Survive and Thrive

Supporting Trafficking Survivors: In Collaboration
2021-11-19 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
November 19th, 1:00 – 2:30 pm EST
This free certificate webinar one of the “Third Friday” community training events hosted by BBCAHT and STAC to inform and engage the North Florida community and beyond. We are happy to extend this invitation to friends and colleagues – please join us!
The experiences of human trafficking survivors and their life stories are unique and vary greatly – simply put, everyone is different. Similarly, how sex and labor trafficking survivors are supported within their communities depends on that person’s needs – and community resources, collaborations and many other factors. This presentation will focus indepth at some of the programming that supports adult and minor survivors of both sex and labor trafficking in Florida’s Big Bend and address how can we, as communities that wish to support survivors, best meet their needs and collaborate in an uncertain world with ever-increasing needs, fewer resources, and many other challenges?
Presenters:
Vania Aguilar, Assistant Director, FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights;
Justin Barfield, Development Director, CCYS (Capital City Youth Services);
J’ere Clark, Child Protective Investigator/Human Trafficking Specialist, Florida Department of Children and Families and PACE Reach Therapist, PACE Center for Girls; Charlie Jackson, Regional Advocate, Whole Child Leon/Open Doors Outreach Network;
Graciela Marquina, Community Services Advocate, STAC; and
David Oliver, Deputy Dir. Florida, International Rescue Committee.
Sponsors: STAC in affiliation with Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
Contact for questions: STAC at stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Perspectives: Legal Services for Sex Trafficking Survivors
2021-11-10 12:30 - 14:00
United Partners for Human Services member Voices for Florida is hosting an important discussion on legal services that are available to the survivors of sex trafficking.
Webinar Registration

Writing it Right: Documenting Human Trafficking
2021-10-28 14:00 - 15:00
Writing it Right: Documenting Human Trafficking
Presented by: Jane Anderson, Attorney Advisor, AEquitas and Joseph Scaramucci, Detective, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office
Thursday, October 28, 2021 from 2 PM ET to 3:30 PM ET
Register Today
One specific responsibility of law enforcement and prosecutors working on human trafficking cases is to write various reports, affidavits, and briefs that effectively document incidents of sex and labor trafficking. It is crucial for these documents to accurately reflect complex trafficking dynamics and case-specific facts to establish probable cause and effectively litigate issues at trial. When law enforcement and prosecutors collaborate with others, including those with lived experience, they are better equipped to successfully articulate how traffickers use a variety of overt and subtle tactics to exploit victims—thus establishing the element(s) of force, fraud, and/or coercion necessary for cases involving adult victims.
This presentation will focus on the core competencies needed by law enforcement and prosecutors to establish the elements of human trafficking. Additionally, facilitators will discuss the necessity of protecting victim privacy and ensuring that public records and press releases accurately describe trafficking dynamics. In combination with other messaging done by Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Forces to Combat Human Trafficking, this documentation can held educate the public—and potential jurors—about the realities of trafficking.

2021 Human Trafficking Academy
2021-10-18 - 2021-11-01
In the fight against the scourge of human trafficking in the United States, healthcare professionals remain on the frontlines. Research shows that up to 88% of victims of human trafficking accessed health care during their exploitation. Not only do healthcare professionals have a unique opportunity to identify victims of human trafficking, but they also play a trusted and integral role in a survivor’s mental and physical health during their involvement with the legal system, and in their healing and reintegration in the long term.
This year’s intensive online certification aims to equip those in the field with 15 advanced courses taught by leading experts. Through a pragmatic approach that moves beyond the theoretical to actual hands-on application of skills in practice, participants will gain a solid understanding of:

Various forms of human trafficking and identification in a health care setting.
Physical and mental health impacts including best practices for diagnosis and treatment through trauma-informed care.
Laws, regulations, and ethical considerations including healthcare professionals participation in the legal process.
Intersections in health and human trafficking such as COVID-19, opioid addiction, and trafficking of persons with disabilities.
Survivor perspectives, multidisciplinary partnerships, and integral development as a path to healing.

We hope you will join us for this year’s cutting-edge insights on human trafficking though the lens of health care!
Early bird registration fee ends September 10th. Standard registration fee ends October 8th.
REGISTER TODAY

Christians Against Trafficking (CAT) Summit
2021-10-15 18:00 - 2021-10-16 13:00
CHRISTIANS AGAINST TRAFFICKING (CAT) is a group of Christians from all denominations and backgrounds who joined together in their shared passion to see the end of human trafficking in our community. As believers, it is our job to earnestly commit this issue to prayer. We also believe that eradicating human trafficking will take a united effort and that everyone can contribute in some way. It’s our aim and desire to engage everyone in our community and churches through strategic partnerships to join the fight against human trafficking and stop the sale of human beings.
LEARN MORE
CAT Summit – Download the event flyer

