Survive and Thrive

Advancing the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations
2021-06-07 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
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.

Brought to you in partnership by:

Helping Florida Schools Keep Kids Safe from Human Trafficking
2021-04-16 13:00 - 14:30
Watch the On-demand Replay: https://youtu.be/prxtvfWdL8w
Helping Florida Schools Keep Kids Safe from Human Trafficking
Presented by: Elizabeth Fisher Good, Kyra Montaque, and Shannon Meyer from Selah Way
Hosted by: Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center and Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking
Register at: tinyurl.com/4d8yj46p
AUDIO will be provided through your computer. Attendance will be limited to the first 1,000 people who join this event. Please join early.
Free Webinar Certificate
This free, certificate webinar is one in a series that BBCAHT and STAC are providing 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! The Florida Department of Education mandates that all school districts educate students and staff about
human trafficking. One program doing this work through a “train the trainer” model is Selah Way Foundation, a global network of best practices and service providers in the global anti-sex trafficking movement. The Selah Way Foundation has developed a program to provide school districts, including all faculty/staff and K-12th graders with S.P.E.A.K. UP, a unique train-the-trainer model. Student Prevention Education & Advocacy for kids (S.P.E.A.K. UP) is a turn-key train the trainer model that provides schools and beyond with a top-down approach ensuring all faculty and staff are educated on how to protect students and recognize the red flags, and includes curricula for K-12th grade students. Presenters with the Selah Way Foundation will discuss the issue of human trafficking, schools, and how local communities can develop programming using a collaborative model. They also will focus on how important it is for
children to be informed about both sex and labor trafficking and how to partner in community with local programs, child welfare, and other local stakeholders.
Contact STAC at (850) 597-2080 or STAC@SurviveAndThriveAdvocacy.org
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ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:
Kyra Montaque is the Southeast Prevention Coordinator for Selah Freedom. She spent 7 years working for the public school system and her goal was to ensure the success of all children regardless of background. Since coming on board with Selah Freedom in 2017 Kyra now carries the same passion she had in the classroom with her to work to prevent and equip not only children, but also adults with the knowledge that is needed to end sex trafficking and exploitation. In her current role she is able to create the trainings and curriculum needed to bring awareness to this issue but also train and speak on the problems that our young people face and what adults can do to be a part of the solution.
Shannon Meyer is an educator turned teacher-advocate with a passion for empowering teachers and parents with the knowledge and freedom of being trauma-informed and creating all-access instruction. As an educator from inner-city Los Angeles, she transitioned to a role as an instructional coach and watched teachers and school leaders respond with tremendous enthusiasm to the knowledge of the brain and how it impacts learning and student interactions.
In addition, receiving training and certification under the Gates College-Ready Promise Grant, Shannon is skilled at identifying the most powerful levers of success for planning, instruction, and classroom management. Using the power of the whole-child approach to education, as well as other training in Positive Discipline and Cognitive Coaching, she has been able to empower teachers and school leaders to know their students more deeply and respond, rather than react. This knowledge is also empowering to students as they learn how to better listen and communicate with each other.
Whether school leaders want to unify their staff, or teachers want to reduce student conflict, Shannon believes that knowing how information is processed in the brain is key to building a more cohesive and healthy school community. She has a passion and love for supporting educators and creating custom learning experiences to grow their practice.
Elizabeth Fisher Good became a leader in the anti-sex trafficking movement by co-founding Selah Freedom. She has been instrumental in providing freedom to nearly 10,000 survivors since 2011. Out of Selah Freedom, another dream has been born. The Selah Way Foundation created in 2018 collaboratively brings together the leading organizations across the United States and globally to provide best practices and proven models to eradicate sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Three initiatives work together to achieve this goal: Prevention, Protection, and Provision.
Elizabeth is a passionate pioneer and inspirational thought leader with a desire to expose the root of the issue behind sex trafficking, childhood sexual abuse. She is the author of Groomed (Harper Collins, 2020), which recounts her own story of loss, trauma, and triumph. Fisher Good dedicates her life to helping women from all backgrounds discover how to live free from past traumas, strongholds, and lies they may have been groomed to believe about themselves. She guides readers toward an understanding that grooming is often subtle, but it’s always life-altering. She offers readers a way to overcome their past, starting with an all-important but rarely explored concept.
The concept is a selah, or a time of rest and reflection, and helps explore active ways to forgive and move forward to a whole new level of freedom. Elizabeth’s authentic, transparent, and natural approach is refreshing and comforting to readers, no matter their stage of life. She is empathetic yet all resolve.
SRQ Magazine, in their article Fight For the Innocents, describes Elizabeth as “Part healer, part businesswoman, all resolve—if Selah Freedom is bringing light into the darkness, as the slogan says, then Fisher is the one behind the megawatt.” She is the recipient of the prestigious New York City Global Business Leader Award and The Tampa Bay Business Woman of the Year Award.

