182 - Where Your Support Goes - endinghumantrafficking.org

182 – Where Your Support Goes

Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak reflect on all that the Global Center for Women and Justice are involved with because of Ending Human Trafficking listeners! Partnerships with agencies, organizations, industries, leaders, and listeners far and near really do broaden the message for ending human trafficking and support the vision of the GCWJ! By supporting the podcast, you are directly supporting these programs and the growth and impact of the GCWJ, thank you.

Key Points

Through the support and resources from partnerships, GCWJ has been able to implement:

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 182, Where Your Support Goes.

Production Credits: [00:00:09] Produced by Innovative Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:29] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:37] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. And you are making a difference in ending human trafficking by listening to this show, by continuing to study the issue So, that you can be a voice and make a difference in this issue. And you by virtue of the fact that you’re listening to us right now, you are a supporter of the work that Sandie does, the larger strategy of the Global Center for Women and Justice, and of course, most importantly ending human trafficking. So, thank you on behalf of both of us, thank you for listening, supporting us whether this is the very first time you’ve listened to this episode or you’ve been listening with us all along since we began back in 2011. And we wanted to do something a little bit different with this episode. We have just completed the annual Priceless Event, Sandie. And it’s an important time for the center as far as strategic vision forward and what’s next. And we wanted both to spend some time today to thank you as a supporter of us for where we have gone thus far. And perhaps as important if not more importantly where we are going next, right Sandie?

Sandie: [00:01:59] That’s right. And Priceless was an amazing opportunity to celebrate the work that we’re doing, to cast a vision for the future, and to really join forces with our community. And the people that attend are from all walks of life, Attorneys, judges, police officers, women business leaders, men in the business. They were all there and my husband was there. And baseball player Albert Pujols was there. His wife, DeeDee Pujols, was our keynote speaker.

Dave: [00:02:37] Past guest on this show.

Sandie: [00:02:40] That’s right. And he came to show his support for her and she did knock it out of the park, it was amazing. As she drew attention to the fact that we not only need to have restorative programs for victims, but we need to have programs that help the most vulnerable become more employable and have a future.

Dave: [00:03:05] Sandie, it’s also, such a great example of partnerships So, much of the work that they have done personally as a family but also, has translated to more visibility through the Angels organization and even through a day at the park last year.

Sandie: [00:03:19] Strike out Slavery. We were there the week before, it was great.

Dave: [00:03:23] It’s just a great example of how partnerships really do broaden the messages and the support that otherwise people may not be aware of what’s happening. And like many people who have partnered with us and with the center over the years and supporting this. There are So, many others that are not yet aware or if they are aware, they’ve maybe heard something in passing about trafficking.

Sandie: [00:03:45] Or they think it’s happening someplace else. One of the things about, and I could do this in almost any community, but I’m in Orange County. So, we had a map that our task force provided for us that showed some of the most recent cases where they were located, and they were in places like San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Hills. Those kinds of places where you think this isn’t happening here. And our task force investigators they were there on site to answer people’s questions.

Dave: [00:04:17] There’s So, much that has been done. And I thought it might be helpful for us to just spend some time highlighting some of the things that the Center has been working on and of course what’s next. And there are at least 10 areas you highlighted during the Priceless event that I think could be helpful for us to spend some time looking at in detail.

Sandie: [00:04:38] Well let’s do it. We really will. We’ll put that [00:04:42] graphic [0.6] in our show notes. But this idea that we have these building blocks and we’re actually building a structural agenda to combat human trafficking and these are the ways that we’re doing it.

Dave: [00:04:56] One of the big ones, of course, has been a longstanding important part of the center’s vision and presence in the world is the Ensure Justice conference. The annual conference, Sandie, for those who may not have heard about us talk about the conference before, what is the aim of the conference and what’s next for the conference in the coming year and years?