Imagine Freedom Events: It Takes a Village (3rd Friday BBCAHT program)
2021-10-15 13:00 - 14:30
It Takes a Village: Ending Human Trafficking in Our Community
This free certificate webinar one of the “Third Friday” community training events hosted by BBCAHT and STAC to inform and engage the North Florida community and beyond. We are happy to extend this invitation to friends and colleagues – please join us!
No one agency, profession, system, or single community can do all that is needed to end human trafficking – everyone has a role. And, because sex and labor trafficking are so hidden and more common than people understand, it is imperative that we all act. This program will feature a wide-ranging discussion of how to build, fortify, and sustain a community that opposes human trafficking, consistently builds and sustains systems that support adult and minor human trafficking survivors, and actively collaborates to prevent sex and labor trafficking.
Presenters: Justin Barfield, Development Director, CCYS; Sheriff Walt McNeil, Leon County Sheriff’s Office; Graciela Marquina, MSW, STAC Community Services Advocate; David Oliver, Deputy Dir. Florida, International Rescue Committee; Heidi Otway, Pres. of SalterMitchell PR and former Chair Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce; Nick Quinton, Ph.D., Trinity United Methodist Church.
Sponsors: STAC in affiliation with Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the International Rescue Committee.
Contact for questions: STAC at stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080
AUDIO will be provided through your computer.
Attendance will be limited to the first 1,000 people who join this event. Please join early.
Click here to register with us for this meeting or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/3drhmdcm
If you have technical questions or concerns, please contact Center Support staff at
centersupport@usf.edu

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Imagine Freedom Events: ¿Qué es Trata de Personas
2021-10-14 18:30 - 19:30
14 de octubre, 6:30 – 7:30 pm.
¿Qué es Trata de Personas? Lo que usted necesita saber.
Presentadoras: Vania Aguilar, M.S., Program Manager, Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, Florida State University; Graciela Marquina, MSW, Victim Assistance Director, Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC); y Margeling Santiago, Victims’ Rights Attorney, Legal Services of North Florida (LSNF).

Descripción: Esta presentación se llevará a cabo en español y cubrirá información de cómo identificar la trata de personas tanto en la trata laboral como sexual. También se hablará sobre los derechos y protección bajo la ley, recursos, apoyo y ayuda con tramites de inmigración. Las presentadoras darán suficiente tiempo para preguntas al final de la presentación.

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October 14, 6:30 – 7:30pm (In Spanish)

Human Trafficking: What You Need to Know

Register Today
Presenters: Vania Aguilar, M.S., Program Manager, Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, Florida State University and Graciela Marquina, MSW, Victim Assistance Director, Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC), Margeling Santiago, Victims’ Rights Attorney, (LSNF).Description: This program will be conducted in Spanish and will include information about how to recognize sex and labor trafficking, information about the rights and remedies under the law, resources and support, and immigration relief. Speakers will provide ample time to take questions.

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Imagine Freedom Events: Myths and Realities in the Big Bend
2021-10-14 10:00 - 11:30
Human Trafficking: Myths and Realities in the Big Bend

Learn more, know more, do better.
October 14th, 10:00-11:30 am EST via Zoom
Presenters: Courtney Atkins, Executive Director, Whole Child Leon, Robin Hassler Thompson, Executive Director, Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center, Cecka Rose Green, Regional Executive Director – Big Bend Region, Children’s Home Society of FL, Taylor Biro, Founding Board Member, Capital Tea.
Description: There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding human trafficking. In order to stop human trafficking, it is important to know the facts, be able recognize the signs of trafficking, and be confident that your actions will make a difference. This multi-media program will help non-profit service providers, businesses, healthcare professionals, faith communities, counselors, and others understand human trafficking and know how to respond safely and effectively. Attendees will leave with a solid foundation of knowledge so they can access resources and local programs that support trafficking survivors.

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Imagine Freedom Events: Healthcare and Human Trafficking FREE WEBINAR
2021-10-13 09:30 - 11:30
Imagine Freedom: Empower Trafficking Survivors One Gift at a Time
Presenters: Suzanne Harrison, MD, FAAFP, FAMWA FSU College of Medicine Director of Clinical Programs and Professor of Family Medicine and Rural Health; Graciela Marquina, MSW STAC Victim Assistance Director; Jasmeka McCord, MD Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital PGY-1 Resident; Robin Hassler Thompson, JD, MA STAC Executive Director.
Description: Telemedicine is accessible now more than ever due to COVID-19 and, like many technology innovations of 2020, this one is here to stay. This program will showcase realistic examples of how providers can recognize human trafficking in the healthcare setting, including telemedicine, and make safe referrals to community service providers. We will cover topics such as confidentiality, safety, building trust to ensure that the healthcare needs of patients are addressed, mandatory reporting, child welfare organizations, and how community members can support survivors’ physical and mental health needs during the pandemic and beyond. This program will benefit everyone, not just those in healthcare.

