Earlier this month, in honor of our 6th anniversary as an organization - WHAT!? Time flies y'all!! - we hosted a virtual book club and read through the book, Look at You, Girl by Caitlin Zick. 

To catch you up about the book before our review: Look at You, Girl is the kickstart to seeing yourself the way God does. The book is designed to be read in one week, one chapter a day, each chapter taking about 30 minutes to read with a soul work page at the end of the day. And since together is always better, the author is very intentional about readers working through the book in a "We Week" - the week we will do this kickstart! Our virtual book club had a great turn out, with twenty-six women joining us for We Week. 

Our prayer was that each reader take bits and pieces from the book and fit them into their own puzzle. Growth takes time; may there be patience in the process and in the unknowing. 

Okay, I'll be honest here; writing a book review for a book written to reach one's soul where they are at is hard because my soul is in a quite different place than yours, friend. With that in mind, here's some thoughts to keep in mind when you read through the book with your tribe. 

• Take notes that fuel you, not hinder you. Listen to our podcast, here for more tips about note taking. 
• Like any book, you may not agree 100% with the author and that's okay! You will bring more value to your personal growth by highlighting what you resonate with than what you disagree with. 
• Recommended Materials: Your Bible, your journal, and a pen/highlighter. 
• Each chapter takes about a half an hour to read; I scheduled an hour for each chapter so I could read it (and re-read sections if needed) and spend time working through the soul work at the end of each chapter too. 

My Review of the Book
Go chat with anyone else who's read it and I bet you'll get a different review ;)

• I never felt like I was participating another Bible study, but part of a community even though it was unseen. Shoutout to the concept of We Week! 
• I appreciated that the chapters built off of one another, laying a foundation for the next day. 
• My favorite chapter was Day Three, Word Wednesday. I'm a words of affirmation girl so this day really spoke to me and forced me to dig deep. Here's a sneak peak of the email that went out that day about this chapter. 
• Not only was the book easy to read, but it's clear to me that Caitlin Zick poured her soul into writing this; there are practical steps to take for healing, safe spaces for growth, and a focus on self care which if you know anything about me, I'm all for that! 
• I love that I could read Look at You, Girl again in a year and get a totally different message from it. Those are the kind of books we need more of. 

Ultimately, if you're looking for a guide to kickstart your soul into loving yourself the way God loves you, this is it. As an added treat, check out these golden truths from Look at You, Girl. 

As awareness about sex trafficking in Milwaukee grows, people are called to action.   Our hearts are stirred.  We are angry.  And we want to see change.  Once you see the dark realities of human slavery in our corner of the world and across the globe, the thought that naturally follows is:

“What can I do?”
“Tell me how I can help.”

On October 12, Exploit No More and International Justice Mission co-hosted an awareness and advocacy training to equip attendees with some “everyday ways” to engage the issue of sexual exploitation in our community.

We were joined by speakers from the Milwaukee District Attorney’s office, the Inner Beauty Center, and the Benedict Center, who spoke to their own experiences in working with victims of sexual exploitation in Milwaukee.  We concluded the training with a panel Q&A, which included our speakers, as well as everyday people who have stepped up to engage in anti-human trafficking efforts across the state (like the talented team behind Give Art Give Hope).

Several take-aways came out of the training:

1. Sex trafficking is a deeply embedded industry that is perpetuated by a community’s lack of resources, poverty, and the demand for sex.  Faults in justice systems also contribute to the problem on a global scale.
2. Milwaukee has one of the highest child sex trafficking victim recovery rates in the nation.  In 2012, we were at the top of the list for law enforcement recovery rates in a one-night sweep known as Operation Cross Country.  Current statistical measures cannot accurately predict the widespread scope of the problem because of the transient nature of the industry and complexities added by the internet.
3. Sex trafficking is found in every county in Wisconsin. Recruitment is not limited to the “streets.”   Many kids meet their traffickers online or through friends, and many victims are trafficked from childhood through adulthood.

Nearly 200 people attended the workshop to learn more about how they could make an impact.  While the subject was heavy, and the statistics grim, it was an exciting and hope-filled time of conversation and brainstorming.  In case you missed it, we’ve included a summary of each of the speaker’s organizations, as well as a few other helpful resources HERE.

We’ll recap with suggestions about how you can get involved with the organizations on our list:

Lend Your Gifts
You don’t have to be an attorney, police officer, or lobbyist to have an impact.  Volunteers create our flyers, review our legal policies, and take photos for our website – and these are just a few examples of how people plug-in to our work to effect change.
There is a place for everyone to leverage their gifts and propel our collective effort to stop this injustice.  Contact the organizations on the list above to lend your interests and skills.

Mobilize + Team Up
Team up and have fun!  Men’s groups, book clubs, and friends have all teamed up to have yard sales, host percentage dining nights, or golf outings to raise awareness and funds for Exploit No More. You can also sign up to donate on each organization’s website, including Exploit No More’s.

Stand up + Sign Up
Change happens when dedicated individuals stand together as a group.  With political leaders and advocates increasingly faced with tough decisions about how to allocate resources, we can support them by letting them know we stand behind their efforts to stop trafficking.

Sign up for our newsletter and social media networks to tell political leaders, advocates, and friends   that you stand with Exploit No More in the fight against injustice.  (Check out IJM’s Freedom Commons, too.)

With each new person added to our lists, we’re able to tell leaders in our community just how many people care about trafficking victims in our city and why they should, too.
For more resources, documentaries, and books, check out Exploit No More’s Pinterest page.   

​You can also find comprehensive toolkits and fact sheets from the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation’s website.

To hear more about our plans to open an aftercare home in the Milwaukee area, 
join us for our Fall Update Meeting:
Thursday, November 21
7pm – Elmbrook Church Chapel
777 S Barker Rd,  Brookfield, WI 53045