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

Understanding Human Trafficking Survivor-Centered Approaches
2021-03-19 13:00 - 14:30
Understanding Human Trafficking Survivor-Centered Approaches
Free Certificate Webinar
March 19, 2021
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
“Survivor-centered,” “survivor-led,” “survivor-informed,” “ally” – these are all terms that are commonly used in the anti-trafficking field, but what do they really mean?
Join us to learn about safe, respectful, and effective anti-trafficking collaboration with survivors.
Contact: STAC at stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Presentation Links and Resources
MEET OUR SPEAKERS:
Bethany Gilot is a National Consultant on anti-human trafficking initiatives from training and program development to state/federal policy. Bethany has years of experience working in the anti-trafficking field both domestically and internationally. Bethany previously served as the Statewide Human Trafficking Prevention Director for Florida’s state child welfare and juvenile justice agencies. She worked to strengthen systems of care for trafficked youth. She implemented legislation, created agency policy, and oversaw all state-level efforts to identify and serve minor survivors of human trafficking. In addition to public service, Bethany has worked within NGOs serving sex trafficking survivors in Florida and India.
———————
Jamie Rosseland is a consultant in the field of anti-trafficking work with expertise in the coordination of care and program development for victims and survivors of sexual exploitation, development and implementation of trauma-competent and survivor-centered digital marketing strategies, and has been active in local government and statewide level policy advocacy.
Through sharing her lived experiences and unique perspective, Jamie is committed to change the cultural view of the sex trade and address systems that drive demand. She has experience working as a survivor advocate providing mentorship, court advocacy, and care coordination to youth impacted by sexual exploitation with the Open Doors Outreach Network with Voices for Florida. Jamie has presented at countless community events, statewide summits, and national conferences.
Currently, Jamie serves on the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s State Advisory Group and is working with the United Nations University with an international team to develop policy recommendations regarding the intersection of justice systems and human trafficking. She has also been accepted into the 2021 Social Scholar Program at Florida State University, where she is working on earning her degree in interdisciplinary social sciences.
In 2018, Jamie won the Survivor Advocate of the Year award presented by the Florida Attorney General for her outstanding work with exploited youth. When not working in direct services or educating the community, Jamie also utilizes her creative and strategic eye to enhance the marketing and social media campaigns of anti-trafficking nonprofits and consults with academics on research methodologies and practices. Jamie oversees social media strategy and digital outreach efforts for several nonprofits that serve survivors of trafficking.

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

Legal Advocacy: Rebuilding a Life After Childhood Trafficking
2021-03-05 13:00 - 14:00
Presented by: Paolo Annino, JD, PhD (Glass Professor of Public Interest Law @FSU College of Law) ,
Gigi Green, Melody Andrews, Daynica Harley
REGISTER HERE: http://bit.ly/3jA8lsK

Perspectives: The Impact of Sex Trafficking on Black Women & Girls
2021-02-22 11:00 - 12:30
Register Now for Monday’s Webinar in Recognition of Black History Month
Perspectives: The Impact of Sex Trafficking on Black Women & Girls
Monday, Feb 22, 2021 from 11am – 12:30pm
Panelists:
Maire Norman, Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center
Chanel Dione, Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center
Moderated by:
Yolanda Pourciau, Yolanda Speaks

Danger Warning! Social Media and Sex Trafficking Recruitment
2021-02-19 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