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

2021 National Labor Trafficking Conference
2021-10-13 - 2021-10-15
In person: Wednesday, October 13 & Thursday, October 14
Virtual: Friday, October 15, 2021
The Galt House • Louisville, KY
Download the flyer here.
Conference Objectives:
• Increase capacity of organizations to address labor trafficking
• Address trends specific to labor trafficking
• Highlight and problem-solve challenges related to labor trafficking
Conference Workshops Include:
• 6 Workshop Tracks: Community Response, Typologies, Data and Research, Innovative Approaches, Capacity-Building in Services, Legal Strategies / Criminal Justice Response
• Typologies: Begging Crews, Agriculture, and Illicit Activities
• COVID-19 and the Impact on Vulnerable Workers
• Leveraging Research and Analysis in Addressing Labor Trafficking
• Voices of Freedom: A Collaboration between OTIP and Storycorp Exploring the Stories of Survivors and the History of the TVPA – A Labor Trafficking Focus
• The Prevalence of Coercion in Labor Trafficking Cases
Learn more about this event at cclou.org

2021 Human Trafficking Summit
2021-10-05 08:00 - 17:00
Along with the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking and its partners, Attorney General Ashley Moody is pleased to announce the 2021 Human Trafficking Summit will be held virtually on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. Florida’s Human Trafficking Summit brings together local, state, and national leaders working to eradicate all forms of trafficking. Learning opportunities created at the Human Trafficking Summit will allow Florida to continue working to protect victims, prevent trafficking, and prosecute traffickers.
REGISTER TODAY
The 2021 Human Trafficking Summit’s webinar format is free of charge. Registration will open on July 1, 2021.

Stewards of Children - South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force Webinar
2021-09-21 14:00 - 15:00
This 2.5 hour, nationally recognized, best practice program uses videos, workbook activities and discussion to engage and educate about child sexual abuse and how to keep children safe. Parents, college students, working professionals, volunteers at child-serving organizations and other staff at agencies and community-based organizations learn that child sexual abuse knows no socio-economic, cultural or racial boundaries. Through compelling stories from survivors of child sexual abuse of their trauma and healing, participants will learn how to develop practices to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The latest changes in mandated reporting laws will be reviewed.
REGISTER TODAY

Florida’s Expungement Laws - Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking
2021-09-17 13:00 - 14:30
The Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking (BBCAHT) and The Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC) invite you to participate in BBCAHT’s Monthly 3rd Friday Community Training Program.
Florida’s Expungement Laws: Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking
Date: September 17, 2021
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern / Noon – 1:30 PM Central
This free certificate webinar one of the “Third Friday” community training events hosted by BBCAHT and STAC to inform and engage the North Florida community and beyond. We are happy to extend this invitation to friends and colleagues – please join us!
When a youth or an adult victim of human trafficking is arrested – whether or not they are prosecuted – they can suffer lifelong personal and practical impacts. Trauma associated with an arrest can haunt them throughout their life. A criminal record can hurt their ability to be economically secure, to get a job or education, and to rebuild their lives and heal. Because these crimes happened while they were being trafficked, Florida law provides a way to help and clear, or “expunge,” their criminal histories. This month’s program will explain the law on expungement, describe the process for clearing a survivor’s criminal history, detail the effects of expungement on a survivor’s life, and dispel myths and misconceptions regarding expungement. If you are a professional or community member who is in actual or potential contact with sex and labor trafficking survivors, you need to know about expungement.
Presenters: Brent Woody, Lead Attorney/Executive Director, Justice Restoration Center; and Rebecca Zoeller, Staff Attorney, Legal Services of North Florida.
NOTE: The Florida Bar has approved this program for 1 hour of basic CLE credit.
Sponsors: STAC in affiliation with Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the International Rescue Committee and Legal Services of North Florida.
Contact for questions: STAC at stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080
AUDIO will be provided through your computer.
Attendance will be limited to the first 1,000 people who join this event. Please join early.
Click here to register with us for this meeting or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/68txawc2
If you have technical questions or concerns, please contact Center Support staff at centersupport@usf.edu.

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Human Trafficking: The Impact on Business and the Law
2021-09-08 12:00 - 13:00
Robin Hassler Thompson, M.A., J.D., the Executive Director of the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC), will discuss the faces of human trafficking, human trafficking laws in Florida, the impact of human trafficking on business and the workplace, legal remedies, training for business, and how the legal profession can get involved. TWL will also present its Rose Deeb Kitchen Award.
REGISTER TODAY

