Teen + College Exploitation Prevention Program
YOUTH AWARE is an exploitation prevention curriculum for teens and young adults informed by over 25 years direct service with youth, research, and survivor expertise. It is a unique curriculum offering three levels of engagement, taking students from learners to this generations' leaders!
What is Happening
Through increased technology use, dangerous social media trends, and cultural pressures like private photo sharing, youth are increasingly at risk and impacted by sexual exploitation crimes. School, college, and church campuses have reported as much as 70% of the social, emotional, and mental health concerns seen in students are due to an online or social media exploitation situation. These situations include sexting, sextortion, sugaring, and sex trafficking.
Sexting: sending nude or private images on a digital device
Sextortion: after sending a private image, threats of exposure are used to demand more private images or videos, money, sex acts,
or to stay in an unhealthy or abusive relationship.
Sugaring: students “dating” older adults they meet online for money often leading to physical and sexual abuse
Juvenile sex trafficking: someone who exchanges money, or anything of value, for a sex act with a minor.
Youth experience extreme violence, fear, mental, physical, and emotional injuries.
Sexting: sending nude or private images on a digital device
Sextortion: after sending a private image, threats of exposure are used to demand more private images or videos, money, sex acts,
or to stay in an unhealthy or abusive relationship.
Sugaring: students “dating” older adults they meet online for money often leading to physical and sexual abuse
Juvenile sex trafficking: someone who exchanges money, or anything of value, for a sex act with a minor.
Youth experience extreme violence, fear, mental, physical, and emotional injuries.
The #1 pathway into both sextortion and sex trafficking is by building relationships.
Traffickers and online predators use grooming, or behavioral tactics, that identify and meet the youth's needs, build trust, and create an emotional bond preparing the youth for secrecy, control, abuse and exploitation. Traffickers and predators can begin as strangers, gang or occult members, peers, romantic interests online, or family members, including biological parents.
Traffickers and online predators use grooming, or behavioral tactics, that identify and meet the youth's needs, build trust, and create an emotional bond preparing the youth for secrecy, control, abuse and exploitation. Traffickers and predators can begin as strangers, gang or occult members, peers, romantic interests online, or family members, including biological parents.
Predators create the kind of relationships children and teens run to, not from
The Solution: Prevention Education
We will not end the sexual exploitation of youth by responding to it, we will end it by getting ahead of it in prevention!
To end sex trafficking and all forms of exploitation we need to invest in a model of prevention that educates, equips, AND empowers youth!
Our YOUTH AWARE program does just that!
To end sex trafficking and all forms of exploitation we need to invest in a model of prevention that educates, equips, AND empowers youth!
Our YOUTH AWARE program does just that!
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Presentations
engaging awareness presentation in classroom or assembly format. Available in-person or virtual. "Online Safety, Sextortion, and the Dangers of Private Photo Sharing" "Relationship Safety, What is Trafficking, and How Students are Leading the Movement to End it!" Optional opportunity! Student cohort groups. Students go deeper on presentation topics, ask questions, get answers, and build confidence with skill building activities. Pocket resources for students Resource packet for your school / organization |
Let's get started!
For program information, pricing, and booking click the SCHEDULE link below!
Increase your impact
add one or both of these A.C.T. United programs and help educate and equip your staff, parents, and community allies
For program information, pricing, and booking click the SCHEDULE link below!
Increase your impact
add one or both of these A.C.T. United programs and help educate and equip your staff, parents, and community allies
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For Teachers + Staff + Leaders
A.C.T. United has dynamic speakers for a 90 minute or half day workshop. Learn the issues, signs and indicators of a trafficked or exploited youth, law and legal process, best practices for disclosures, and building a victim centered, trauma informed response. Certificate of completion or CEU's have been awarded for teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, social workers, and counselors. |
For Parents + Community Ed
Help educate and equip parents and community allies by hosting a community forum. Awareness, tools, and tips to encourage positive parent + teen conversations on tough topics. A.C.T. United has skilled and engaging speakers for all audiences. |
Become a Sponsor!
If you, your club, or community foundation would like to sponsor a school or youth organization to receive this powerful prevention program, click below to donate!
Or you can email us at [email protected] to designate your donation to a school or organization in your area.
Please partner with us to never let cost be a barrier to health and life saving information and programs for children and teens!
Or you can email us at [email protected] to designate your donation to a school or organization in your area.
Please partner with us to never let cost be a barrier to health and life saving information and programs for children and teens!
Testimonials
"I learned about ‘grooming’ into trafficking and that those people [predators / traffickers] really try to become someone or something that is missing in your life”
- Minneapolis High School Student
· “I learned how important self worth is in prevention. Wonderful, informative presentation!”
- High School Teacher
· “I had a student, in step 2 small group, who was able to intervene and protect her younger sister. Her sister had met an online “friend” who had convinced her to secretly meet him the next morning. Our student said she learned the signs of predator grooming and felt confident in what to do from our program. Our curriculum with small group conversations really does make the difference!”
- Saysha, YOUTH AWARE program facilitator
· “If your stuck, there’s people out there who can help you”
- North Minneapolis High School Student
· “Knowing the different warning signs of a bad relationship and of a trafficked person was the most helpful. Now I can better look out for myself and for others.”
- Southwest Christian High School Student
· “The Youth Aware Program was an awesome experience for our students at Patrick Henry. The initial presentation was engaging and extremely informative. The facilitators are so skilled at keeping the information relative, personal, and interesting. They co-facilitated a small group with me with students who were interested in learning more and then our culminating project was having a table during lunches to spread the word about how pervasive sex trafficking actually is. A must for all educators! Very important work for anyone who works with youth.”
- Kim Cook, School Counselor at Patrick Henry HS, North Minneapolis
- Minneapolis High School Student
· “I learned how important self worth is in prevention. Wonderful, informative presentation!”
- High School Teacher
· “I had a student, in step 2 small group, who was able to intervene and protect her younger sister. Her sister had met an online “friend” who had convinced her to secretly meet him the next morning. Our student said she learned the signs of predator grooming and felt confident in what to do from our program. Our curriculum with small group conversations really does make the difference!”
- Saysha, YOUTH AWARE program facilitator
· “If your stuck, there’s people out there who can help you”
- North Minneapolis High School Student
· “Knowing the different warning signs of a bad relationship and of a trafficked person was the most helpful. Now I can better look out for myself and for others.”
- Southwest Christian High School Student
· “The Youth Aware Program was an awesome experience for our students at Patrick Henry. The initial presentation was engaging and extremely informative. The facilitators are so skilled at keeping the information relative, personal, and interesting. They co-facilitated a small group with me with students who were interested in learning more and then our culminating project was having a table during lunches to spread the word about how pervasive sex trafficking actually is. A must for all educators! Very important work for anyone who works with youth.”
- Kim Cook, School Counselor at Patrick Henry HS, North Minneapolis
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