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Launch your creative career, on your terms.
- 50% online, 50% in-person learning
- Graduate in 6 weeks, with a portfolio
- Learn from Australia’s leading artists and creatives
- Sell your work to a real audience
- Build alongside your art practice, not instead of it
Trusted by students from schools across Australia
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The innovation program for Restless students
A nine-week creative enterprise program for high school students.
Choose your next step
Building a business or venture will tell you more than any careers night. You’ll get the mentors, the industry context and the real experience to work out a path that actually suits you, instead of choosing a degree and hoping.
Immerse yourself in industry
Our secret sauce is 100% real world and industry learning. That means founders in front of you every week, meeting investors and pitching to judges from across Australia who can back your ideas.
Accelerate your job-readiness
By the end, you’ll have a business idea, an early-stage pitch, a mentor, and something real to put in front of an employer or a university. That holds whether you go to uni, explore new careers or decide to go all-in on business.
How does it work?
Every part of the Young Artists Centre is built to turn your creative passion into a real local business, from learning how to price your work to selling it at your first market. It's hands-on, it's practical, and it's designed to help you earn from what you love.
Practical business skills for creatives
Learn the side of creative work no one teaches you. You'll cover pricing, finding customers, building your brand and managing your money, all through live workshops with other young makers.
By the end, you'll know how to turn what you make into something people pay for.
Coached by founders, investors and operators
Work alongside an artist or entrepreneur who has already built a successful business. Get honest feedback on your work, ask the questions that matter and learn how they made it pay.
You'll leave with advice from someone who has walked the path you're on.
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Your first stall and a live auction
This is where your work meets the world. You'll run your own market stall and exhibit your pieces alongside other young makers, finishing with a live auction in front of your community. For many, it's the first time someone pays for something they made, and it's the moment everything changes.
Retail opportunities at centres and festivals
We help connect you with partner shopping centres, markets, and festivals offering retail space and opportunities to sell your work.
Spots depend on availability, but we open these doors for our makers as often as we can. Your income stays local, and your community gets to buy from young makers in its own backyard.
Microgrants to keep scaling (cohort-specific)
Eligible participants can receive a grant to cover supplies, equipment and startup costs. It's money to buy better materials, set up your stall or build your first website, so the only thing holding you back is what you make next.
Program Curriculum
Follow a structured learning journey designed to build skills, track progress, and support continuous growth at every stage.
Problem Discovery
Learn to think like a founder and find problems worth solving.
Unlocking a real entrepreneurial mindset
Solving genuine real-world problems
Exploring market trends and emerging opportunities
Design Thinking & Innovation
Get inside your customer's head and understand what they really want.
Applying human-centred design to real ideas
Understanding customer needs, motivations and pain points
Rapid ideation, testing and validation
Business Models & MVPs
Transform your idea into a viable business using the tools real founders use.
Business structures and scalable business models
Funding, capital and how founders raise it
Building a minimum viable product (MVP)
Prototyping, testing and real customer feedback
Branding & Marketing
Get your venture seen by the right people and audience.
Choosing the right marketing channels
Marketing strategy and customer segmentation
Building a standout personal and professional brand
Pitching & Communication
Learn to tell your story and communicate with confidence.
Storytelling and communication techniques that stick
Delivering engaging, creative and persuasive pitches
Speaking with genuine confidence and presence
Demo Day & Showcase
Finish the program by pitching your venture live at Demo Day.
Presenting your venture to real investors, mentors and judges
Showcasing your progress and everything you've built
Building genuine contacts and connections for your venture
Skills you will learn
Every student begins with potential and leaves with confidence in themselves. Our programs are designed to strengthen the future-ready skills needed for academic success, leadership and careers.
Click any skill to see how it develops through the learning journey.
Problem Solving
Finding practical solutions with confidence.
Students learn to break a challenge down before building anything, testing what they assume against what customers actually tell them. Most discover that the problem they started with wasn't the real one.
stronger
solve confidently
at the start
Critical Thinking
Making better decisions with evidence.
Students learn to look beyond the first answer and ask what the evidence actually shows. They challenge assumptions, compare different perspectives, and use questioning to make stronger decisions about their venture.
stronger
Reason independently
at the start
Creativity
Turning ideas into something that didn't exist before.