Human Trafficking and Florida Law: Going Deeper
2021-08-20 13:00 - 14:30
The Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking (BBCAHT) and The Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC) invite you to participate in BBCAHT’s Monthly 3rd Friday Community Training Program
Human Trafficking and the Law: Going Deeper
Date: August 20, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern / Noon – 1:30 PM Central
This free certificate webinar one of the “Third Friday” community training events hosted by BBCAHT and STAC to inform and engage the North Florida community and beyond. We are happy to extend this invitation to friends and colleagues – please join us!
This month’s program will take a deeper dive into both the civil and criminal laws regarding human trafficking. Topics to cover will include: recently passed legislation, legal issues facing children – especially in the delinquency and dependency systems, human trafficking expungement law and practice, and special topics in immigration.
Presenters: Daniela Donoso, Equal Justice Works Fellow, Legal Services of North Florida; Robin Hassler Thompson, Executive Director, STAC; Brent Woody, Lead Attorney/Executive Director, Justice Restoration Center; and Paolo Annino, Glass Professor of Public Interest Law, Distinguished University Scholar with the Public Interest Law Center, HELP Clinic Students, FSU College of Law.
NOTE: The Florida Bar has approved this program for 1 hour of Basic CLE credit.
Sponsors: STAC in affiliation with Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the International Rescue Committee and Legal Services of North Florida. Contact: STAC at stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080
AUDIO will be provided through your computer.
Attendance will be limited to the first 1,000 people who join this event. Please join early.
Click here to register with us for this meeting or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/2jcj3bu5
If you have technical questions or concerns, please contact Center Support staff at centersupport@usf.edu

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Working with LGBTQ+ Survivors of Human Trafficking Webinar
2021-08-19 14:00 - 15:30
Registration is now open for the Working with LGBTQ+ Survivors of Human Trafficking webinar presented by the Freedom Network Training Institute. This webinar will provide attendees with an overview of best practices when working with LGBTQ+ survivors. Presenters will cover outreach, wrap-around services, and case management, housing, and immigration services specifically available to LGBTQ+ survivors.
Date: Thursday, August 19, 2021
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm EST
Registration Price: $30
Click here to register for this event
* Participants may submit questions to presenters prior to the webinar through the registration form.

Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of Efforts to Address Human Trafficking
2021-07-30 13:00 - 14:30
We are proud to announce the launch of Voices of Freedom, an archive of more than 80 recorded conversations featuring the reflections of survivors of human trafficking and allied professionals in the field. In these personal and powerful stories, participants share some of the moments that shaped them, the lessons they have learned, and their hopes for the future of the anti-trafficking field. They also examine the legacy of the Trafficking Victims Protect Act of 2000 and chronicle progress before and after the landmark legislation.
Ready to listen? Join us on July 30 at 1 p.m. EST for the Voices of Freedom launch. We’ll highlight major themes and feature discussions from participants in the archive.
A collaborative effort between StoryCorps, the HHS Office on Trafficking in Persons, and the Administration for Native Americans, Voices of Freedom serves as a testament to the power of conversation, storytelling, and oral history. The archive preserves the voices of those who have informed, shaped, and contributed to the successes of the anti-trafficking field over the past two decades.
Voices of Freedom archives a diverse range of lived experiences, contributing to the democratization of historical records. The stories challenge us to reexamine the past to ensure the voices of those experiencing trafficking in the present are heard. These firsthand accounts of how survivors’ experiences have changed over the past 20 years will be preserved in the StoryCorps Archive at the American Folklife Center.
Learn more about the Voices of Freedom initiative and add your story to the archive.
Register for the Voices of Freedom launch on July 30th.

World Day against Trafficking in Persons: The Challenges of Unaccompanied Minors
2021-07-30 10:00 - 11:00
After an influx of unaccompanied minors into the United States, the Office of Refugee Resettlement faced a historic number of referrals with over 20,000 children in care in May of 2021. During this Webinar, distinguished panelists will share their perspectives and firsthand accounts of the challenges surrounding unaccompanied minors as it relates to human trafficking including:

Identification at the border
Reunification with parents or placement with sponsors
Cultural and linguistic challenges
Barriers to receiving assistance
The vulnerability of unaccompanied minors to human trafficking

The John J. Brunetti Human Trafficking Academy of St. Thomas University College of Law is proud to partner with International Rescue Committee and The South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force on this event. This event is free and open to the public with registration. CLEs pending.
REGISTER NOW

Follow the Money, Find the Traffickers: Human Trafficking and the Financial Sector
2021-07-16 10:00 - 11:30
Follow the Money, Find the Traffickers: Human Trafficking and the Financial Sector
held on: July 16th, 2021, 10:00 – 11:30 am EST
Watch the Webinar Replay
This free webinar one of the “Third Friday” community training events hosted by BBCAHT and STAC to inform and engage the North Florida community and beyond. We are happy to extend this invitation to friends and colleagues – please join us!
“Follow the money, find the traffickers” has become a maxim in the world of human trafficking. It is vital for everyone in the community, not just financial institutions and law enforcement, to understand how human traffickers use the banking system. Traffickers launder proceeds from exploited youth and adults, force victims to open accounts, force youth with clean credit histories to apply for credit cards, entwine victims their money laundering schemes, and evade financial system safeguards. Banks need to know how to identify trafficking activity and must train their public-facing staff to be able to pick up on red flags of trafficking. Social services, child welfare professionals, anti-human trafficking advocates and all those who are contact points for vulnerable populations and people who are trafficked need to know how this abuse and exploitation occur so they can protect them.
Presenters:
Marsha Crowle, Executive Vice President, Director of Corporate Compliance, Capital City Bank Group;
Robin Hassler Thompson, Executive Director, STAC;
Melissa Wright, Vice President and Private Banker, Capital City Bank.
NOTE: This is Part 1 of a two-part training series. Look for Part 2 in the coming months for more about how traffickers financially exploit trafficked youth to be presented by Marina Anderson and Theresa Kennedy, Regional Coordinators for the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Sponsors: STAC in affiliation with Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the International Rescue Committee. Contact: STAC at stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