Sandie: [00:05:16] Ensure Justice started in 2007, and 2019 the theme will be When Home Isn’t Safe. Because we know that the vulnerabilities that are often characteristic of victims are people who are fleeing violence, kids who are running away from a home where there is sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, people who find themselves homeless. The opioid crisis has created a huge gap in services to children of addicted parents, So, Ensure Justice will be When Home Isn’t Safe, and we’re going to try to respond to how we can make homes safer and how we can bridge that gap. And our partners will be from all across the U.S., DEA will be here again, we’ve already confirmed that. And we will have CEUs for nurses and continuing education for attorneys, and right now we’re working with partners So, that this will be the first year we can offer CEUs for social workers.

Dave: [00:06:30] Oh wow fabulous. It’s such an important event every year for the work that we’re all doing together Sandie. And it really does, whenever I’ve attended the event, I always think of that word partnership really does come front and center in everything. There’s So, many different agencies, disciplines, industries that come together. And leaders in all those places who have found and are finding their place to contribute to this. And as we’ve talked about many times on this show, sometimes the things that may not on their face seem as obvious of ways to contribute but are actually very important in the prevention of this.

Sandie: [00:07:08] One of the great things that happened out of Ensure Justice this year we’ve talked a lot about trauma-informed care, we’ve talked about addiction issues. And one of the challenges, when law enforcement shows up at some sort of an incident in a home, is there is no way for them legally to communicate that to the schools because of privacy laws. And so, there was a program out in Virginia and we had them come out to Ensure Justice called Handle with Care. And we have a podcast with the founders of that, and you can go back and listen to. So, as a result of Ensure Justice, meetings were set up. Long story short O.C. Department of Education adopted and adapted that program to pilot right here in Orange County. They developed an app So, that a law enforcement officer then sends a quick text that goes to the school of that child who was present during whatever happened. That just says, “Johnny Smith was present and handle with care.” That means the next day when this kid shows up in the same clothes, didn’t have breakfast, doesn’t have his homework. He doesn’t have detention, he gets treated with special care.

Dave: [00:08:27] It’s just one of So, many examples of things that have come together, Sandie, to really make the lives better not only of the people who attend the conference but more importantly the people who are affected by this issue.

Sandie: [00:08:39] Absolutely.

Dave: [00:08:41] There’s So, many, I’m looking at this list. It’s just overwhelming, there are So, many things the center does now that were in some ways a dream even 10 years ago when we began this podcast.

Sandie: [00:08:52] And the podcast is a big piece of this. It’s impacting this!

Dave: [00:08:55] Well I noticed the podcast is on the list here as one of our many projects.

Sandie: [00:08:59] It’s impacting more than 30 countries and we’re picking up new subscribers every day. At the luncheon, I told people one of my favorite things is every time somebody subscribes I get an email that says, “somebody’s picking up what you’re putting down.” And I love that. And I told everybody I said, “That’s better than chocolate.” So, that’s a great thing. So, people keep sharing about the podcast, So, more people subscribe.

Dave: [00:09:29] This is the shameless plug I suppose than, Sandie, if you’re not already subscribed to our updates it is a really helpful and useful way for you not only to support the center but more importantly for you to continually be informed as you are on the show regularly on a regular basis in your inbox and you can go to endinghumantrafficking.org in order to do that. The other thing I want to mention Sandie is the podcast is actually listed twice on this list.

Sandie: [00:09:56] Yes, it is.

Dave: [00:09:57] And the reason is we have talked about this on the show before, but if you’ve been listening recently you may not know there is a Spanish language version of this podcast. And you can go to the same Website and just click the Espanol button to reach Terminando con la Trata Podcast.

Dave: [00:10:15] And that is the Ending Human Trafficking podcast in Spanish.

Sandie: [00:10:18] It’s already in 33 countries and it’s been picked up by four radio stations.

Dave: [00:10:23] Fabulous isn’t it?

Sandie: [00:10:25] Isn’t it? It’s Just amazing. And the kind of impact is hard to measure but we do know because of the feedback that we’re getting that communities that have never learned about human trafficking now have access to good resources.

Dave: [00:10:42] The Internet, of course, has been both good and bad contributor to a player in this-this issue. Like every other issue that humanity is dealing with right now. So, traffickers use the Internet. And we have also, worked to utilize the wonderful blessings that the internet brings through the podcast. One of the other things we have used is through online learning and being able to open something that was not possible a few years ago with technology. The Online Antihuman Trafficking Certificates. Sandie, I think this is one of the most exciting things that as an academic institution and as a center that we’ve been able to do in the recent years.