Students are encouraged to question the obvious answer and explore what else might be possible. They generate ideas, experiment with different approaches, and learn how to turn a rough concept into something people actually want.
stronger
Think creatively
at the start
Communication
Making people understand and believe in your idea.
Students practise explaining ideas to people who don't already know their work. Through pitches, presentations and feedback, they learn to communicate clearly, listen carefully, handle difficult questions and speak with confidence.
stronger
Present confidently
at the start
Teamwork
Building something better together.
Students learn that good teamwork is more than splitting up tasks. They navigate different opinions, share responsibility, give constructive feedback and make decisions together while working towards a common goal.
stronger
Collaborate better
at the start
Digital & AI skills
Using technology to make ideas happen.
Students move from simply using technology to actively building with it. They experiment with digital platforms and AI tools to research, prototype, create and solve problems, gaining confidence through hands-on experience.
stronger
Build with tech confidently
at the start
Job readiness
Showing up to work ready to contribute.
Students practise the skills employers actually look for: meeting deadlines, working with unfamiliar people, presenting their ideas and taking responsibility for outcomes. They finish with real experience they can talk about in an interview.
stronger
Feel confident finding work
at the start
this is what learning looks likes
testimonials
Real stories from real learners sharing their experiences, growth, and success with Future Minds.
“Future Minds gave me the perfect support I needed to launch my business. I wouldn't have been able to do it myself."
Founder @ Kayya Crafts
“I’ve grown so much. I've gained the confidence to show my art business and tell my story, and it made me more comfortable applying for future galleries and markets.”
Independent artist
“Future Minds helped us sell at real markets, and we had our best sales day yet. Nearly everyone bought something because they'd come to support us. It was humbling to be so supported and recognised.”
Co-founder @ Gumnut Echo
"It's like a kickstarter for your business. I'm making more connections and building more opportunities than I ever expected."
CEO @ HennaHQ
"It's something you shouldn't miss. The journey of running a business can feel lonely at times, since it's not always seen as a 'stable' path, but the people in this program are truly amazing and inspiring."
Founder @ Floria Touch
“Future Minds surrounds you with people who inspire you to grow, so many incredible connections and really cool people who can genuinely help you.”
CEO @ Ashan Industries
“Future Minds was exactly what I needed. There are many problems in the world, and I knew I wanted to solve them, but it was always difficult to discuss these issues with students my age. It gave me the opportunity to meet with students who wanted to change the world."
Co-founder @ Startup Link UniMelb
"Participating in FutureHack was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The program opened up my eyes to the power and impact of social entrepreneurship. It helped me see that I could combine my love for helping others with business ."
Founder @ Letters Against ISO
"Future Minds kickstarted my career in the social impact space. Their mentorship and guidance helped change me as a leader. "
Former Chair at Victorian Government's Youth Congress
"It opened my mind to social impact and entrepreneurship, something I never would have discovered without participating. Later, I was inspired to attend the Yale Young Global Scholars program, where I got to meet startup founders from all around the world."
Analyst @ Reserve Bank of Australia
"Future Minds has been one of the most influential events in my life! Their ability to scout some of the best mentors and generate an environment of productive innovation is incredible. Immediately after, it helped me land an internship at an edtech startup."
Founder @ Aurora
"It’s different from any other event I’ve participated in. Whether you want to work in a startup or not, Future Minds allows you to meet so many new people and make new connections."
National Lead @ Encode Justice
The next cohort starts soon.
Join the upcoming cohort. Seats are limited to ensure personalized mentorship and code reviews.
28 March – 5 April
(Application Deadline: 25 March)
Kick-start your learning with immersive workshops, real-world projects, and guidance from experienced mentors. Build practical skills and connect with a community of passionate learners.
28 August – 5 September
(Application Deadline: 20 August)
Advance your knowledge through project-based learning, industry insights, and career-focused sessions designed to help you confidently apply your skills in real-world settings.
Key dates, and how long you've got
Explore our academic sessions, workshops, and special programs throughout the year.
Choose a term to discover upcoming courses, events, and learning opportunities near you.
Pitch a 12-minute talk
$30 student rate ends
Full cost covered
$5k prize pool
Questions we get asked
Find quick answers to the most common questions about our programs, process, and learning experience.