The Intersection of Human Trafficking, Immigration, and LGBTQ+ Community
2021-07-07 16:00 - 17:00
Presented by NAWJ Human Trafficking Committee
Co-Chairs: Hon. Ann Breen-Greco and Ms. Summer Stephan
This one hour no-cost webinar is presented by the NAWJ Human Trafficking Committee and Co-Sponsored by the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, NAWJ Immigration Committee, NAWJ LGBTQ Committee, NAWJ District 8, and National Judicial College.
Speakers and Panelists include: Judge Ann Breen-Greco (HT Committee Co-Chair), District Attorney Summer Stephan (HT Committee Co-Chair), Judge Ellie Finn (Moderator), Judge Bobbie McCartney, Judge Chris Ann Kelley, Assistant State Attorney Jessica O’Connor, and Human Trafficking & Domestic Violence Program Director Carmen G. Kcomt.
Click here to register for this event; Questions for this event can be directed to DAExecutiveSecretary@sdcda.org.
Click here for PDF version of flyer

Webinar: Human Trafficking and Gangs
2021-06-18 13:00 - 14:30
Gangs conduct criminal activity in all 50 states. Although most gang activity is concentrated in major urban areas, gangs also are proliferating in rural and suburban areas as gang members flee increasing law enforcement pressure in urban areas. During this session attendees will learn to recognize signs of gang involvement including gang tattoos, terminology, graffiti and using hand signals. Attendees will also be able to recognize the warning signs and risk factors of youth gang recruitment. This session will also discuss the female’s role in gangs and how gang sex trafficking differs from other forms of trafficking. Presenter: Marina Anderson, Florida Department of Children and Families Regional Human Trafficking Coordinator for Northeast and Northwest Regions.
Sponsors: STAC in affiliation with Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the International Rescue Committee.
Contact: STAC at stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080
This free webinar is one in a series that BBCAHT and STAC is organizing during this time of social distancing and to keep up our Third Friday training schedule. We are happy to extend this invitation to friends and colleagues throughout the Big Bend and beyond – please join us!

webinar sponsors

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Survivor Leadership Series: Racism & the Anti-Trafficking Movement
2021-06-15 13:00 - 14:00
This webinar discusses racism in the anti-trafficking movement based on a survey of trafficking survivors. Distributed in multiple languages, the survey sought to learn more about the impact of systemic and structural racism experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) trafficking survivors. Their answers provided insight into their lived experience navigating support services, legal issues, health care, and the anti-trafficking community.
REGISTER HERE
ABOUT YOUR PRESENTERS
Evelyn Chumbow
Evelyn Chumbow is a survivor of child labor trafficking turned anti-trafficking activist and public speaker who has focused her life’s work on ending modern-day slavery, a crime impacting some 40 million victims globally. Ms. Chumbow was brought to the United States from Cameroon at the age of nine and forced to cook, clean, and care for her trafficker’s children. She was never paid for her work, and any hope that she might escape her miserable life was undermined by the constant beatings she received from her trafficker.
After years of captivity, she finally escaped and her trafficker was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Today, Ms. Chumbow works tirelessly to raise awareness and help other survivors. She serves as an advisor to human trafficking NGOs, and has been invited to brief government agencies about human trafficking from a survivor’s perspective. She is invited regularly to speak around the world about her experience, including at the White House. She also serves as an advocate and mentor for fellow survivors.
In December 2015, fulfilling a life-long dream, Ms. Chumbow graduated with a BS in Homeland Security Studies from the University of Maryland University College. She was appointed by President Obama to serve as United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to his administration. Since January 2015, she has worked at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP in Washington, DC, where she has the opportunity to support human trafficking and human rights-related pro bono initiatives.
Roxie Farrow
Roxie Farrow is the Operations Manager for the Human Trafficking Legal Center. Farrow graduated with a Masters in Industrial Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2015.
Farrow is the co-chair of The Maryland Survivor Network, a membership group providing support, professional, and leadership development for human trafficking survivors participating in anti-trafficking efforts in the state.
Farrow is also a Survivor Leader Consultant for the University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment (SAFE) Center for Human Trafficking Survivors’, serving on the Human Trafficking Clinicians Collaborative and the Human Trafficking Survivors’ Council.
Prior to joining the Human Trafficking Legal Center, Farrow worked as Senior Admissions Coordinator & Manager for Psychiatric Institute of Washington, a behavioral health treatment facility in Washington D.C. Before embarking on her graduate studies, Farrow founded The Exodus Project, a human trafficking advocacy and awareness organization that focuses on educating community leaders and youth in the D.C. metro area. Farrow received her Bachelor of Science from Trinity Washington University in Psychology with a Minor in Arabic Literature.
Fainess Lipenga
Fainess Lipenga has been an active member of the National Survivor Network since 2013. As a survivor of labor trafficking, she uses her voice and experience to educate the community and raise awareness. Her mission is to prevent other survivors from being re-victimized and to give them hope and courage to heal, become leaders, and achieve their dreams. Prior to her role as Training Advisor, Ms. Lipenga served as a consultant to the Human Trafficking Legal Center for more than five years.
Ms. Lipenga has testified before the U.S. Congress regarding the challenges survivors face. She has presented to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She has provided training for pro bono lawyers, law students, physicians, law enforcement officials, and federal prosecutors. She has spoken at national conferences and developed expert training materials. Ms. Lipenga serves as a survivor-consultant to the Human Trafficking Legal Center in Washington, DC. In 2019, Ms. Lipenga testified before the Maryland General Assembly to advocate for the passage of the Anti-Exploitation Act. With the help of her testimony, Maryland passed the bill, making labor trafficking an illegal act for the first time in Maryland.
Ms. Lipenga is the recipient of the Justice for Victims of Crime Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Washington, D.C. She believes survivor voices and leadership are essential to advocacy on human trafficking. She is a certified nursing assistant and continues to pursue her goal of becoming a registered nurse.
Deborah Pembrook
Deborah Pembrook (she/her) chairs the Coalition to End Human Trafficking in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. She is also Human Trafficking Outreach Manager at Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, one of the Coalition partners.
Deborah left a successful executive position in a technology company to help her community end the types of exploitation she experienced in her childhood. An inspiring educator, she has partnered with and trained regional police and sheriff departments, probation officers, educators and direct service providers to humanize exploited children and vulnerable people.
With more than eight years in the anti-trafficking field, her experience ranges from providing direct services to trafficking survivors and other survivors of violence, helping create a cross-sector community collaboration, and building community awareness, outreach campaigns and multi-sector response. Deborah has served two terms on the California CSEC Action Team Advisory Board. She is the 2016 recipient of the YWCA Silicon Valley Empowerment Award.