Program: Danger Warning! Social Media and Sex Trafficking Recruitment
Date: February 19, 2021
This free, certificate 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! Since the onset of the pandemic especially, social media is increasingly being exploited to contact, recruit, and sell children and youth for sex. Some traffickers use online ads to target victims, or they will send a friend/follow requests to young people in their region, proceed to strike up a conversation, and develop online friendships. These conversations may start off friendly and innocent, but then the traffickers will begin to use manipulation to charm their potential victims. The online friendship quickly evolves to a romantic relationship, and this is where the sextortion techniques are used to lure their victims into human trafficking. During this session, attendees will learn to recognize signs of social media recruitment, and how traffickers lure their victims on the internet. Attendees will learn about the dangers of popular social media dating sites and apps. This session will also discuss popular emojis and their hidden meaning used to communicate sexual gestures when texting or communicating on internet sites and social media apps.
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
Presentation PPT: Danger Warning! Social Media Sex Trafficking Recruitment is on the rise since Covid 19 pandemic

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

Preventing and Understanding Human Trafficking of Youth
2021-01-28 15:00 - 16:00
Date: Thursday, January 28, 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Location: Online via Zoom

Description: This conversation will be directed to students in local universities and high schools to educate these young members of the community about human trafficking, its prevalence, and how to protect themselves and their peers. This event will be hosted in partnership with Leon County Schools and other student groups to ensure age-appropriate content.

JOIN HERE

Contacts: Kristina Bailey, Kristina.Bailey@rescue.org or JC Torres, Juan.torres@rescue.org

Labor Trafficking: The Story of Immigrant Survivors
2021-01-28 10:00 - 11:00
Labor Trafficking: The Story of Immigrant Survivors
Date: Thursday, January 28th, 2021, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
On Thursday, January 28th, the IRC in Florida is participating in National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by inviting the community to join a free, live online panel discussion regarding human trafficking in North Florida.
Panelists include anti-human trafficking experts and members of law-enforcement agencies.
Labor Trafficking: The Story of Immigrant Survivors – The IRC provides services to domestic and foreign-born survivors of human trafficking. The IRC’s unique experience of working with diverse immigrant and refugee communities provides the context for this conversation to explore the many ways immigrants are victimized by human trafficking. It will also dive deep into the specific subject of labor trafficking and its prevalence in the rural regions of the state.

List of confirmed panelist:
•Mr. Cristobal Perez – Program Analyst
•Mr. Terry Coonan – Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and Associate Professor for Law and Criminology at FSU
•Ms. Kelly Ann Whelan – Policy Analyst at USCRI
•Ms. Robin Hassler Thompson – Executive Director of the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC)

This discussion will be moderated by Ms. Regina Bernadin, Ph.D., IRC’s Technical Advisor, Anti-trafficking Programs. The public will have an opportunity to submit questions that will be answered by the panelists.
For more information, please contact Ms. Chandler Swenson at Chandler.Swenson@Rescue.org
To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.

Join here: Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/ircinflorida/
Cost: Free
Contacts: Kristina Bailey, Kristina.Bailey@rescue.org or JC Torres, Juan.torres@rescue.org

Human Trafficking: Stories of Survivors
2021-01-26 14:00 - 15:00
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: On Tuesday, January 26th, the IRC in Florida is participating in National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by inviting the community to join a free, live online panel discussion regarding human trafficking in North Florida.
Panelists include anti-human trafficking experts and members of law-enforcement agencies.
The Stories of Survivors will bring forward the human element of human trafficking, focusing on a survivor-centered discussion designed to highlight the challenges faced by survivors across Tallahassee. Due to its complexity and the harm caused by trafficking, survivors face a multitude of barriers as they work to rebuild lives. Members of the community will learn about these issues and ways they can engage in solutions to preventing human trafficking.

List of confirmed guest speakers:
•Ms. J’ere Clark – Senior Child Protective Investigator Human Trafficking Specialist
•Ms. Kristina Bailey – IRC Human Trafficking Caseworker
•Ms. Caridad Mas-Batchelor – Task Force
Coordinator, South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force
•Ms. Graciela Marquina – Victim’s Assistant Director at the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC)

This discussion will be moderated by Ms. Regina Bernadin, Ph.D., IRC’s Technical Advisor, Anti-trafficking Programs. The public will have an opportunity to submit questions that will be answered by the panelists.

