I want to welcome you and thank you for your interest in wanting to stop Human Trafficking, as you know there are many elements in doing this task, my first question is; how much do we know about trafficking? Do not fret if your answer is unsure, part of doing something is also learning about it at the same time. There are different levels of trafficking, but the bigger question is what can you do to be part of a SOLUTION? I’m going to give you some tips and suggestions, then it is up to you to decide which ones you feel you’d fit in the best, remember it’s alright to try a little bit at a time or just one, do not stress yourself in taking on all the task, none of us are super human so there is no need to set yourself up for stress. Always be in mindful that whatever you do, there will be people who will look at you crazy, ask questions or even ignore you, that is all normal. Just as long as you have 1 person’s attention, you did great!

Here are some suggestions:

House Party/Block Party; if you’ve ever been to those Mary Kay or Scentsy Parties then you know what I’m talking about. The only difference is that you won’t be selling anything, you’ll be the educator. If you decide to pick this, I will send you a DVD about Human Trafficking so you can educate yourself on this subject, then you can share the DVD clip to your group/party. Then you will find a local Anti-Human Trafficking organization in your area that you respect and in this house party you ask the people to donate to the cause, you collect the funds and send it to your local non-profit that you chose. I will also be sending you a Power point about Human Trafficking that will include my personal story, unfortunately I am unavailable to travel everywhere in the US, so sending this power point will help get the story out.

Community Organizer; you can collaborate with your local non-profit to volunteer. You can be a mentor, help with paperwork or hand out fliers, update the website or etc. You can also encourage your school/work/church to get involved as well. Encourage them to get a speaker to your church/school to come and speak, educate and learn.

Mentor: Join a mentoring program through an at-risk youth programs and educate youth about the harms of exploitation, by being a positive role model and friend. Places that are in need of mentoring services are usually at Juvenile Probation Centers in your area or Youth Programs like Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Consider visiting a successful chapter for motivation and inspiration. This Orbitz coupon code could be available to reduce travel expenses.

Public Policy; Join a legislative group: For example a Women Voter’s group in your area or join the county commission or to go to your county and collaborate with an existing organization and volunteer there, if they haven’t started one, you can definitely encourage one.

Social Network; If you are a busy parent like most of us and would like to do something, but just don’t have the hours and travel time, then how about creating a social network page on facebook or ask to join an existing one, let them know you’d be happy to help add trafficking articles and post them on their wall. It’s a for sure way to keep everyone in the loop.

Any of these ideas that you pick, I will definitely be assisting you in every way possible, so even if you’ve never done any of these, don’t panic. I’m here to help and so are many others. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call or write. I will wait to hear from your response in what you’ve chosen and then we’ll get into step 2.

For any additional questions please feel free to contact me via e-mail with the subject line: Trafficking 101 to: ckim75@hotmail.com

(c) Chong N. Kim, 2011