Lecture with Author Chloe O. Davis Explores LGBTQIA+ Terminology and Phrases
2021-06-14 18:30 - 19:30
Library Lecture with Author Chloe O. Davis Explores LGBTQIA+ Terminology and Phrases

WHO:
Leon County Government

WHAT:
Leon County Library Lecture Series

WHEN:
Monday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Virtual Event through Zoom

Join Leon County Government for a virtual Library Lecture on Monday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. about a topic that will engage and inspire citizens throughout our community. The event will feature author Chloe O. Davis whose debut book, “The Queens’ English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases,” contains more than 800 words created by and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community.
Moderated by WFSU Multimedia Reporter Robbie Gaffney, the conversation with Chloe O. Davis will explore the history and meaning behind LGBTQIA+ terminology and how the dictionary can be a starting point for conversations about inclusivity, sexuality, gender expression and identity.
After the lecture, five attendees will be randomly selected to receive a free personal copy of “The Queens’ English.” Winners will be notified via email.
To register for the virtual lecture, click here.
Leon County selects speakers and topics that engage and inspire, appealing to the interests of all citizens. Library Lectures are free and open to the public. Citizens can request an electronic copy of “The Queens’ English” on Libby or a physical copy from the Leon County Public Library’s online catalog using their library card number. If you don’t have a library card number, register online today.
Throughout the month of June, Leon County will host virtual programs in celebration of Pride Month. See a complete list of events, reading and movie lists, and more here.
For more information, contact Michelle Ray, Learning and Workforce Services Manager, at (850) 606-2665 / RayM@LeonCountyFL.gov or Leon County Community and Media Relations at (850) 606-5300 / CMR@LeonCountyFL.gov.

Human Trafficking Training Related to Internships
2021-06-08 09:00 - 10:30
Watch the video replay of this training webinar: https://youtu.be/LvMZKssNJk0
Human trafficking is alive and well in Leon and surrounding counties. Summer interns and others from area local non-profits need to know how about sex and labor trafficking because they are very likely to encounter a survivor and should know what to do, and how to get help from STAC and our partners. This program covers myths and misconceptions about trafficking, local resources, survivor perspectives and features a video and discussion that highlight how youth are recruited by traffickers online.

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Advancing the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations
2021-06-07 10:00 - 11:30
Individuals who identify as sexual and gender diverse—that is, those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or non-binary (LGBTQI+), or who have same-sex and same-gender attractions or behaviors—have different experiences across their life course than their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. The increase in prevalence and visibility of sexual and gender diverse populations illuminates the need for greater understanding of the ways in which current laws, systems, and programs affect their well-being.
This webinar will discuss the research-based policy implications outlined in the report, Understanding the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations (2020), current LGBTQI+ policy considerations at the federal level, such as the Equality Act and section 1557, and recent changes to and topics of interest in state and local level policies.
Speakers:

Kellan Baker, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Andrew Flores, American University;
Sharita Gruberg, Center for American Progress;
Nan Hunter, Georgetown University;
Fran Hutchins, Equality Federation

More information about this event
This webinar series features issues at the forefront of current policy discussions and have diversity, equity, and inclusion as a central focus. Each webinar discusses policy implications from topical DBASSE reports. Please check the Hauser Policy Impact Fund website for details on upcoming webinars and future activities.