For more information, please contact Ms. Chandler Swenson at Chandler.Swenson@Rescue.org

To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.
Cost: Free
Join here: https://www.facebook.com/ircinflorida/

A Victim-Centered Approach to Health Care for Survivors of Human Trafficking
2021-01-25 18:30 - 20:00
During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, The John J. Brunetti Human Trafficking Academy is pleased to present A Victim-Centered Approach to Health Care for Survivors of Human Trafficking. Victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches are hallmarks of effective services – inclusive of healthcare – to survivors of human trafficking. Learn from our distinguished panel of doctors championing these issues as they work to combat human trafficking in the medical field through victim identification, comprehensive health care, and beyond. The John J. Brunetti Human Trafficking Academy of St. Thomas University Law School is proud to partner with the University of Miami Health Systems THRIVE Clinic, Rotarian Public Health Fellowship, and Rotary District 6990 on this event.
This webinar is free and open to the public domestically and internationally with registration.
REGISTER

Stolen Childhoods: Children and Human Trafficking
2021-01-25 12:00 - 13:15
Please make plans to join us for our first Professional Network of 2021 as we recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Month. We will discuss incidence rates, identification, and available resources for youth and families. We will look at gaps that exist in our system of care to determine how collectively we can address the sinister manipulation that is stealing childhood. Our guest speakers represent Survive & Thrive Advocacy Center, Voices for Florida, and the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence.
As with other Professional Network meetings, we will build in time for you to connect with one another and share your own announcements. If you have materials you’d like to share, please send them in advance!
RSVP HERE

Human Trafficking and the Law: Looking Through a Wider Lens
2021-01-21 11:30 - 13:30
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Description: What is the role of the private sector in addressing and helping to end human trafficking? What roles do we play as attorneys in civil practice, business owners and leaders, and consumers? What role does government play and is there a place for public/private partnership and collaboration in addressing the eradication of both sex and labor trafficking? And what about the “supply chains” of goods and services – how can we work to make sure that enslaved people have not produced the food we eat and other goods and services we rely on? These questions and more will be the focus of this program.

Featured Speaker

Barbara Martinez, of Holland & Knight, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and FSU College of Law Public Interest Law Center’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Law Project.

This program has been approved by the Florida Bar for 2.5 hours of General CLE Certification Credits

Register here: https://fsu.forms-db.com/view.php?id=1017598

Hosts/Sponsors: FSU College of Law, FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC), the Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking (BBCAHT), Legal Services of North Florida, Tallahassee Women Lawyers, Florida Government Bar Association, and Advocates for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (AIRR) and Trafficking in America Task Force of the FSU College of Law.

Cost: Free

Contact: Robin Hassler Thompson, STAC, 850-597-2080 robin@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org

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 Impact of Trauma on Human Trafficking Survivors
2021-01-19 10:00 - 11:30
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 10 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: This panel discussion will focus on the science of trauma, how it impacts the brain and how it manifests itself in the lives of survivors; including physically, psychologically and in society. It will be moderated by Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Simone Marstiller.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G8e25JQMSDecq5lYHP5a5g
Sponsor and Hosts: Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking and Voices for Florida
Contact: Erin Collins, Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking 850-570-1492;
erin@floridaallianceendht.com

Human Trafficking and Working with our Neighbor: Georgia’s Anti-Trafficking Initiatives
2021-01-15 11:00 - 12:30
Date: Friday, January 15, 2021, 11- 12:30 p.m.

Description: The Georgia state line is less than 30 minutes from many of us in North Florida, making it of great value to learn from our neighbor to the north about how we can collaborate to prevent human trafficking, protect victims, and bring traffickers to justice. This presentation will introduce you to Georgia’s anti-human trafficking work and feature presenters who are experts in state and local anti-trafficking efforts. Topics will include protective responses to child sex and labor trafficking (and Georgia’s recent work with local Child Advocacy Centers and youth who are victims of child sexual exploitation and trafficking), recent findings and recommendations from a new report on labor trafficking, and how we can assist one another in our anti-trafficking advocacy and survivor support. All BBCAHT members, anti-trafficking advocates and service providers, local task forces and coalitions, child welfare agencies, law enforcement, attorneys, the faith community and many more can benefit greatly to know about Georgia’s work and how we can coordinate to assist and support trafficking survivors. At the end of the formal presentation, there will be an informal discussion and time for questions. Presenters: Erica Mortonson, LCSW, Human Trafficking Unit Supervisor, and Elina Acosta, Human Trafficking Planner and Policy Development Specialist, GA Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; Victor Williams, Coordinator, GA Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/yatzdmhb

Cost: Free. This is the first monthly “3rd Friday” human trafficking training program for 2021.

