impactg

Some projects organized by Impact Generation in recent years include:

Impact Generation Fresher’s Educational Seminar:

The educational seminar was a one day seminar organized for first year students of the University of Ghana on the 29thof August, 2009 at the Business School Auditorium of the same university. The purpose of the seminar was to educate the first year students on very important issues that will shape them and also help them make very wise decisions whilst in school. The topics covered the area of health, entrepreneurship, how to acquire students loan and financial management. We received support from the Ministry of Education, Unique Life Assurance, Lifewell Investment who sponsored us with Rani Fruit drinks, TV Africa and Net 2 Station. The guest speakers for the program were Juliet Asante (C.E.O of Eagles Production and a renowned woman entrepreneur), the Youth Director of Plan Parenthood Association, the marketing Coordinator of Unique Financial Services, the Director of Student Loan Trust and the Minister of Education of the time as Special Guest of Honor. The seminar was free from charges and was highly patronized and very successful, a total of about 200 first year students were in attendance.

The Fresher’s Educational Seminar was very relevant at the time because many programs on campus had charged fees which prevented some students from attending. Also the first year students are not able to acquire enough knowledge and information from the University’s Orientation session organized for them because of the large population of first year students many students are not able to fit into the room chosen for the program thereby preventing many from participating. Students, Invited Guest and the Speakers share testimonies about the impact of the project in an interview session held by Net 2 Television.

Sexual and reproductive health education for young adolescents in schools:

Impact Generation organized Sexual Education Seminars under which sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS and HPV were taught in some selected schools. The teaching sessions were handled by some members of the organization who had adequate knowledge on the subject. Gathering information on the subject was also not difficult because Impact Generation had some members who were medical students. The seminars were held in Datus Complex SHS on 19thFebruary, 2010 and in DEKS Senior High School on 3rdMarch, 2010. A similar seminar was also held in Feberk International Junior High School on 12thMarch, 2010.

The aims of the Project were:

1. To educate students on sexually transmitted disease
2. To help them make the right decisions and choices in life
3. To provide guidance and counseling services to students.

A total of 300 students were reached with this education at the end of the project. The authorities in some schools got information on the program and have called us to hold similar programs in their schools.

Incarceration for Change:

All over the world, people are imprisoned for various offences when they are found guilty for committing such offences. It is believed that the prison service which is regarded as one of the stakeholders in administering justice would ensure safe custody of prisoners, reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners by offering them opportunities to develop their skills through trade, training and moral education. All these would prevent the prisoner from repeating the same offences which would lead them back to prison again.

However in our part of the world, prisoners come back from prison more harden than ever and end up being imprisoned again. It is on this note that we decided to investigate some of the root causes of people being imprisoned more than ones. We discovered the following:

• The inmates do not necessarily acquire specialized skills from the prisons.
• There is stigmatization against the prisoners when they are released into
• The society.
• There are little or no technical prison officers to teach inmates specific skills.
• Prisoners are abandoned at the prisons without anybody visiting them.
• The inmates are not interested to learn any skills or trade for themselves

among others.

With all these revelations, we decided to adopt the “incarceration for change” project which seeks to minimize and address the transformation and rehabilitation of inmates in the prisons. The “incarceration for change” project seeks to provide mentorship program for inmates in prisons and also empower female prisoners to acquire skills in commercial mushroom and snail farming. It is worthy to note that our research was carried out in akuse prisons where we have about 260 males and 15 female prisoners.

Out the 260 males, about 90% are youths between the ages of 18 and 27. Out of 15 females, about 95% of them are mothers. This means the females have a great responsibility of catering for their children even in prison while majority of the male prisoners have a future ahead of them. It is our hope that “incarceration for change” project will go a long way to address some of the challenges of the inmates even when they come out of prison. Send us a mail or call us to contribute to this project.