The Forge Institute, a not-for-profit arts organisation for young people aged 13 to 20, has officially launched in the Dandenong Ranges.
The institute, spearheaded by Dandenong Ranges designer and photographer Brent Dakis, who also serves as president, was born from both heartbreak and hope following the tragic passing of his 13-year-old daughter, Ivy, in September this year.
In the months since, Mr Dakis has channelled his grief into building the creative community they had imagined together – a place where young people can feel safe, connected, and inspired to create without fear of judgement.
He said art is more than expression, it’s survival.
“The arts are often framed as luxury or extra,” Mr Dakis said.
“But for many young people and adults too creativity is how we make sense of ourselves in the world, it’s not negotiable. The Forge isn’t trying to churn out the next famous artist. We’re here to build resilience, personal reward, and community, one drawing, zine, song, or photo at a time.”
He hopes this immense loss will become a lasting legacy for youth in the area.
“The Forge Institute started as a half-formed idea,” Mr Dakis said.
“I couldn’t find a youth photography class for Ivy, and thought, well, if it doesn’t exist, maybe I should build it. When she passed, that idea pressed itself against my mind constantly, not just as something creative, but as something vital – the Forge is now a living response to that question my attempt to build the kind of space she needed, and that so many young people still need.”
For Mr Dakis, every part of creating The Forge has been both painful and purposeful.
“It’s grief and purpose, constantly woven together,” he said.
“Some days it’s overwhelming, other days it’s fuel. The Forge gives me somewhere to put that pain, to transmute it into something that can hold others. It’s not about making something productive out of tragedy; it’s about refusing to let the silence win. Ivy mattered. Her voice mattered. So in her name, I’m creating a space where other young people’s voices will be heard loud and clear.”
The Forge Institute’s programs are led by practising artists which will include workshops in photography, painting, illustration, and creative writing, as well as mentorships and exhibitions.
A youth ambassador network will connect schools, artists, and community groups across the region, but to the grieving father, the programs are just the beginning.
“In one word, I want young people to feel relief when they walk into a Forge workshop,” he said.
“Like they’ve finally found a space they didn’t know they were searching for, where they’re not being measured or assessed, where their weird ideas are celebrated, not corrected. Where the staff “get it” because they’re artists too.”
That sense of belonging of having a “third place” outside of school and home is at the centre of what makes The Forge different.
Mr Dakis said Ivy often struggled to find spaces that were truly safe or welcoming.
“She needed a place where she wasn’t ‘too much’ or ‘not enough,’” he said.
“A space where she could be a bit messy, a bit chaotic, a bit brilliant and still held. The Forge is trying to be that space. Not for grades, or likes, or followers just for themselves.”
From the beginning, Mr Dakis was determined The Forge Institute wouldn’t become another top-down organisation.
“Institutions rarely listen,” he said.
“They program “for” young people, not “with” them.
I want our teens to be co-creators, not just participants,” he said.
Young people are already taking leadership roles within the organisation, including on the committee, teen office bearers will soon host “Forge Forums” which’s a roundtable discussions where peers can share what programs they want, what topics matter most, and how they want to be involved.
“Our facilitators are practising creatives sharing their tools, failures, hacks, and passion,” Mr Dakis said.
“It’s personal and real, we teach how we live, embracing the struggle, the isolation, the persistence and showing that even when things feel heavy, we’re still here, still creating.”
The Forge Institute was formally incorporated on 1 November as a not-for-profit association under Victorian law, and marked a major milestone in its journey from idea to reality.
Programs will initially run in borrowed community venues and mobile workshops before expanding into a permanent studio and gallery space and Mr Dakis has already got a dream location in mind.
“I have my heart set on New Belgrave Motors on the Belgrave roundabout,” he said.
“That building, that access, it would be perfect, but more than the building, my hope is that The Forge becomes a network of young artists supporting each other, mentors showing up without ego, families and communities seeing youth creativity as key, not optional.”
Mr Dakis hopes to honour Ivy’s creativity and spirit this non-profit organisation and ensure that no young person feels unseen or unsafe in their pursuit of art.
“If one day, a young person walks into a Forge program feeling completely unseen, then leaves with a sense that they matter,” he said,
“Then we’ve achieved what we came to do.”
For more information or to get involved, visit theforgeinstitute.au or follow them on Instagram @theforgeinstitute.inc.
If you or someone you know needs support, please contact headspace on 1800 650 850 or visit headspace.org.au, or reach out to ReachOut at reachout.com.
