Empowering Youth Through Treatment Groups

Today 10 residents of the Specialized Treatment Program at South Mountain have completed the Human Trafficking Curriculum by Love146. They are the first group to complete this brand-new group series at Abraxas.

This is a 5 module, interactive prevention curriculum designed to teach youth how to protect themselves from human trafficking and exploitation through information, critical thinking, and skill development. During the 5 modules, students have open discussions with their peers, participate in activities, and have a safe space to openly talk about events that they have been through. The goals for this curriculum are to raise awareness on what human trafficking and exploitation is, learn and identify what recruitment looks like, and begin to understand what vulnerabilities are. Students speak about stereotypes along with societal attitudes and how to challenge them in a healthy way. One of the best components is learning about and being exposed to various community resources that they can turn to.

The curriculum was developed for youth ages 12 - 18 and inclusive to all genders. When it comes to human trafficking all youth are vulnerable to being exploited, but there are a number of high-risk indicators such as juvenile justice, child welfare, history of abuse, and risky sexual behavior. The curriculum is built to empower the youth to advocate for themselves and create a space for honest dialogue to educate them on human trafficking.

A huge shoutout to facilitators Nick Tarr and Jordan Stanley for their work with these youth over the last few months!