About Us

Foundation 4 Life (F4L) is a transformative education, life skills, and job activation programme for young people aged 18-25 who are currently not engaged in employment, education, or training in Co Mayo. F4L ensures the sustained participation of participants on the programme with 1-1 person centered coaching and significant social supports, including contributions to childcare and travel and the provision of nutritious meals.

F4L was developed by South West Mayo Development Company under the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme  in partnership with the Western Region Drug and Alcohol Task Force.

Since the programme began in 2017,  F4L boasts an impressive track record, with overall retention rates of 95%, and 70% of participants progressing onto either employment, education, or training.

Foundation 4 Life offers a robust model of best practice for engaging and supporting  vulnerable young people not in employment, education, and training.

The wealth of experience of the course providers in harnessing resources for disadvantaged young people acts as a beacon of light for service provision in this area. F4L’s now considerable experience in working with very disadvantaged young people has enabled them to design and deliver this highly effective bespoke training and rehabilitative initiative for young people who might otherwise fall through the gaps in our traditional social, employment, and substance misuse services. The interagency nature of the programme has enabled the provision of a broad range of supports to young people and facilitated the development of personal, social, and vocational skills. The distinctive blend of skills training and personal development, delivered in a relatively informal yet supportive environment, represents one of the programme’s many success indicators.