MISSSEY supports young people who have experienced trafficking and exploitation. We provide direct service programming, training, prevention, policy advocacy, and leadership pathways for the youth we serve within Bay Area communities from Contra Costa to San Mateo County. MISSSEY is survivor-led and survivor-centered and prioritizes the voices of young people in building services and systems for healing from exploitation. Our team knows what the young people are going through because we have gone through it, too. We use our experiences to fuel our passion to heal ourselves and each other.
I like MISSSEY because I get love, support and a safe place. It’s my family.- Youth program participant
Our Work
MISSSEY supports young people who have experienced trafficking and exploitation. We provide direct service programming, training, prevention, policy advocacy, and leadership pathways for the youth we serve within Bay Area communities from Contra Costa to San Mateo County. MISSSEY is survivor-led and survivor-centered and prioritizes the voices of young people in building services and systems for healing from exploitation. Our team knows what the young people are going through because we have gone through it, too. We use our experiences to fuel our passion to heal ourselves and each other.
I like MISSSEY because I get love, support and a safe place. It’s my family.- Youth program participant
We use distinctive, integrated strategies to create the conditions for healing, wellness and self-determination for the young people we work with:
We disrupt the cycle that leads to exploitation by providing young people with the support they need to leave, avoid, and stay out of exploitative circumstances.
We help girls and gender-expansive youth imagine healthier, safer futures for themselves, support them in planning what it takes to get there and then connect them to the opportunities the need to succeed.
We strengthen our communities by investing in field leaders best able to identify exploited youth and guide them to appropriate resources.
We provide models for building healthy relationships and self-advocacy, tapping into ambition, and being accountable to self and others.
Through building relationships with girls and gender-expansive youth, we help them recognize and embrace their inherent value, leadership ability, and right to a full and fulfilling life.
We use distinctive, integrated strategies to create the conditions for healing, wellness and self-determination for the young people we work with:
We disrupt the cycle that leads to exploitation by providing young people with the support they need to leave, avoid, and stay out of exploitative circumstances.
We strengthen our communities by investing in field leaders best able to identify exploited youth and guide them to appropriate resources.
We provide models for building healthy relationships and self-advocacy, tapping into ambition, and being accountable to self and others.
Through building relationships with girls and gender-expansive youth, we help them recognize and embrace their inherent value, leadership ability, and right to a full and fulfilling life.
Our Programs
Providing survivor- and trauma-informed, culturally relevant, and strengths-based supports to create a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment.
Dedicated to being a safe space for girls and gender-expansive youth in Oakland (ages 12 - 25) who have experienced exploitation.
Our Thrive Initiative invests in young people through skill-building classes, workshops, and other leadership opportunities, so they can change their own lives.
Trained volunteers who assist our drop-in staff in supporting youth who come to the STaR Center.
Cultivates communities that are compassionate, confident, and armed with the tools necessary to address the complex issues impacted survivors of sexual violence.