Sponsors: STAC and the International Rescue Committee, in affiliation with the Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking (BBCAHT)

Contact: STAC, 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

4th Annual Gadsden County Human Trafficking Community Forum
2021-01-14 19:00 - 20:00
SOCIAL JUSTICE TABLE TALK

Midway, January 14, 2021 | 7:00pm – 8:30pm

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center invites you to join in on the 4th Annual Gadsden County Human Trafficking Community Forum, a pivotal discussion geared toward developing social justice reform and helping survivors of human trafficking in Gadsden County. Table Talks are a series of informational community-led forums created to bring communities together to make a change. We want to hear your thoughts, concerns, and solutions for your County. This conversation is an opportunity to have your voice heard. Join us on January 14 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm for the 4th Annual Gadsden Count Human Trafficking Community Forum.

This is forum will allow concerned community members to come together to discuss challenges and resources in Gadsden County to bring about change.

Pastor Douglas Harris of Midway Unity Fellowship Church will lead the discussions about these topics and more, including greater issues of social justice, how human trafficking impacts the community and resources.

Join the discussion here

What to expect and how to prepare:

Each Table Talk will be a casual discussion, with no preparation required: come as you are and know your thoughts and input will be valued.

Let your voice be heard here

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 in the Hospitality Industry
2021-01-13 15:00 - 16:00
January 13, 2021

3:00PM- 4:00 PM Eastern | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Central

CLICK HERE TO JOIN

This free webinar is one in a series that BBCAHT, STAC, and others in the Big Bend of Florida are organizing during this time of social distancing and in observation of January, National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. We are happy to extend this invitation to friends and colleagues throughout the Big Bend and beyond – please join us!

The hospitality industry is one of the places where traffickers commonly exploit victims for both labor and sex. Trafficking victims can be hidden from plain sight and not recognized as victims unless hotel guests and staff learn the signs of a potential trafficking situation. Staff in the hospitality industry must be able to recognize the signs and be prepared to act if they observe a potential human trafficking situation in their establishment. After completing this training, participants will understand the definitions of both labor and sex trafficking and relevant state and federal laws, will be able to recognize the signs, and will know how to report human trafficking.

Presenter: Marina Anderson, Florida Department of Children and Families Regional Human Trafficking Coordinator for Northeast and Northwest Regions.

Attendance will be limited to the first 1,000 people who join this event. Please join early.

Click here to register

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

“Perspectives” Call-In Radio Show on WFSU (88.9 FM)
2021-01-07 11:00 - 12:00
Date: Thursday, January 7, 2021, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Location: Tune in on the radio: 88.9FM TUNE IN HERE

Description: A panel of representatives from the community and beyond, including the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center, the Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Leon County Commission Chair Rick Minor and Holland & Knight attorney Barbara Martinez will provide an overview of topical human trafficking issues and local events including anti-trafficking activities for the private sector, public and private sector partnerships, community awareness, local human trafficking cases and much more.

Cost: Free Contact: Robin Hassler Thompson, robin@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080

The Rotary Club of Tallahassee - Protecting Youth from Human Trafficking
2021-01-06 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Location: Online via Zoom

Description: “Operation Innocence,” a coordinated local, state and federal sting operation, here in Tallahassee resulted in the arrest of over 170 people in a child sex trafficking network. We know that traffickers target children online and since the advent of COVID-19, these youth are even more vulnerable to being both sex and labor trafficked. What can we do to make sure that youth are protected from being trafficked, especially online? What else do we need to know and take action to collaborate to stop human trafficking? This lunch presentation will address these issues and more. Presenters: Marina Anderson, Florida Department of Children and Families Regional Human Trafficking Coordinator for NE and NW Regions and Robin Hassler Thompson, Exec. Dir., The Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC).

Sponsor and Host: The Rotary Club of Tallahassee

Cost: Free Contact: Kim Koutnik, koutnikk@yahoo.com to register and for link to join.

Labor Trafficking: The Story of Immigrant Survivors
2020-12-27 10:00 - 23:00
Date: Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Location: Online via Zoom

Description: The IRC and STAC provide services to domestic and foreign-born survivors of human trafficking. The IRC’s unique experience in working with diverse immigrant and refugee communities provides the context for this conversation to explore the many ways immigrants are victimized by human trafficking. This program will explore the specific subject of labor trafficking and its prevalence in the rural regions of the state and discuss issues surrounding supply chains and consumer support for trafficking-free goods and services.