Sandie: [00:11:21] Well and it’s So, exciting because we are amping that up and we’re adding a Labor Trafficking course that will be available in spring in 2019. And that happened because we were able this year to bring on an assistant director and our assistant director, Drum roll please, Deputy Chief Derrick Marsh. And everybody knows him, he’s been on the podcast, he’s been adjunct faculty, he’s traveled on our study abroad, he’s done training with us, and now he is full time at Vanguard University and a big part of his role is to expand and extend our Online Antitrafficking Certificate resources.

Dave: [00:12:04] It is really the deep dive that many who are working on this issue either full-time Sandie or have a heart and a passion to be doing this as a significant part of their time will find as a valuable resource. So, if you are one of those people and the show has been valuable to you and you really do want to dive in and really go into depth on these issues that certificate is a fabulous foundation for doing so. Sandie, if folks wanted to learn more about that what is the best resource?

Sandie: [00:12:36] Go to vanguard.edu/gcwj and click on the Human Trafficking Certificate. It’s just a button over to the right.

Dave: [00:12:49] And GCWJ, of course, stands for the Global Center for Women and Justice which is what we’re under.

Sandie: [00:12:54] Can I just say that for me, The Global Center for Women and Justice and having an assistant director like Derek Marsh really makes a more visible statement for the women and justice side of things. And I want to see more and more models of men and women doing this together. Dave you and I co-host this, we’ve done this since 2011. Now Derek and I are leading the Global Center. When DeeDee Pujols stood up to speak, her husband Albert Pujols was there cheering her on. So, it’s men and women doing this together.

Dave: [00:13:32] Indeed Sandie and I love that. I love that that’s So, important to the work of the center. And that we have So, many men and women who are involved in the support and the partnerships that we’ve been able to grow. Let’s see what else we have on our list her Sandie. So, one of them that I realize I’m not very familiar with, I’ve heard you mentioned before is the Justice Freedom and Dignity Internship. Tell me more about that because I don’t know very much about that.

Sandie: [00:13:54] Well we’ve done internships before, but they’ve been sort of organic, somebody comes they want to do an internship. And you’ve heard us talk about some of our interns have become law enforcement, some have become probation officers, child welfare, CSEC coordinators, working in the Department of Education. Now we’ve launched an intentional internship, paid internship program So, that we’ll have the same student all year working on a particular piece of this agenda. And we believe that our results when you’re more intentional are also, going to be more vivid and concrete. So, this is a new opportunity that we feel will pay big dividends in training future leaders.

Dave: [00:14:49] And because of the support we receive from many in our community and some of you, it is able to be a paid internship and So, we’re able to support the student who’s participated in as well more significantly.

Sandie: [00:15:00] And that’s really an important piece for me because many times I’m really proud Vanguard University is a majority-minority school and a lot of our students are the first generation. And working and going to school is the model that they have. So, to accept an unpaid internship is something that just isn’t possible. And this means that they’ll be able to do both and work to help support themselves in school and be prepared to be a leader.

Dave: [00:15:34] Studying the issues has always been a core message of the center. And one of the key ways you mentioned a moment ago of Derek’s work and supporting this is the Human Trafficking Study Abroad Program. You have done So, much Sandie, you and Derek and the students to bring people into new experiences and new geographies that they otherwise would never have experienced.

Sandie: [00:15:56] It’s amazing to see the impact of taking 10 students with you and have a really well-planned partnership in that community with like we were in Greece this last year. And you can listen to the podcast report on that partnering with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Salvation Army and Humanitarian Bridges. Working on the risk factors for immigrants escaping a war. This year we’re going to take our students to a part of Argentina that is kind of narrowly between Brazil and Paraguay. And it’s in a region where because of the borders there is a lot of trafficking. And So, with our students and our partners there, we’ll be able to do a study that actually helps assess and create more momentum as well as a platform for training.

