Jul 26 / KARINA ANDERSEN

CELEBRATING TRANSFORMATION BEHIND BARS

Brandvlei Maximum Prison hosts transformational Certificate Ceremony with the SmilingOne Foundation 

Celebrating the true power of rehabilitation, leadership, and human potential behind bars

Cape Town, South Africa, July 26th 2025

The SmilingOne Foundation, in proud partnership with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), will host a Certificate Ceremony on August 19th, 2025, inside Brandvlei Maximum Correctional Centre, marking the culmination of a two-year leadership journey for a committed group of incarcerated men.

This milestone event honours participants who have completed Reclaim Your Power (RYP) - a foundational emotional literacy and leadership development process facilitated through SmilingOne’s Circles of Change™ Academy. It is a pivotal step within the broader Change Agent Project, a trauma-informed, purpose-led pathway equipping incarcerated individuals with the inner tools and leadership capacity to break harmful cycles and become conscious contributors to society.

At the heart of SmilingOne’s work is the ME–WE Leadership Lens - a values-based approach that begins with radical personal responsibility (“ME”) and evolves into collective impact and collaboration (“WE”). When a person awakens to the harm they’ve caused, they also awaken to their capacity to heal, lead, and become part of a change movement.

“This isn’t just rehabilitation - it’s reinvention. These men have done the deep inner work to reclaim their power, take accountability, and rise into purpose,” says Karina Andersen, Founder of SmilingOne. “They are no longer part of the problem. They are part of the solution.”


A Journey of deep change

For over 17 years, SmilingOne has pioneered a change model that transforms inmates into peer leaders, coaches, and facilitators. Participants undergo intensive emotional literacy training, story healing work, and coaching development inside what is often one of the most overlooked learning environments: prison.


On Aug 19th, we celebrate:

  • The completion of Reclaim Your Power by 12 dedicated participants - a structured and deeply transformative experience of emotional awakening and self-leadership

  • An impressive 81.25% sustained participation rate - a rare achievement in the volatility of a maximum-security environment

  • The men’s readiness to enter the next phase: Train-the-Trainer development within SmilingOne’s Circles of Change™ Academy

  • The evolution from reactive behaviour to reflective, responsible leadership

  • The birth of new identities - from absent fathers to repeat offenders to caring fathers, role models, and community builders

  • A redefined version of masculinity - rooted in emotional honesty, humility, and servant leadership

  • The visible ripple effect - lessons learned behind bars are already influencing schools and youth in high-risk communities

  • The lived proof that healing is possible - even in the places society has written off

  • The deepening partnership between SmilingOne and DCS, with shared dedication to restoring dignity, reducing recidivism, and empowering authentic rehabilitation from within


    "Our partnership with DCS continues to evolve, and we’re honoured to walk this journey of transformation together. It’s time to reimagine what rehabilitation can look like,”
    says Andersen.


Quotes from participants reflect the heart of this transformation:

“I thought I was building, not knowing I was actually breaking down. Now I see the cost of my actions, and I’m choosing a different path.” – RYP participant

“Before, I was driven by fear and rage. I now have tools to listen, reflect, and lead. That’s a gift I never thought I’d receive in prison.” – RYP participant


A Model That Works

SmilingOne’s 2024/25 Annual Report highlights the long-term impact of its Change Agent model, which continues to shift lives not just within correctional centres but far beyond.

One stand out story is Ravensmead High School, where a former inmate and Change Agent from Brandvlei, in collaboration with SmilingOne, inspired a school-wide transformation over a six-year partnership.

That single life created a massive ripple effect.

The model proves: Rehabilitated men become cycle-breakers. They return to their communities to mentor youth, prevent school dropouts, and support holistic healing. They become the role models society thought it had lost.


About SmilingOne

Founded in 2008 by Karina Andersen, The SmilingOne Foundation is a purpose-driven non-profit organisation working across South Africa’s correctional centres, high-risk schools, and vulnerable communities. Through trauma-informed values-based leadership education, coaching, and healing-centred programs, SmilingOne empowers individuals and environments to reclaim their stories and become forces for positive change.

Its Change Agent Model has touched thousands of lives - proving that true change is not only possible, it’s contagious.


MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Karina Andersen
Founder & Director, SmilingOne
📧 karina@smilingone.com
📱 +27 83 235 6555
🌍 www.circlesofchange.academy/sof
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