Join here:

https://rescue.zoom.us/j/93361623151?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 933 6162 3151 – Passcode: [REDACTED]

OR on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/ircinflorida/

Cost: Free

Contacts: Kristina Bailey, Kristina.Bailey@rescue.org or JC Torres, Juan.torres@rescue.org

Human Trafficking: Stories of Survivors
2020-12-26 14:00 - 15:00
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Location: Online via Zoom

Description: This event will feature a human trafficking survivor-centered discussion and highlight the challenges faced by survivors across the greater Tallahassee area. Due to its complexity and the harm caused by trafficking, survivors face a multitude of barriers as they work to rebuild their lives. Members of the community will learn about these issues and ways they can engage in solutions to prevent human trafficking and support survivors.

Cost: Free

Join here:

https://rescue.zoom.us/j/92894349722?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 928 9434 9722 – Passcode: [REDACTED]

OR on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/ircinflorida/

Contacts: Kristina Bailey, Kristina.Bailey@rescue.org or JC Torres, Juan.torres@rescue.org

Human Trafficking Survivors and the Florida Juvenile Justice System
2020-11-20 13:00 - 14:30
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!

November 20, 2020

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern / 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Central

What happens when children who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation or whose labor has been exploited become involved with the juvenile justice system? This presentation introduces audiences to human trafficking in Florida and describes what happens when juvenile trafficking victims encounter the juvenile justice system. The audience will learn about how the juvenile justice and child welfare systems team up to identify possible victims, the statewide structure guiding anti-trafficking policy for exploited children, and considerations specific to 2020 and the ongoing pandemic.

Meet our panelists

Dr. Jasmine Armstrong has worked for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice since 2017 in the Office of Research and Data Integrity as a research analyst for a study exploring crime characteristics of juveniles who commit sexually-related offenses. She currently serves as the Human Trafficking Intervention Coordinator for FDJJ. Prior to her employment with DJJ, Dr. Armstrong has studied societal differences in marginalized youth and young adults. Her research interests include social stratification, race/gender studies, intersectionality, and higher education. She holds a Ph.D. and MS in Sociology from Florida State University and a BA in Sociology from the University of Florida.

Katherine C. Gomez (she/her) currently serves as the Director of Human Trafficking Intervention for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ). She holds a BA from the University of Florida, an MA from the University of South Florida, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Central Florida. She has served Florida since 2006 as a juvenile probation officer, trainer, researcher, and administrator. She specializes in working with youth who have experienced human trafficking, sexually marginalized youth, youth who have committed sexually-related offenses, and high-profile multijurisdictional cases.

Human Trafficking: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know-A Special Focus on Mental Health
2020-11-19 12:00 - 14:00
November 19, 2020, Noon – 2:00 pm ET

Free online training

Every healthcare professional, including the mental health practitioner, holds a unique and trusted position in our world, making it imperative that they are fully informed about human trafficking. This session will meet the requirements of Florida law regarding human trafficking education and help attendees to identify both sex and labor trafficking within their practice setting, understand how to best respond, and learn about resources to support trafficked persons and those who are at risk of being trafficked. Please register early. Space is limited!

This course satisfies the 2 hours of Human Trafficking training mandatory for APRNs, RNs, LPNs each renewal/biennium. CNAs will receive 2 hours of general credit.

Applications for other healthcare provider CEUs are pending.

Contact Robin Hassler Thompson, robin@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org or 850-597-2080 with any questions.

Our Panelists

Jay Reeve, PhD, President and CEO, Apalachee Center

Jay Reeve, PhD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Apalachee Center, in Tallahassee, Florida. Apalachee Center is a not-for-profit behavioral health center operating eight outpatient clinics, three acute behavioral healthcare inpatient units, two primary care clinics, and six residential programs across the eight counties of Florida’s Big Bend region, and manages the Behavioral Health Center at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. Apalachee Center employs over 500 staff, sees about 7500 clients annually, and has an annual budget of about 32 million dollars. Dr. Reeve also chairs the Mental Health Council of the Big Bend. Dr. Reeve received undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees from Tufts, Harvard, and Adelphi Universities. He has been licensed as a clinical psychologist in Delaware, Florida, New York, and Rhode Island. Dr. Reeve has held a variety of academic appointments, including teaching faculty positions at Brown University Medical School Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior; the University of Albany; Albany Medical College; Widener University; Immaculata College; the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology; the University of Hartford, and currently holds a courtesy appointment at the at Florida State University Medical College.

