits, providing feedback on how they work and what they feel like to engage with. This feedback was provided in direct discussion with our exhibition coordinators, informing how to refine the exhibitions. The Youth Board played an essential role in shaping next year’s exhibit. One of the Youth Board’s thoughts on the future and making a start will be in the 2026 exhibition as part of an audio-based installation. 

“Sometimes it feels like a lot of people don’t care about your opinion, and I think coming to MOD. where they’re like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna make a free museum for everyone, and we care about your opinion’. I think that’s the part that really struck me in the co-design [process for the 2026 exhibition], was that people actually did care about our opinions, and were actively taking notes and reframing things.”
– Youth Board Member 

The Youth Board also design a public event each year, this time they chose to focus on a murder mystery quiz night. This involved choosing the decorations, the catering, the first-place prize, quiz questions and the answer to the murder mystery. The event branding was created by youth board member, Mahalia Coggins. She provided various design options for the other members to choose from before finalising it. On the night, the Youth Board supported delivering the event by welcoming guests, speaking on stage, awarding the prizes and running MOD.’s social media channels.

“I think you can go big in the ideation phase and go crazy [when making an event], and then funnel them down afterwards. If you want to do a lot of mystery, you have to do less quiz. If we want to have a budget for snacks, we can’t have explosions.”
– Youth Board Members

Our Youth Board members recently reflected further on their experience and said: 

Ash
I’m a Bach. Psychology Advanced student with a background in engineering and computer science who is passionate about using art to examine how human behaviour and technology co-evolve. Living in a world run by the “attention economy”, I am most inspired by work that combines the digital and tactile- capturing that attention as a means of truly seeing over scrolling. 

What I’ve valued most about the Youth Board is the sincerity with which young perspectives were not only invited but genuinely considered. Being part of that dialogue offered rare insight into the intricacies of exhibition and event design, revealing the often-overlooked curatorial process that transforms abstract ideas into experiences that inspire reflection. I’d recommend the Youth Board to anyone eager to glimpse the alchemy behind creativity and learn how it can be applied. By contributing to even the smallest part of the “big picture” process, my appreciation for the patience, precision, and consistent imagination of the MOD. team (and any creative, for that matter) has been absolutely deepened! 

 

Gabriel 

My name is Gabriel and I’m an emerging Brazilian Japanese artist based in Adelaide.
I think what I enjoyed the most about being part of the Youth Board was being able to experience firsthand how large-scale events and exhibitions are conceptualised, planned, developed and organised. 

 

Imogen
I am a passionate student interested in creating a future where curiosity is prized and information is accessible.
 The MOD. Youth Board has made me excited to engage in community action and work with people who have quickly become friends. I would always recommend it, as the variety of activities that we do has something to appeal to anyone, from prototype testing to speech writing to exhibit designs. 

 

Jess
Being part of the MOD. Youth Board has been such an amazing experience. Being in year 11, it has expanded my thinking and friendships. 

 

Mahalia
Hello, I’m Mahalia! I’m an undergraduate student with a passion for all things creative, innovative, technological, and scientific.  

Being given the opportunity to be a part of the MOD. Youth Board this year has been such an incredible experience. It has deepened my interests through engaging experiences, allowing me to learn so much along the way. From participating in hands-on workshops and gaining behind-the-scenes insight into how MOD.’s exhibits come to life, to connecting with the amazing people on the Youth Board and helping plan our very own Quiz Night, every moment has been impactful and inspiring! 

 

Natalie
I am a first-year mechanical engineering and physics student at Adelaide uni, with a love for science communication, philosophy, and motorsport. Our monthly meetings are genuinely something I look forward to with the opportunity they provide to discuss different concepts and ideas with some amazing young people. It certainly helps that we’ve all gotten to know each other throughout the year throughout the time spent testing out different things and listening to each other’s opinions. (Plus, it’s really exciting getting to see and help shape the amazing exhibits from MOD.)! 

 

Rosie
I’m Rosie, a student at UniSA studying graphic design. I’ve absolutely loved being on the MOD. Youth Board – it’s given me really valuable experience and insight into the museum, and to anyone interested, I would highly recommend applying! 

 

As a year with these insightful and giving young people comes to a close, we extend a thank you to them: Ash Kapoor, Fatemeh Jafari, Gabriel Brizolla, Imogen Steyn, Jess Henderson, Mahalia Coggins, Natalie Lockyer and Rosie Williams. 

 

2026 Youth Board applications are open now. 

For more information see:  Work With Us