Dave: [00:16:54] Incredible just incredible Sandie. So, much of the center is really grounded in the academic traditions the university studying the issues So, we can be a voice and make a difference. And really that study permeates everything we do and not only for the professionals who are involved in this and reaching out to the community but also, with the students. And one of the other long-standing programs of the center that has really enriched the lives of students but also, enriched the lives of the community, speaking of partnership, is Live2Free. We’ve had some of the leaders of Live2Free on the podcast before in the past. For those who aren’t familiar, tell us about Live2Free.

Sandie: [00:17:35] Well this year we’re really going to invest in expanding the reach of Live2Free. Our Live2Free coach and adjunct faculty Ruthi Hanchett is developing an online coaching for Live2Free clubs that the leaders, the adults as well as the students, will be able to use to have resources immediately wherever they are, and it will be all online. That’s one big new piece that’s coming out by the end of the year. And secondly, besides our normal going into the schools, we’re also, planting ourselves in one school by partnering with Project Kinship in Santa Ana and Freedom Ambassadors to develop a club and work with students right there in a very vulnerable community. We’re just two weeks into the program with the new school year and already the student leaders have contacted us and said So, I know somebody who’s caught in this trap, this life, and how do we help them get out. So, now it’s not about awareness, it’s about action right there. And we’re going to be there every week. So, Live2Free is growing to a whole new level.

Dave: [00:18:58] It’s another example like we’re talking about earlier with the Strike Out Slavery, of just the raising the awareness within the broader community really leads to conversations, it leads to awareness, it leads to the action happening on the ground which is addressing this problem.

Sandie: [00:19:16] And we couldn’t do this on our own. We have to do this in partnership. Project Kinship, they’re great partners and we’ll invite their director to do a podcast with us really soon.

Dave: [00:19:27] Yeah. And as I look at this list I mean there are So, many things that I don’t know if there’s anything on this list that we could do alone anymore if we ever did. You know even something in some ways like the podcast here. So, there are So, many different partners now involved in the podcast. Your time Sandie, my time, our facility, Andrew’s work who’s on our board of doing the editing, the work that some of the students involved in doing the notes, the folks who come on the show as guests who volunteer their time to do that, there are So, many people just involved in the production of the show now that it really just highlights that word. And one of the other things that I really think about is the Survivor Scholarship which is at first glance might seem like something for just a particular individual or particular student. But really there are So, many partnerships that have emerged with that too, aren’t there?

Sandie: [00:20:19] Absolutely. And that Survivor Scholarship changes not just one person’s life. One of our students told me and she said you can quote me because we keep the identity of our scholarship students survivors confidential because we want them to focus on their education. We don’t want them to keep reliving telling their story. That’s not their future, their future is in what their chosen profession is going to be. And many times, they choose to give back into the same communities that have served them. But she said, “you haven’t just changed my life. You’ve changed the lives of my family, my little cousins that never thought about going to college. Now, I don’t tell them you should go to college. I just start talking to them when you go to college what are you going to study?” And she’s just making it normal to have that dream. A dream that no one ever gave her.

Dave: [00:21:22] And you mentioned earlier, you know Vanguard an academic community that has many students who are first-generation college students. And one of the biggest factors the research shows, is if students have grown up and have other family members even in their extended family that have gone to college and been successful in school, that that is a huge correlation with their ability to then go on themselves and to be successful in school, and to think about their aspirations, to really further their education. So, one-person scholarship makes a difference for that person’s whole family, community, and extended family.

Sandie: [00:22:02] And Dave on our Website there is a special button for the scholarship So, if you want to help us move that forward please go to Vanguard.edu/gcwj and hit the scholarship button.

Dave: [00:22:18] Frontline Summit is also, on this list. What is Frontline Summit?

