This event has closed Event DetailsDate: Thursday, January 12th at 7:30am Host: Milwaukee Global Shapers and Exploit No More Join the Milwaukee Global Shapers, Exploit No More, and experts from around the country to discuss global human trafficking and efforts to help bring freedom to victims. Note: This event has past but you can still watch the chat here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqNQvJsLwow Featured Panelists![]() Nancy Winston Shared Hope International Nancy has long been active in the movement against sex trafficking and has worked alongside Linda Smith, founder of Shared Hope International, since 2002. Nancy’s diverse responsibilities include speaking, writing, training, donor interactions, restorative shelter initiatives, and partner relationships. Since 2008, she has been a member of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force Victim Services Committee. She served as chair of the task force’s Legislative Committee in 2012 and 2013 and received the Governor’s Service Award for Volunteerism in 2013 for her leadership in that role. Nancy received her Masters in Social Work in December 2014. Find out more about Shared Hope International’s work go to: Shared Hope ![]() Rebekah Stines Mending the Soul Rebekah has a great passion for working with women who have been sexually exploited, abused and traumatized. She holds her master’s degree in professional counseling and currently works as a clinician for Western Psychological & Counseling Center in Tigard, OR. Prior to moving to Portland, Rebekah was part of a private practice, Journey’s Counseling Center, in Tempe, AZ and a part time therapist for Calvary Addiction Recovery in central Phoenix. Rebekah enjoys mentoring survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and leads professional Mending the Soul groups. Rebekah has been involved with Mending the Soul for many years as a participant, trainee, trainer, facilitator and mentor of women who have experienced all forms of abuse, trauma and commercial sexual exploitation. Rebekah loves sharing how God has redeemed the pain in her own life to encourage others as they begin their healing journey. Rebekah and her husband, Michael currently live in Portland, OR. They have three beautiful and energetic children and love spending time together as a family. For more info on Mending the Soul go to: Mending the Soul ![]() Alicia Bush Treasured Vessels Foundation Alicia Bush is a native Texan, born and raised in Texarkana. From there she traveled to University of North Texas and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Biology/Chemistry. Having considered medical school, Alicia had a leaning for the healing arts. Thus, she positioned herself in surgical device sales. This placed her in the operating room every day. She distinguished herself from her peers by her profound caring for each individual patient’s best care. It was this characteristic that gained the trust and respect of surgeons across north Texas. And thus she rose to be a top ten salesperson nationwide year after year. Alicia was always able to compartmentalize her professional and personal life. In her personal life he became the wife of a successful custom home builder, mother of three, and dedicated leader in her church. When the demands of these roles increased, she was unequivocal in making the decision to resign her sales position in 2014. With time to homeschool her children and expand her role as a worship leader, she also listened intently to a calling placed on her heart. Out of this was founded Treasured Vessels Foundation, a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation. The mission of Treasured Vessels is to build residential treatment facilities for underage girls rescued from sex trafficking. The mission statement is: TVF is devoted to providing a safe place for healing and growth. We have a passion for restoring purpose and value to the perfectly imperfect. Sex trafficking is the fastest growing industry in the USA. Texas is a hub with Dallas and Houston being among the most actively involved cities. On any given night, 400 under-aged girls will be sold for sex in Dallas. Their age ranges from 11 to 13 when they are stolen or coerced into “The Life”. They are subjected to a programmed degradation of mind, body, and spirit until they willingly obey. Once trapped in “The Life”, their life expectancy is 11 years. If lucky enough to be rescued, they will need 18 to 36 months of residential treatment. But for most…. there is nowhere to go…. except back to “The Life”. Treasured Vessels will change this, and Alicia Bush is leading the effort. For more information on Treasured Vessels Foundation go to: Treasured Vessels Foundation More About Global Shapers![]() The Global Shapers Community is a network of Hubs developed and led by young people who are exceptional in their potential, their achievements, and their drive to make a contribution to their communities. As an initiative of the World Economic Forum, with over 400 hubs globally, Shapers are improving the state of the world. For more information go to, https://www.globalshapers.org/
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Written by: Katie Linn | Previous Executive Director of Exploit No More Conversations about sex trafficking – whether they be a few minutes or a few hours presentation – often leave people with a sense of hopelessness and despair. With so much information to absorb, it can be difficult to move past the darkness to see the hope and light for survivors of trafficking. Women and men who are recovered and escape from the life have a long journey of healing and restoration that will continue long into their lives. However as many walk the path to becoming healthy again, they find that their passions now lie with helping others who have been victimized and exploited. Their stories provide the hope, light, and inspiration that is needed in order to see how these incredible women are being restored. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and for this month, we will be highlighting a few of the stories of hope from survivors around the United States. These profiles are of well-known survivors who are working in the United States to support victims and survivors in their own cities and nation-wide. Please check out their organizations and ministries to learn more about how they work daily to end human trafficking. Brenda Myers-Powell Dreamcatcher Foundation A survivor of sexual, physical, and mental abuse, as well as of sex trafficking, Brenda Myers-Powell founded the Dreamcatcher Foundation, an organization working to bring education, empowerment, and active prevention to young at-risk girls in the city of Chicago. Brenda fell victim to trafficking after running away from an abusive home at the age of 14. After 25 years in the life, Brenda now uses her experiences to mentor and relate to girls in similar situations as her own. The Dreamcatcher Foundation provides services including healing and recovery groups; physical, emotional, and psychological health services; personal development; and educational services. Brenda was recently featured in Dreamcatcher, a documentary that focuses on prostitution and sex trafficking in Chicago and the work that The Dreamcatcher Foundation is doing to prevent exploitation and support victims. Brenda Myers-Powell is just one of hundreds of survivor advocates working to use her own experiences in order to help others in their healing journey. Exploit No More has been blessed to have a number of survivors in the Milwaukee community who share this same desire. While the healing journey continues, our survivor advocates and volunteers have reached the point in their journey that they have a passion to help other girls and women who have been victimized and exploited. Without survivor-led mentorship and leadership in the fight to end sex trafficking, organizations are at a huge disadvantage and leave the survivors they are attempting to help at a loss. Survivors who have a passion to help others who were victimized provide a space for understanding, vulnerability in sharing stories, and healing. Written by: Katie Linn | Previous Executive Director of Exploit No More Conversations about sex trafficking – whether they be a few minutes or a few hours presentation – often leave people with a sense of hopelessness and despair. With so much information to absorb, it can be difficult to move past the darkness to see the hope and light for survivors of trafficking. Women and men who are recovered and escape from the life have a long journey of healing and restoration that will continue long into their lives. However as many walk the path to becoming healthy again, they find that their passions now lie with helping others who have been victimized and exploited. Their stories provide the hope, light, and inspiration that is needed in order to see how these incredible women are being restored. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and for this month, we will be highlighting a few of the stories of hope from survivors around the United States. These profiles are of well-known survivors who are working in the United States to support victims and survivors in their own cities and nation-wide. Please check out their organizations and ministries to learn more about how they work daily to end human trafficking. Rebecca Bender Rebecca Bender Initiative (RBI) Rebecca Bender is a survivor of domestic sex trafficking, a speaker, advocate, and author of her memoir and book for survivors, Roadmap to Redemption. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four children while running a ministry that she started focused on raising awareness about sex trafficking and training survivor-leaders around the nation. RBI also works in consulting NGOs and non-profit organizations in their work with survivors and in victim-centered advocacy efforts. Rebecca Bender is just one of hundreds of survivor advocates working to use her own experiences in order to help others in their healing journey. Exploit No More has been blessed to have a number of survivors in the Milwaukee community who share this same desire. While the healing journey continues, our survivor advocates and volunteers have reached the point in their journey that they have a passion to help other girls and women who have been victimized and exploited. Without survivor-led mentorship and leadership in the fight to end sex trafficking, organizations are at a huge disadvantage and leave the survivors they are attempting to help at a loss. Survivors who have a passion to help others who were victimized provide a space for understanding, vulnerability in sharing stories, and healing. Written by: Katie Linn | Previous Executive Director of Exploit No More Conversations about sex trafficking – whether they be a few minutes or a few hours presentation – often leave people with a sense of hopelessness and despair. With so much information to absorb, it can be difficult to move past the darkness to see the hope and light for survivors of trafficking. Women and men who are recovered and escape from the life have a long journey of healing and restoration that will continue long into their lives. However as many walk the path to becoming healthy again, they find that their passions now lie with helping others who have been victimized and exploited. Their stories provide the hope, light, and inspiration that is needed in order to see how these incredible women are being restored. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and for this month, we will be highlighting a few of the stories of hope from survivors around the United States. These profiles are of well-known survivors who are working in the United States to support victims and survivors in their own cities and nation-wide. Please check out their organizations and ministries to learn more about how they work daily to end human trafficking. Brooke Axtell Allies Against Slavery and Survivor Healing and Empowerment (S.H.E.) Brooke Axtell became the face of a survivor of domestic violence at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, where she performed a piece of spoken word that she had written about her own experience. While Brooke’s performance has been viewed and shared by thousands since the Grammy’s, her advocacy work began prior to that after she escaped the abusive relationship she found herself in. Brooke, also a survivor of child domestic sex trafficking at the age of seven years old, lives and works in Texas with Allies Against Slavery as their Director of Communications, as well as founded a healing community specifically for sex trafficking and sexual abuse survivors called Survivor Healings and Empowerment (S.H.E.). She speaks across the nation about domestic sex trafficking, sharing her story and her poems to spread awareness and grow passion in others. The staff of Exploit No More had the opportunity to meet and talk with Brooke in 2015 as she recently spoke to students at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Brooke Axtell is just one of hundreds of survivor advocates working to use her own experiences in order to help others in their healing journey. Exploit No More has been blessed to have a number of survivors in the Milwaukee community who share this same desire. While the healing journey continues, our survivor advocates and volunteers have reached the point in their journey that they have a passion to help other girls and women who have been victimized and exploited. Without survivor-led mentorship and leadership in the fight to end sex trafficking, organizations are at a huge disadvantage and leave the survivors they are attempting to help at a loss. Survivors who have a passion to help others who were victimized provide a space for understanding, vulnerability in sharing stories, and healing. |
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