About us
The APRIL Foundation is a public interest organisation and a force for informed reflection and innovation.
In (re)establishing the Foundation, APRIL has demonstrated its continuing commitment to developing new areas of research and study, exploring and experimenting with new approaches to promoting healthy living and risk prevention, sharing the benefits of learning and bringing together all stakeholders across all territories, working more closely than ever before with people and communities.
At APRIL, we are firmly convinced that not only is it possible to establish a shared culture of health, but that such a culture represents an indispensable stepping stone towards the implementation of a truly systemic preventive health policy. We are thoroughly optimistic about the exciting breakthroughs that will be made possible by the work of the APRIL Foundation, and proud to contribute to the fight to make health promotion and risk prevention a major public priority.
Our mission
Established in 2008 with a firm conviction: that everybody is capable of taking charge of their own health, as long as they have the keys to understand and the tools to preserve their “health capital.” The guiding mission of the APRIL Foundation is to promote a culture of health with an emphasis on preventive behavioural improvements, an alternative to narrowly care-focused approaches. In 2023 the foundation’s mission was expanded and reaffirmed, with a new focus on how to make lasting change and translate intention into action with regard to health matters.
Because behavioural changes are of central importance when it comes to promoting health and preventing health risks, the APRIL Foundation is particularly interested in behavioural sciences (neuroscience, positive psychology, cognitive sciences, anthropology etc.). We support research in health and behavioural sciences, designing and providing the appropriate experimental tools. We share the benefit of our expertise with innovative project leaders, contributing knowledge and best practices.
Our approach
As an action-oriented foundation, our goal is to capitalise on the important contributions made by the behavioural sciences (neuroscience, positive psychology, cognitive sciences, anthropology etc.), adopting a proactive approach to promoting good health for all.
We thus seek to explore and model concrete solutions with the potential to benefit everybody, adopting a scientific, experimental approach to protecting our collective health capital.
“The behavioural sciences comprise those scientific disciplines devoted to studying the sources of human behaviour, exploring the factors which can prompt individuals and groups to change their lifestyle habits and practices.
The behavioural sciences are a diverse set of disciplines, encompassing fields such as cognitive sciences, focused on human perception and reasoning, neuroscience, devoted to exploring the functional mechanisms of the brain, and also psychology and social psychology, with their emphasis on individual and collective mindsets and modes of thought.
Research in these fields has demonstrated that it is possible to understand and explain individual behaviour, particularly in relation to health.
By taking full account of the emotional, cognitive and social dimensions of our relationship to health and sickness, by considering the influence of environmental factors on health decisions, and by analysing the dynamics of health-related communication, the behavioural sciences have succeeded in identifying the primary determinants of our health-related behaviour.”
Dr. Nicolas Fieulaine, PhD in Social Psychology
Our modes of action
The work of the APRIL Foundation is to identify and define the societal stakes at play in matters of health. To achieve this goal, we conduct or finance research, studies, observatories, publications etc. which can help us to better understand the obstacles and potential catalysts associated with the lifestyle and/or behavioural changes required to remain in good health or improve our health capital.
Bringing about lasting change in health-related behaviour, by conducting or supporting “learning” experiments and other forms of projects proposed or conducted by associations, foundations, charities, NGOs, research and higher education institutions etc. We also facilitate and support the design of mechanisms conducive to action (collective workshops, experimental initiatives, testimonials etc.) as well as getting our own employees involved, making the APRIL Group a vibrant hub for experimentation, learning, concept modelling and design.
Improving the efficacy of the methods we employ to promote healthy behaviour and preventive thinking, by means of objective, quantifiable evaluation of the impact of such new approaches in terms of actually changing behaviour. This involves conducting impact assessments, but also sharing lessons learned from those practices that have proven to be most effective, along with other recommendations or even models.
Reinvigorating our approaches to promoting healthy behaviour and preventive thinking by producing and disseminating fresh content (publications, lectures, teaching materials, training resources etc.) for use by prevention educators, healthcare professionals, institutions and all other actors working directly with the public in educational, professional and general community settings.
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APRIL Foundation Governance