Sandie: [00:22:21] Oh wow. Well, we’ve done three of these and they’re pretty big stuff. We pull people in regionally from judicial systems, schools, social services to study one particular issue that everyone is a little challenged. We brought together juvenile justice leaders and schools and produced an after-summit report that then is used for building out strategies in our community, in our state, and beyond. And So, the next summit that we intend to do is to focus on transitional age youth. One of the biggest challenges is that we’re able now, because of So, much attention and education, to provide more for CSEC victims. But when they turn 18 and are no longer under the minor laws, now everything changes. Their resources are more difficult to find. The judicial system doesn’t have the capacity to provide pathways to exit and to success. So, we have a problem. We need to invite the experts and that means bringing regional leaders from several counties and states to sit around the table and explore a facilitated study the issues if you will. Two days and at the end of this we’ll produce a report and we hope the momentum for beginning a conversation of change that will reach policy leaders, legislators, and people right here in our community.

Dave: [00:24:05] I intentionally left domestic and international training last on the list, Sandie, because I believe this is probably where you started in your work even before the center existed. Before your association with the center, you have been for many years providing training and supporting people around the world. And the Center still does So, much of that today. You personally do So, much of that as far as reaching out and providing training. What does that look like today and what will it look like in the future for the center?

Sandie: [00:24:36] Well let me just give you one field where I’m particularly passionate and that’s about training health care providers. It is critical. I was in two weeks ago at the L.A. USC Hospital, one of the largest regional hospitals in the nation, training nurses. And I get invitations every week and I can’t do it all, there’s not enough of me. And So, my goal is to actually host a three-day train the trainer just for health care providers So, that we have people who are prepared to go back and keep up sustained training with frontline service providers in the healthcare community. That’s a big dream and it’s going to take a lot of partnership and a lot of resources.

Production Credits: [00:25:31] Well and that leads us to two calls to action, Sandie. First and foremost, and actually before the call to action. Sandie, I thank you. As I mentioned upfront, you have been a supporter already of all of these programs, of all of this work that we’ve been able to do over the years and we’ll continue to do and expand on Ending Human Trafficking by virtue of the fact you listen to the show and those of you who shared it with others and have helped us to be one of many platforms out there to get this message out. So, thank you for that. And for those who are moved to do more, two calls to action for you. One, of course, is to if you aren’t already taking action is to get involved. And Sandie, we have people reach out to us regularly at the center who ask how can I get involved. When you get that call today here in 2018, how do you respond?

Sandie: [00:26:29] I connect them to their local task or coalition. I send them to some of our partners who are national and international that we now have the best practice policies in place. I teach them the 888-3737-888 number So, they can learn how to report and refer if you are here in the U.S. And I send them back to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast because through our podcast there are guests from every discipline attorneys, and health care providers, and teachers. And listening to them will help you figure out how you can be part of the solution.

Dave: [00:27:13] And if you are called to do this as well. In addition to having to support our work by listening and by taking that first step to get involved, we also, have all of these programs are possible because of the generous support of So, many donors Sandie here in Orange County, across the country, across the world, and So, many wonderful partnerships. If that is you, thank you. If you would like that to be you and you would like to contribute to those efforts. We’re certainly grateful for that, all of the funding goes directly to the programs we’ve just mentioned. And you can do So, by going to Vanguard.edu/gcwj. And it is really an honor Sandie to be involved in this effort. On a personal level, it’s an honor to be a supporter. Our family supports the center as well but it’s also, an honor to be a part of the direction of the work that the center is doing. And I’m So, grateful for it. And you know we are for better or worse we are just getting started Sandie. I say for better because we have So, much yet to do. There’s So, much good work to do. For worse because there are So, many things yet left undone. And I hope that you will take our call to action today whether either to continue listening or to take that next step to get involved or potentially even to support the center directly. Thank you for whichever one you choose to do we are grateful for it. And we are grateful for your continued support of this podcast. And you can take that first step as well to really learn more by going over to endinghumantrafficking.org. You will find all of the past episodes listed there. Andrew has done a masterful job at curating all the topics. Shout out to Andrew, who also, serves on our board. Thank you, Andrew. Also, you’ll find there The QuickStart Guide to Ending Human Trafficking, Five Things You Must Know. If you haven’t already taken that first step to download Sandie’s guide, that is a wonderful starting point for this effort. Again, that’s at endinghumantrafficking.org and we will be back again in two weeks as we always are. Sandie, have a wonderful weekend. See you all in two weeks.

Sandie: [00:29:27] Thank you, Dave. And thank you to our listeners.