In 2014, Dr. Reeve was made a Fellow of the Florida Council for Community Mental Health, “in recognition of his unique and significant contributions to the Council”. In 2010, Dr. Reeve was awarded the Visionary Leadership Award by the National Council for Community Behavioral Health. He was the first Florida mental health provider to win the Big Bend Mental Health Coalition’s Walk The Walk award, in 2008. In 2005, he received the Brown Medical School’s Outstanding Teaching Award in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Robin Hassler Thompson, JD, MA, Exec. Dir, STAC

Robin is an attorney and consultant whose work focuses on human trafficking and violence against women. She provides consultation, education and outreach to key professionals in the justice system, social services, and health care as well as to other community leaders and policy makers locally, nationally, and internationally.

Graciela Marquina, MSW, Victim Assistance Director, STAC

Graciela has been assisting victims of human trafficking since 2011. She is a skilled researcher and interviewer, has expertise working in non-profit agencies, and provides training and education on human trafficking to communities around the state and the globe including both NGO’s and governmental agencies.

Advocating to End Human Trafficking: Justice, Equality and Economic Security for All
2020-10-16 13:00 - 14:30
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!

Friday, October 16, 2020

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern / 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Central

Human trafficking does not happen in a vacuum – it is a reality keenly felt by those who are most vulnerable on account of inequality, age, discrimination, violence, and economic insecurity, and who often lack access to healthcare, education, good jobs, and other social supports. Children are particularly vulnerable and at-risk. Connecting the dots between societal inequality and human trafficking victimization is easy: creating change in a world rife with inequity is not. This program will explore ways all of us can make a difference to support the vulnerable and help build a better and more just world for those at-risk for being trafficked. We will also highlight actions we can all take and to help prevent trafficking and support child and adult survivors to heal and thrive during this time of COVID-19 and beyond.

Our Panelists

Sabrina Rodriguez de Conte

Sabrina is passionate about civic engagement, social justice, and advocacy for underserved communities. Sabrina has worked for various causes and nonprofit organizations including PACE Center for Girls, Leon County Humane Society, and Office Depot Foundation. She has a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Colorado in Boulder and is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at Florida State University College of Law.

Sabrina is a board member of the Survive & Thrive Advocacy Center and works to build awareness of the realities of human trafficking in and around the local community. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Sabrina is an advocate for LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion and is a student member of the National LGBT Bar Association. In her spare time, Sabrina enjoys spending time with her wife, Christy, and son, Journey, at the beach or on the trails.

Pastor Douglas McArthur Harris

Pastor Harris is a visionary pastor, leader, social activist, and teacher engrossed in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and committed to economic justice and empowerment in underserved communities. He has been in ministry for over 20 years and serves as the senior pastor of Midway Unity Fellowship Church in Midway, Florida. He graduated from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he received his bachelor’s degree in biology. After his enrollment in Jacksonville Theological Seminary, he achieved his master’s degree and is now pursuing his doctorate in theology.

Retired as a regional specialist with the Florida Education Association for 25 years, he was president of the Gadsden Education Foundation in Quincy, Florida, where he would oversee and guide decision-making efforts to award educational assistance grants to teachers. He is the founder of Revive to Rebuild Ministries, serves on the Gadsden Pregnancy Center Board, the Executive Committee Gadsden County Baptist Association, and the Nomination Committee Florida Baptist.

Cecka Rose Green, CPM

For nearly three decades, Cecka Rose Green, CPM, enjoyed a notable communications career locally, statewide and nationally. Currently, she serves as Regional Executive Director for the Big Bend – Tallahassee Area for Children’s Home Society of Florida. CHS programs in the Region include foster care, adoption and independent living case management; Child Protection Team and Child Advocacy Center; Sexual Abuse Treatment Counseling Program; Early Steps; and Sabal Palm Elementary Community Partnership School™.

Past positions include Director of Communications at LeadingAge Florida; Communications Director for Florida Housing Finance Corporation; Director of Communications for Voices for Florida’s Children; Vice-President/Director of Communications for P&P Communications, Inc.; and Deputy Communications Director for the Florida Department of Children and Families. She has been quoted in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Miami Herald, in addition to in multiple broadcast, internet and print platforms.

