If you talk to any of the Rethreaded staff about how to help support survivors, they will tell you the first step is education. There’s more to human trafficking than Hollywood leads you to believe and it’s easy to misunderstand what it really looks like for the people affected by it. In short, becoming an advocate must mean you first learn what the issue actually is. While that may sound simple, it can be challenging when you don’t know how to start your learning process. At its core, human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.  But…what does that look like, how can I see it, and what do I do if I do see it?  And, what then?  What about the survivor? These are all questions many people have when approaching the topic because the media has made it difficult to get to the bottom of what trafficking is, how it happens, and where it happens. Even with an accurate understanding of these areas, it can still be difficult to understand what’s so hard about leaving. What many of us don’t realize is the trauma and damage that has to be overcome after leaving the trade. The good thing is if you’re unsure of where to start in becoming an advocate you’ve come to the right place. 

It Starts With Education

Regardless of your familiarity with human trafficking, there’s something you can do to make an impact. At Rethreaded, we partnered with Jacksonville’s First Lady, Molly Curry for her Educational Art Legacy Project, which showcases a survivor’s journey. The artwork features a survivor-inspired mosaic and mural designed to educate viewers and give them knowledge on how to take action. 

The purpose of this art is to make education accessible to anyone that visits the Delores Barr Weaver Campus of Hope. Visitors that tour this beautiful piece will discuss topics like the art therapy sessions that inspired the artwork, common myths surrounding human trafficking, the signs of trafficking, how to become an advocate, and how to take action. You can take a digital tour of the mural here and read through the inspiration for each piece of the mural/mosaic. 

Take the Pledge & Get Trained

To further education of human trafficking in Florida, First Lady Molly Curry is challenging everyone to take the 100% Pledge to end human trafficking by becoming an advocate. You can sign up here to take on the challenge and watch two training videos to learn how to stop and report human trafficking. Together, we can make the world a better place. Click here to take the First Lady Molly Curry Training Challenge.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but this mural/mosaic is worth the stories of hundreds and hundreds of women who experience human trafficking each year in the State of Florida. 

The state of Florida is ranked third in the nation for human trafficking cases and the city of Jacksonville is ranked third in the state. While advocacy is incredible, it’s not enough to end the fight against human trafficking. But where should you start?

Education that Leads to Action

There are countless ways to get involved in the fight to end human trafficking. We recommend starting with the First Lady Molly Curry Training Challenge and then signing up for the Reclaiming the Light Volunteer Experience here at Rethreaded. 

During this interactive volunteer experience, you’ll get an exclusive tour of the First Lady Molly Curry Educational Art Legacy Project followed by a 20-minute training before you sit down with a human trafficking expert to facilitate discussion during your volunteering time. By volunteering, you’ll get to experience firsthand just how important this work is. You’ll also be able to immediately see the impact Rethreaded has on the community and the impact your time volunteering has had on the community. 

If you’d like to take action in ways outside of volunteering, here are four things you can do to support Rethreaded.

1. Make A Purchase Through Rethreaded:  Each purchase from Rethreaded directly affects the lives of survivors and helps them gain skills, get job training, get access to counseling, and put the pieces of their lives back together.

2. Corporate Gifting:  Gifts of Hope are perfect gift boxes for clients, customers, employees, speakers, conference gifts, etc. Shop some classic box combinations or create your own! 

3. Donate:   Every single dollar goes to providing employment, job training, access to counseling, and a community of support for survivors of human trafficking. No matter what your donation amount, know that you are leveraging your resources to make our community and the world a better and more healing place for survivors. 

4. Join A Giving Circle: Our giving circles are volunteer-led groups founded by Rethreaded donors and supporters. We have two volunteer-led groups, the Circle of Sisters and the Band of Brothers.