For more than 14 years, MISSSEY has provided healing and pathways out of sexual exploitation for thousands of young people. Young survivors of sexual exploitation know best what kinds of support will help them to heal and thrive. Our job is to listen to them and provide the resources they need while lifting up their voices and leadership.
Our Thrive Initiative invests in young people through skill-building classes, workshops, and other leadership opportunities so they can change their own lives. Our innovative approach to addressing employment uses a wrap-around, trauma- and survivor-informed healing model to provide individualized support and opportunities to youth who are at risk of or victims of exploitation. We integrate consideration of developmental factors, trauma, cognitive challenges, lack of familiarity with the labor force, and other realities for the youth that we serve. Program leads facilitate 8-week-long career readiness workshops that help young people navigate common challenges and barriers faced by survivors of trafficking entering the workforce. Participants may also attend concurrent workshops that help them strengthen their social-emotional responses to ongoing life challenges. They are also supported in accessing additional services, including legal, housing, and mental health services. Below are the current programs that make up the Thrive Initiative:
STAND Program
Through STAND (Sisters Taking Action for a New Day), MISSSEY’s team looks to localize a powerful and proven model that has been very successful in other communities in fostering social change through engagement, advocacy and youth-led research. Youth will be a resource to their peers, adults, and organizations in the community through prevention, program support and advocacy. This paid leadership experience encourages young survivors to address issues related to Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and trafficking and take action for real change. The goal of STAND is to increase their participation in addressing issues related to sexual violence and trafficking. Every year, MISSSEY supports a group of 6-8 survivors who conduct research, make presentations, and inform MISSSEY leadership, their peers, adults, local policy and decision makers and youth-serving organizations in the community. MISSSEY believes youth engagement in policy-level community change will be a key driving force behind the successful transformation of sex trafficking in our region. Young people with a voice and seat at the decision-making tables will inject a fresh and crucial perspective into community processes, challenging, inspiring and partnering with local stakeholders.
Economic Empowerment
This workshop series is designed to prepare youth to enter the legal workforce and permanently leave exploitative work relationships. Upon completion, our participants receive stipends and are connected to job opportunities. The focus of these workshops is on the relationship to money, youth empowerment and voice, skill building, employment readiness and job retention. Through this series, we help participants gain self-sufficiency and access peace of mind.
Social Emotional Learning
This workshop series is a mix of MISSSEY’s prevention curriculum and CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) social-emotional learning. The focus of this aspect of the program is on increasing participants’ self-regard and self-esteem, building skills to engage authentically rather than reactively and creating safe communities that increase happiness and opportunities to thrive.
Culture Keepers
Culture Keepers is an intentional internal leadership development program where older MISSSEY participants can develop their leadership and job skills and contribute to creating an empowering culture in the MISSSEY STaR drop-in center (Sisters Transforming and Rising). Culture Keepers work with other participants, staff, community organizations and leaders and volunteers to support a positive STaR climate and increase youth participants’ connectedness to MISSSEY. Most notably, Culture Keepers provide meaningful conversation and someone to whom the participants can relate. They also co-facilitate workshops, engage in leadership and decision-making in the STaR Center, advocate for changes and influence priorities and activities. Culture Keepers are a vital component of MISSSEY and what we do in the STaR Center.
Thrive Internship
The movement to end sexual violence needs more survivor leadership. That’s why MISSSEY developed a paid, 18-month training and skill-building internship to annually support 2-4 former MISSSEY clients, 18-26 years old, interested in taking a position at a nonprofit organization such as MISSSEY, and developing their professional skills.
For more than 14 years, MISSSEY has provided healing and pathways out of sexual exploitation for thousands of young people. Young survivors of sexual exploitation know best what kinds of support will help them to heal and thrive. Our job is to listen to them and provide the resources they need while lifting up their voices and leadership.
Our Thrive Initiative invests in young people through skill-building classes, workshops, and other leadership opportunities so they can change their own lives. Our innovative approach to addressing employment uses a wrap-around, trauma- and survivor-informed healing model to provide individualized support and opportunities to youth who are at risk of or victims of exploitation.
We integrate consideration of developmental factors, trauma, cognitive challenges, lack of familiarity with the labor force, and other realities for the youth that we serve. Program leads facilitate 8-week-long career readiness workshops that help young people navigate common challenges and barriers faced by survivors of trafficking entering the workforce. Participants may also attend concurrent workshops that help them strengthen their social-emotional responses to ongoing life challenges. They are also supported in accessing additional services, including legal, housing, and mental health services. Below are the current programs that make up the Thrive Initiative:
STAND Program
Through STAND (Sisters Taking Action for a New Day), MISSSEY’s team looks to localize a powerful and proven model that has been very successful in other communities in fostering social change through engagement, advocacy and youth-led research. Youth will be a resource to their peers, adults, and organizations in the community through prevention, program support and advocacy. This paid leadership experience encourages young survivors to address issues related to Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and trafficking and take action for real change. The goal of STAND is to increase their participation in addressing issues related to sexual violence and trafficking. Every year, MISSSEY supports a group of 6-8 survivors who conduct research, make presentations, and inform MISSSEY leadership, their peers, adults, local policy and decision makers and youth-serving organizations in the community. MISSSEY believes youth engagement in policy-level community change will be a key driving force behind the successful transformation of sex trafficking in our region. Young people with a voice and seat at the decision-making tables will inject a fresh and crucial perspective into community processes, challenging, inspiring and partnering with local stakeholders.
Economic Empowerment
This workshop series is designed to prepare youth to enter the legal workforce and permanently leave exploitative work relationships. Upon completion, our participants receive stipends and are connected to job opportunities. The focus of these workshops is on the relationship to money, youth empowerment and voice, skill building, employment readiness and job retention. Through this series, we help participants gain self-sufficiency and access peace of mind.
Social Emotional Learning
This workshop series is a mix of MISSSEY’s prevention curriculum and CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) social-emotional learning. The focus of this aspect of the program is on increasing participants’ self-regard and self-esteem, building skills to engage authentically rather than reactively and creating safe communities that increase happiness and opportunities to thrive.
Culture Keepers
Culture Keepers is an intentional internal leadership development program where older MISSSEY participants can develop their leadership and job skills and contribute to creating an empowering culture in the MISSSEY STaR drop-in center (Sisters Transforming and Rising). Culture Keepers work with other participants, staff, community organizations and leaders and volunteers to support a positive STaR climate and increase youth participants’ connectedness to MISSSEY. Most notably, Culture Keepers provide meaningful conversation and someone to whom the participants can relate. They also co-facilitate workshops, engage in leadership and decision-making in the STaR Center, advocate for changes and influence priorities and activities. Culture Keepers are a vital component of MISSSEY and what we do in the STaR Center.
Thrive Internship
The movement to end sexual violence needs more survivor leadership. That’s why MISSSEY developed a paid, 18-month training and skill-building internship to annually support 2-4 former MISSSEY clients, 18-26 years old, interested in taking a position at a nonprofit organization such as MISSSEY, and developing their professional skills.
