Digital Literacy for a New Narrative: Training Inmates at the Senior Correctional Centre

On Wednesday, 10th September 2025, we at Reduce Recidivism Ghana continued our mission to minimise reoffending by organising a digital-literacy workshop at the Senior Correctional Centre in Dzorwulu, Accra. This initiative is part of our broader commitment to rehabilitation, reentry support and skills development for juveniles in Ghana’s correctional facilities.

The session was facilitated by Tracy Frimpong, Everloving Owusua Apenteng and Oheneba Poku Boakye, and focused on a theme that shapes both individuals and institutions: branding. For the 15 inmates and 6 prison officers present, the workshop redefined what branding really means.

More Than Logos

We taught participants that branding is not just about logos, designs or flashy visuals. It also includes copyrights, trademarks and the less-visible elements that make a person, product or organisation uniquely identified.

To bring this to life, we used the familiar example of Pepsodent in Ghana. Although Pepsodent is one specific brand of toothpaste, its name has become so strong in the public mind that many people use it as a generic word for toothpaste, even when buying another brand. This highlighted the power of branding in shaping everyday choices.

Hands-On and Interactive

Participants were introduced to Canva, a digital design platform, and practised creating complementary cards and flyers. Some familiar faces from our previous soap-making and afterwash workshop joined in again, showing enthusiasm and commitment.

Digital skills open a new narrative — one where young people once written off can find modern, marketable opportunities and tell a new story about who they are becoming.