Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) in Charge of Welfare, is charging individuals and organisations to help with the reformation of prison inmates in the country.

This, Madam Gloria Fati Abudu says is to ensure their smooth reintegration into the society after they have served their sentences.

She made the pronouncement during the launch of “Big Shot”, a movie based on a true life story concerning the reformation of prison inmates as part of activities to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), World Youth Camps.

Madam Abudu said people who often broke the law usually came from backgrounds that opened them to crime, thus the need for organisations to help create conducive environments for these persons to make them feel they belonged.

She added that it was important for such people not to be perceived as bad but seen as persons who needed understanding and help  to be reformed.

Madam Abudu commended the IYF for their initiative, dubbed the “Mindset Education” which seeks to guide the youth into responsible adults, and steer them from vices typically associated with youth.

According to her, the Ghana Prisons Service would collaborate with IYF in the reformation and reintegration of prisoners.

Country Director of IYF, Reverend Young Jun Moon said the IYF world youth culture camp was a platform put together to train and transform young people into future leaders.

He said the camps had brought hope to more than 2 billion young people around the globe.

Rev Moon said the youth were a positive force for development when provided with the knowledge and opportunities they needed to thrive.

“Today, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population. By 2030—the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that make up the 2030 Agenda—the number of youth is projected to have grown by 7 per cent, to nearly 1.3 billion.”

He said these young people are envisaged to develop increased levels of loneliness, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, and self-harm or suicidal behaviour.

Rev. Moon said the World Health Organization had predicted an increase in  the mental health challenge due to the negative effects of COVID-19.

He said the IYF aimed at guiding young people to break free from fear, hopelessness and sin that darkened their hearts and led them to live a happy and bright life.

The 2021 edition of the IYF World Youth Culture Camps is scheduled for Thursday, July 15, 2021 to Sunday, July 18, 2021.

Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Minister of Youth and Sports,  Mr Mustapha Ussif and Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Kojo Kum would be the guests at the programme.

The event will be held in the Greater Accra, Central, Western, Eastern, Ashanti and Volta regions in a virtual and in person format.