Tomato Feastival and Fundraiser for Red Hills Small Farm Alliance
2021-06-06 14:00 - 18:00
Come and enjoy the Tomato Festival this Sunday! STAC is SO happy to support our wonderful community partner, the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance and thank them again for this ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING PLEDGE. https://www.redhillsfarmalliance.com/anti-human-trafficking
Where: Goodwood Museum and Gardens (outdoors)
What:
To eat: Tomato Sandwiches, Glendower sausages, Kitchenable tomato pie, Southern Craft Creamery ice cream
To drink: beer from Lake Tribe Brewing and Deep as well as non-alcoholic drinks
Farmer’s Market
Cake Walk and Cake Raffle
Raffles
Kid’s Games
Tomato Contest- taste, biggest and ugliest
Live Music by MoonDance
Attend the event- tickets available in advance on our website: https://www.redhillsfarmalliance.com/tomato-feastival

Human Trafficking & Healthcare: A Special Focus on Telemedicine
2021-05-21 13:00 - 15:00
Human Trafficking & Healthcare: A Special Focus on Telemedicine
Hosted by Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center and Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking
Telemedicine has exploded in availability since the onset COVID-19 and, like many innovations from 2020, this one is likely to stay with us. Knowing this, how can today’s world of telemedicine be safe and effective for survivors of human trafficking? What are the issues that healthcare providers need to know when assisting child and adult survivors in person, as well as during telehealth visits? Can providers make sure that confidentiality and safety are maintained, and how can providers build trust and ensure that the healthcare needs of their patients are addressed? What are the providers’ responsibilities regarding children and mandatory reporting? Is insurance available for human trafficking survivors in the ACA/health insurance marketplace? How can service providers, child welfare organizations, and community members support survivors’ physical and mental health needs during the pandemic and afterward? Using both lecture and role play scenarios, these questions and more will be answered during this program. This program will benefit everyone, not only those in healthcare.
Presenters: Suzanne Harrison, MD, FAAFP, FAMWA, Director of Clinical Programs, Professor of Family Medicine and Rural Health, FSU College of Medicine; Graciela Marquina, MSW, Victim Assistance Director, STAC; Robin Hassler Thompson, JD, MA, Executive Director, STAC; Allison Wiman, RN, BSN, MPH, Big Bend AHEC – Big Bend Rural Health Network.
Sponsors: STAC, in affiliation with Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the IRC.

STAC needs your support to sustain these important webinars. Will you donate today? Each gift helps to bring this vital information to the many people who are empowering survivors and preventing human trafficking. The only way we can maintain these programs and this work is with YOUR help.
Suggested donation: $20

Housing and Economic Mobility Virtual Resource Fair
2021-05-18 12:00 - 13:30
HHS’ Office on Trafficking in Persons and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime will hold a virtual resource fair on Housing and Economic Mobility on May 18th from 12-1:30 pm Eastern Time.
This event is a response to the links between housing instability, lack of economic opportunity, and vulnerability to human trafficking, and will spotlight resources, research, and programs addressing the need for sustainable housing and meaningful employment for individuals who have experienced human trafficking.
The resource fair will consist of two panels: Housing Innovation and Resources and Employment Innovation and Resources. Both sessions will conclude with a question and answer period.
Panelists will include representatives from:

Access Inc
Freedom Fund
Freedom Network Training Institute
Futures Without Violence
International Institute of Buffalo
National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center
Preble Street
Restore NYC
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Title V Program
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration

Register for the resource fair via this link.

Shared Grace Training
2021-05-18 10:00 - 12:00
A training hosted by Shared Grace
Shared Grace is a bi-weekly collaborative gathering for faith groups and human services agencies. Here faith leaders connect their congregations to those providing vital services in our area.
The connections we make in Shared Grace are life giving and we’ve learned so much together. We’ll share some of these lessons in our training and hear from local agencies on how you can assist in serving the Big Bend community alongside them.
We hope you can join us via zoom on Tuesday, May 18th from 10am-noon for this training session.
Register to join our training here
View the informational event flyer PDF

Step into the Light: Education and Engagement on Human Trafficking Issues
2021-04-21 13:00 - 14:00
A Life Preservers Project Webinar

Life Preservers Project and Page One Legal invite you to join us for a panel presentation on stepping up action against trafficking of human beings in the digital age.
Register for Webinar
The purpose of the webinar is to share information on how to make better use of existing tools and garner relationships with law enforcement and legal professions to prevent and combat human trafficking in the digital age. We will discuss key challenges in identifying victims, investigating cases, and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking offenses committed with the use of information and communication technology, human rights challenges linked to the use of technology in tackling trafficking in human beings, and how governments and international organizations can strengthen collaboration with businesses and civil society.
Moderator:
Andrew Kent, COO of Page One Legal

