Dear Parents, Guardians, or Caregivers,
Thank you for your interest in having your child participate in our Summit and the Empower Youth Prevention Workshop hosted by ImPACT, in partnership with iEMPATHIZE, a Colorado-based nonprofit committed to combating crimes against youth, including human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.
Human Trafficking is the buying and selling of people for profit through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. It is modern slavery: a growing public health concern and the fastest growing criminal industry in the world after drug trafficking. It is shocking and heartbreaking that we are now buying and selling more people than we are buying and selling guns. According to the Institute of Medicine, the trafficking of youth is the most misunderstood, overlooked, and underreported form of child abuse in our country today.
Human traffickers are systematically targeting youth who they can lure and trap in illegal labor and sex markets located right here in Virginia. According to the U.S. Department of Education, human traffickers are even using schools as scouting venues to find youth who they can lure and trap into commercial sexual exploitation like prostitution, pornography, and stripping. Because traffickers use a variety of deceptive and coercive tactics, youth are often-times trapped in this egregious form of child abuse EVEN BEFORE THEY KNOW IT. It is therefore crucially important that youth be educated on the red flags so that they can recognize the crime, successfully navigate their vulnerabilities, make safer choices for themselves, and avoid exploitation.
The goal of our Summit and of the Empower Youth Prevention Workshop is to empower you and your child with knowledge and life skills to help you and your child 1) preventatively recognize the red flags of human trafficking, including sex trafficking, 2) proactively respond to issues of this form of exploitation; 3) help your child make safer choices for himself and his / her peers; 3) so that your child and his or her peers will stay safe and successful. Additionally, the Empower Youth Prevention Workshop will aim to inspire your child to facilitate prevention-focused conversations about empathy and exploitation in their spheres of influence: in their families, schools, social organizations, churches, and neighborhoods.
If you have questions about the workshop curriculum prior to registering, please contact the iEMPATHIZE Workshop Leader, Guido Hajenius, at guido@iempathize.org. You may also learn about this amazing program on their website www.iempathize.org. Hailed as effective, positive, and empowering, THE EMPOWER YOUTH PROGRAM is being used across the nation, and in just two short years, has educated thousands of youth. ImPACT is proud to be bringing this critically-acclaimed national program to Richmond.
To register yourself and your child(ren) for the Summit and for the 2-hour Empower Youth Prevention Workshop, please fill out the on-line registration form. We recommend that you register early as spaces are limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
*Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, only youth in Grades 7 - 12, and their parents or caregivers, will be admitted to this event.
Parents / caregivers must remain on-site while their child(ren) participates in the Summit or Youth Workshop.
ONE (1) adult may supervise up to FIVE (5) youth.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at fay.chelmow@ImPACTvirginia.org.
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to seeing you in April!
In Solidarity,
Fay Chelmow BSN RN
Founder & President ImPACT
People Against Child Trafficking in American Schools
We are an all volunteer nonprofit serving the Richmond region