Cecka is a former chair of the City of Tallahassee’s Community Improvement Advisory Council, and she served as a member of the Tallahassee/Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Most recently, she was selected as one of “25 Women You Need to Know” by the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. In 2014, Cecka created the FAMU $10 for 10 Challenge, a social media campaign that raised $300,000+ for FAMU and engaged 3,500 new donors. A 2015 FAMU NAA Distinguished Alumni, she was selected HBCU Digest’s 2015 Alumna of the Year and was awarded the Carrie P. Meek Servant-Leader Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Florida and the Bahamas.

Additionally, she performs executive management and public relations consulting as CEO & chief strategist for TrubyRose Strategy Group, founded in 2019.

Robin Hassler Thompson, JD, MA – Moderator & Panelist

Robin is an attorney and consultant whose work focuses on human trafficking and violence against women. She provides consultation, education and outreach to key professionals in the justice system, social services, and health care as well as to other community leaders and policy makers locally, nationally, and internationally.

Additional Event Information

Event number: 127 860 0041 Event password: [REDACTED]

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

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/y6hdqcdh

If you have technical questions or concerns, please contact Center Support staff at centersupport@usf.edu

Local Human Trafficking Task Forces and Coalitions: Promises and Pitfalls
2020-09-18 13:00 - 14:30
Live Web Event 1-2:30 p.m., EST Friday, Sept. 18, 2020

Hosted by: Florida’s Center for Child Welfare at USF. Audio will be provided through your computer. Attendance will be limited to the first 1,000 people who join this event. Please join early.

The Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking (BBCAHT), The Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC) and the Florida Department of Children and Families invite you to participate in BBCAHT’s Monthly Third Friday Community Training Program.

This free webinar (description below) 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, but registration is required.

DESCRIPTION: The best way for local communities to support survivors of human trafficking and to bring traffickers to justice is to work together. Florida has a number of local human trafficking efforts that successfully collaborate to these ends, and one is the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force. This session will explore the challenges in building a local coalition to end trafficking, explore successes, challenges, and promising practices, discuss the role of child welfare professionals and the Department of Children and Families on this local effort, and provide ample time for participant questions and discussions.

PRESENTERS: Caridad Mas-Batchelor is the Task Force Coordinator for the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force. In this role, she oversees the over 400-member task force funded by the Office for Victims of Crime and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. She works collaboratively with partners and key stakeholders in the community to ensure access to information and resources. Caridad also provides training and conducts outreach to increase awareness and identification of human trafficking survivors in the South Florida area. Caridad provides technical assistance nationally including to the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime as a peer-reviewer informing the grant application process. Previously, she supervised the anti-trafficking caseworker and provided direct assistance to survivors for the Anti-Human Trafficking Program at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Miami. She has worked with vulnerable populations for over six years. Caridad holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University and a Master’s in Law in Intercultural Human Rights from St. Thomas University School of Law.

Theresa Kennedy returned to the Department of Children and Families as the Regional Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Southeast and Southern Regions in January 2018. In her current role she provides guidance to Child Protection Investigators, Case Management staff and community providers related to the identification and service provision of Human Trafficking victims, as well as assisting with the development of legislation, policy and procedures related to this issue. In 1997 Ms. Kennedy was hired as a Family Services Counselor and during her time with the Department she was promoted to Family Services Counselor Supervisor. In 2003, Mrs. Kennedy accepted a position with ChildNet, Inc. and served as their first Service Center Director during Broward County’s transition to community-based care. Ms. Kennedy remained with ChildNet for 14 years and served as the Program Officer of Case Management, Adoption and Youth Services for ChildNet, Inc. Her areas of expertise include independent living services, missing persons, intake, case management, adoptions, termination of parental rights, performance management, advocacy, service and resource networking, and community partner development. Theresa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Fordham University, and is a Certified Child Welfare Professional. She is the former Co-Chair of the Statewide Independent Living Advisory Council and Florida Coalition for Children Independent Living Sub Committee. She is a currently a member of the Ark of Freedom Alliance, Collective Impact Steering Committee.

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.

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

BIG BEND COALITION AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING (BBCAHT) VIRTUAL MEETING
2020-09-09 14:00 - 15:00
Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 2:00 PM

The speaker for this meeting will be Patrick Crough, Special Agent Supervisor, Ft. Myers Regional Operations Center, Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

This virtual meeting will be held using USA-Webex. Log-in information will be sent in a separate email next week.