Andrew currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Page One Legal in Nashville, TN. Andrew has spent over 15 years in the eDiscovery and litigation industries after receiving his BA from the University of Wisconsin and his JD from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. In his role as Chief Operating Officer at Page One Legal, he is responsible for leadership accountability, removing obstacles and problem solving, and integrating all major functions between departments as well as handling all day-to-day functions. The idea that eDiscovery workflows and technology can be used to reduce the burdens of discovery and empower litigants to focus on case merits is his driving force. He has hosted numerous webinars including the Virtual One Conference, The 15 on the 15th, and the Litigator’s Lunch.

Speakers:

Barbara Martinez, Holland & Knight LLP

Barbara A. Martinez is a member of Holland & Knight’s Global Compliance and Investigation Team in the firm’s Miami office. She focuses her law practice on internal corporate investigations, corporate compliance and training, and white collar criminal defense. Part of her practice includes offering anti-trafficking compliance programs for businesses. She also advises companies, educational institutions, and organizations about risk management relating to electronic data collection and internal threat management policies. She routinely conducts anti-trafficking and anti-money laundering training for financial institutions, companies, educators, and medical professionals.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight last year, Ms. Martinez served as the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida in Miami. In this capacity, she tried human trafficking cases and supervised federal prosecutors who handled cases involving international and domestic human trafficking, money laundering, child exploitation, extortion, international kidnappings, and other transnational crimes. Ms. Martinez was also the Human Trafficking Coordinator and the Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Southern District of Florida for more than a decade. As the Coordinator for these programs, Ms. Martinez spearheaded coordination efforts between law enforcement, prosecutors, non-governmental organizations, and private industries to more effectively prevent and identify human trafficking and child exploitation, as well as to investigate and successfully prosecute cases. She teaches a human trafficking seminar at the University of Miami School of Law.
Some of her notable honors and awards include: 2020 Leadership and Advocacy Resilience Award from Ark of Freedom Alliance for her anti-trafficking work; 2018 Attorney General’s Award for the prosecution of a case involving sex trafficking of minors in Honduras; 2018 Dade County Bar Association’s Women of Distinction Government Award; 2016-2017 Harvard Law School Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow; 2015 Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney for the prosecution of a sex trafficking case involving more than 50 adult victims; 2013 Women in Federal Law Enforcement’s Top Prosecutor Award; and Department of Justice’s 2011 Outstanding Overall Partnership Coalition Group Award for her work and contributions on cases involving domestic sex trafficking of minors.

Robin Thompson, Executive Director of The Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC)

Robin Hassler Thompson, M.A., J.D., is the Executive Director of the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC), non-profit agency she co-founded in 2015 to assist survivors of human trafficking. She also is an active member and co-chairs the Social Services Committee for the Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking. Robin’s consulting firm, Robin H. Thompson and Associates, represents a wide range of clients including the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights where she assists in the Center’s work on human trafficking.
In 2001, she traveled to Bangladesh as a part of a U.S. State Department mission, which included a site visit to a trafficking rescue shelter in Dhaka – this trip inspired her work to help build awareness about human trafficking. From 2002 to the present, she has directed numerous local and statewide anti-trafficking projects. Robin has lectured extensively on the topics of violence against women and human trafficking. She is a contributor to numerous national and international publications and curricula including a domestic violence and human trafficking on-line Continuing Medical Education (CME) course for the Florida Medical Association.
In addition to her anti-trafficking work, Robin’s areas of expertise include domestic and sexual violence law and policy analysis, Violence Against Women Act implementation, adult domestic violence fatality reviews, workplace violence law and policy and health care issues. Robin has served on and held leadership positions on local, state and national boards and committees and has chaired the local Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, where she lives in Tallahassee, Florida.
Robin served as the Executive Director for Florida’s first Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence from 1993-1998. At the request of the U. S. Department of Justice, Robin served on the National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women. She graduated from Florida State University College of Law in 1984. In addition to her law degree, she holds an M.A. from Florida State University and a B.A. from American University in Washington, D.C. where she graduated summa cum laude in 1981.

Gregory Zarzaur, Founder of The Zarzaur Firm

Gregory Zarzaur dedicates his law practice to representing crime victims in civil litigation and increasing awareness of crime victim rights within both the civil and criminal justice system. His work is inspired by the courage and resolve of the survivors he represents.
When not in the courtroom fighting for his clients, Greg is active in educating his colleagues and victim advocates about the civil remedy provisions within state and federal human trafficking laws that can be utilized to directly support survivors. Over the last twenty years, Greg’s goal has stayed consistent: earn the trust and respect of his clients, the Court, and his opponents. Greg is a proud husband and father. He is an avid fan of the University of Notre Dame where he was a walk-on football player under Hall of Fame Coach Lou Holtz.

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