You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

After a year of online learning and youth continuing to be home alone, parents and caregivers can often think that they have established appropriate internet rules and boundaries: “Don’t talk to people you don’t know”, “don’t give out personal information/tell people where you live”, or “set your profile to private”. While these are important rules and boundaries to establish, it …

5 Ways Guidance Counselors Are Uniquely Positioned

Every September, as fall is ushered in, it signals a change from long summer days to the start of routines, school, and all things sports. Yet this year, many schools and parents find themselves starting the school year with virtual or hybrid learning, without a consistent routine, and many sports and activities on hold, leaving many school staff and educators …

Why You Are Uniquely Positioned To Help End Human Trafficking

When you first hear of human trafficking, perhaps you feel overwhelmed. With numbers and statistics in the millions, it is hard to imagine what you can do. Perhaps you learned about it happening overseas, and you think you can only support from afar or take a trip there. Or maybe, when you really think about it, it appears so dark …

Your Response This World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

Each July 30th, the United Nations internationally commemorates the day as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons to raise awareness of the horrible reality that is impacting millions of lives around the world and in communities all throughout the United States.   How is this happening? Human trafficking is the sale of human beings for the purposes of sexual exploitation, …

Internet Safety | The Unknown Dangers

In 2019, the CyberTipline received over 16.9 million reports of online exploitation of children. It’s hard to comprehend these figures. Yet with new games, apps, and websites readily available in a single click, many youth face dangers downloading, uploading, sharing, and connecting on the Internet. These apps and games may appear harmless on the surface, but do you know the …

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Addressing Misconceptions

20,000 calls a day are placed to domestic violence hotlines. While you may know that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, do you know what you can do to help your local programs that serve domestic violence survivors? This month, we had the privilege of talking with several domestic violence programs to learn about their greatest needs, obstacles that …

Is My Student At-Risk?

Human trafficking is everywhere, including schools. The very idea seems unimaginable. And yet, whether a school is in an urban, suburban, or rural community, students may be at risk of human trafficking and exploitation. Any minor who is recruited for the purpose of commercial sex is a victim of human trafficking. Federal law does not require force, fraud, or coercion. …

Do You Know What Human Trafficking Looks Like?

When people first learn about human trafficking, they learn the legal definitions of labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and sometimes organ trafficking. While this is important and foundational, knowing how human trafficking manifests is equally as important. Sex trafficking and labor trafficking can happen to men, women, and children, regardless of age. But knowing the definition is just the beginning – …

What Does Restoration Include?

Restorative care and reintegrative services are an essential part of the continuum of care for a survivor. Without support post-rescue or exit, survivors may find themselves facing the same vulnerabilities that led to their exploitation in the first place. But what does aftercare look like? What services need to be included? What happens when a survivor graduates from a restoration …

What Is Human Trafficking Identification?

By June of 2018, the National Human Trafficking Hotline had received over 14,000 calls, with over 5,000 cases of human trafficking reported in the United States. As AWARENESS of human trafficking grows, it is critically important to know how to identify a potential case of human trafficking in your local community (or abroad) and to know what to do when …