Our Programmes

'Be Healthy, Be Happy' Programme

Foróige’s new Health and Well-being Programme Be Healthy, Be Happy has been developed to enhance Foróige’s service delivery to young people in clubs, projects and services to enable them cultivate and maintain positive health and well-being. The programme will explore physical, mental, social and spiritual health and takes a holistic approach i.e. focuses on the development of the whole person.  

This programme aims to engage young people in a process of exploring characteristics that impact their health and well-being, and to position them so that they have the tools to lead healthy, happy lives.

Physical health includes topics such as nutrition, hygiene, stress management, substance use and healthy sleep routines. Social health explores communication skills, healthy relationships, bullying, social identity and community involvement. Mental health component sets out to enhance the positive characteristics and strengths of the participants including; problem solving skills, understanding and expressing feelings and strategies to deal with negative thinking. Spiritual health focuses on recognising and developing spiritual qualities like kindness, fairness, love and forgiveness and understanding mindfulness and practising relaxation techniques. Theories that underpin the resource include the health belief model and the four dimensions of health.

This programme brings together years of practice wisdom from within Foróige but is also built on from international research in terms of what best contributes towards youth health and well-being. Theories that underpin the resource include the health belief model and cognitive behavioural therapy. Staff and volunteers who participate in training will be equipped to run the Be Healthy, Be Happy programme with 12 - 18 year olds in a group work setting. The programme can also be used in one-to-one work to create awareness around individuals’ health and well-being and engage young people in discussions in ways to improve their health.

'Real U' Relationships & Sexuality Programme

The Relationships and Sexuality programme has been developed to enhance our service delivery to young people and enable them explore some issues in relation to Relationships and Sexuality. It has been developed as a way of exploring a number of relevant topics including boundaries, puberty, body image, reproduction, sexuality, contraception, sexually transmitted infections and emotional well-being. It is designed to be used with young people aged 12-18 years in a group work setting.

The resource will facilitate the development of key competencies in relation to decision making and critical thinking to promote positive well-being and confidence in relationships. Topics covered include Relationships, Re[roduction, Gender and Sexuality, emotional wellbeing, understanding boundaries, STD's, unplanned pregnancy, sex and the law, consent and legal repurcussions, pornography, dealing with stress and others. 

'A Life of Choices' Programme

This programme has been developed to enhance our engagement with young people at risk and enable them to explore crime related issues. It has been developed as a way of engaging young people around the topics of pro-social behaviour, motivation, life choices and offending behaviour. It is designed to be used with young people aged 12-18 years in a group work setting. The resource focuses on developing core skills and competencies that enable young people to make positive life choices. Modules in this manual have been tailored to be fun and engaging, as well as challenging. 

Core Modules: 

Social Skills / Anger Management / Understanding Offending Behaviour / Motivation to Change / Communication and Relationships / Problem Solving / Values / Victim Empathy / Peer Influence / Conflict Resolution / Decision Making / Impulsivity Control / Elective Modules

Elective Modules: 

School Attachment & Attainment / Understanding Public Order / Understanding Property Damage / Understanding Trespassing and Burglary / Anger Management / the Impact of Drug Dealing and Drug Running / the Impact of Racism and Discrimination / Understanding Gangs / Understanding Theft / the Impact of Harming Others / Road Safety / Understanding Weapons and the Law / Employment Readiness / Civic Engagement / My Offending Behaviour / Role Models and Motivation