Education
We provide practical learning experiences that complement traditional education and prepare young people for decisions beyond the classroom.
The Candid Life Foundation
Helping Young People Make
Better-Informed Decisions
About Their Future
The Candid Life Foundation exists to help students and young people grow through education, mentorship, exposure and community. Because choosing what comes next shouldn't have to happen without guidance.
2,000+ students reached since 2015 — and we're just getting started.
It Started With a Simple Idea.
What if students could learn from people who had already walked the path ahead of them?
In 2015, our Founder, Abiola Jinadu-Matthew, started Student Meets Graduate. The idea was simple: bring secondary school students into the same room with university graduates and young professionals who could candidly share their experiences, answer questions and help students better understand the decisions ahead of them.
What began as conversations about university, courses and careers became something much bigger. Over the years, Student Meets Graduate has reached more than 2,000 students, giving young people access to knowledge, perspectives and people who could help them think differently about their future.
But we knew we could do more.
From a Programme to a Foundation
Our goal is not simply to reach more students. It is to help them make better-informed decisions about their lives and futures.
After a decade of working with students, we recognised that reaching young people occasionally was no longer enough. The Candid Life Foundation builds on the work that began with Student Meets Graduate in 2015, putting the structure, partnerships and programmes in place to expand our reach and deepen our impact.
- StructureProgrammes that can be repeated.
- PartnershipsReach that extends into more schools.
- A modelImpact that grows beyond the Founder.
The Problem We're Working to Solve
There is a gap between finishing secondary school and being prepared for what comes next. For many young people, major decisions about university, courses, careers and adulthood are made with limited information and exposure.
We believe young people deserve more than instructions about what to do next. They deserve access to information, people, experiences and opportunities that help them make informed decisions for themselves.
That is the gap The Candid Life Foundation exists to help bridge.
- A student may know they want to attend university without understanding what studying a particular course actually looks like.
- They may choose a career without ever having spoken to someone working in that field.
- They may enter a new season academically prepared but without the practical knowledge, confidence or life skills required to navigate it.
What We Do
Our programmes are designed around four key pillars.
Mentorship
We connect young people with graduates, professionals and mentors who can share real experiences, provide guidance and broaden their understanding of what is possible.
Exposure
Sometimes you cannot aspire to what you have never seen. We create opportunities for young people to encounter different careers, industries, institutions, people and possibilities beyond their immediate environment.
Community
Growth should not happen alone. We create spaces where young people can learn together, ask honest questions, build relationships and access ongoing support as they navigate important transitions.
Our Flagship Programme
Student Meets Graduate
Started in 2015. Still opening doors today.
Student Meets Graduate brings students together with graduates and professionals for candid conversations about education, university, careers, life and the decisions that shape their future.
Rather than telling students what they should become, we give them access to people who can share what different paths actually look like. Students are able to ask questions, learn from real experiences and leave with greater clarity about the choices ahead of them.
Since its inception, Student Meets Graduate has contributed to our reach of more than 2,000 students. As part of The Candid Life Foundation, the programme now has an opportunity to grow beyond individual events into a structured and scalable platform for student development.
Preparing Students for the Transition Ahead
Beyond Getting Into University
Our goal is simple: help young people enter their next season with more knowledge, exposure and confidence than they would have had otherwise.
Getting admitted is only one part of the transition. Young people are also navigating independence, relationships, finances, identity, decision-making, academics, career choices and an entirely new environment.
We are developing a structured 8-week transition programme to help students prepare for this next stage of life beyond academics alone.
Through practical sessions, mentorship and conversations with people who have walked the journey before them, students will gain greater exposure to areas such as:
- Navigating university life
Making informed academic and career decisions
Confidence and communication- Personal development and life skills
- Relationships and community
Financial awareness
Leadership and responsibility
Accessing opportunities and building for the future
Our Impact
2,000+ Students. One Decade. A Bigger Vision Ahead.
For our first decade, we proved that these conversations matter. Our next chapter is about building the structure to take them further.
Behind every number is a young person making decisions about who they want to become.
A student discovering a career they had never considered.
Someone asking a professional the question they couldn't find an answer to online.
A young person entering university better prepared because someone shared what they wished they had known.
Where We're Going
The establishment of The Candid Life Foundation marks a new chapter in a journey that began in 2015. We are building the systems, programmes and partnerships required to:
We want to build an organisation capable of supporting young people at critical points in their development — and doing so sustainably, at scale.
- Reach more students.
- Work with more schools.
- Build stronger mentorship pathways.
- Create repeatable programmes.
- Measure long-term impact.
- Expand into more communities.
The work has already begun. Now, we're building for the next generation.
Our Commitment to Sustainable Development
Our work contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by helping young people access the education, mentorship, exposure and opportunities they need to make informed decisions and build better futures.
- SDG 4Quality Education
- SDG 8Decent Work & Economic Growth
- SDG 10Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 17Partnerships for the Goals
2,000+ students reached since 2015 — and we're building the structure to reach many more.
Meet Our Founder
Abiola Jinadu-Matthew
Founder, The Candid Life Foundation
Abiola Jinadu-Matthew is an entrepreneur, strategist, storyteller and community builder passionate about helping people and organisations grow.
Her journey in youth development began in 2015 when she founded Student Meets Graduate, creating opportunities for secondary school students to learn directly from graduates and young professionals. What began as a single initiative has since reached more than 2,000 students and evolved into the vision for The Candid Life Foundation.
After a decade of running programmes and engaging young people, Abiola established the Foundation to put the structure, partnerships and resources behind the work required to take its impact further. The Foundation is part of the wider The Candid Life ecosystem she is building around a shared vision of helping people and organisations grow.
It Takes a Community to Prepare a Generation.
We welcome partnerships with schools, universities, companies, foundations, professionals, mentors and individuals who believe young people deserve greater access to the opportunities that can shape their future.
- Partner with us to deliver programmes in schools and communities.
- Mentor a young person and share what you have learned.
- Support a programme financially or through in-kind resources.
- Open doors to experiences and opportunities our students might otherwise never encounter.
Volunteer your expertise to help us build.
The Candid Life Foundation
Helping young people grow through education, mentorship, exposure and community. What started with Student Meets Graduate in 2015 is becoming something bigger.
2,000+ students reached. A decade of impact. And we're building for many more.