Compassion to Action

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The Detroit Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) gathered their Community Affairs Committee together to assemble 50 backpacks and 25 cosmetic bags as donations for street outreach efforts, and gifts for at-risk youth.

Programs like this and others, that prevent and address modern slavery and provide supplies and services to survivors, are critical to creating healthy, safe and resilient communities. MAP and our many partners are committed to strengthening our programs and services to address the many root causes of slavery and restore dignity to its victims and survivors.

MAP partnered with BOMA to distribute their backpacks and cosmetic bags across several of our partnering organizations in Michigan, including: Night Angels, Alternatives for Girls, and Beauty for Ashes.

Thank you, BOMA, for collaborating and resourcing our local anti-trafficking organizations!

Click Here for more information on how you can turn your Compassion to Action!

2020 Round Table Event

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On January 28, 2020 over 125 people, representing dozens of organizations and agencies, gathered for MAP’s annual Round Table event. This annual event is for experienced advocates and professionals who are active in addressing human trafficking in Michigan through prevention, education and/or the provision of services to survivors and at-risk populations. The objective of this forum is to increase collaboration and effectiveness of the anti-trafficking community by identifying barriers, building relationships, and strengthening partnerships.

This year our co-sponsor and Key Note presenter was The Joseph Project.  Jennifer Grieco (immediate past President of the State Bar of Michigan) and Nate Knapper (Founder and CEO, The Joseph Project) provided a great overview of this new organization and their services. Trafficking survivors often face legal obstacles that arise from the circumstances of their exploitation.  Yet, they often do not have the knowledge or the financial means to secure skilled legal representation.  Known as the “justice gap,” this inability to secure legal assistance often impedes survivors from moving toward a brighter future.   The Joseph Project provides survivors of trafficking access to a group of legal “first responders” who offer legal assistance and a commitment to service survivors’ legal needs on a pro bono basis.

The Joseph Project is a 501c3 recognized Non Profit organization. LEARN MORE…

Angela Aufdemberge (President and CEO of Vista Maria) presented a summary of her 2019 Eugene Miller Fellowship project in which she interviewed experts and stakeholders in our state and around the country.  Some of her suggestions for Michigan’s way forward are:

  • Create new awareness and prevention campaigns in Michigan
  • Establish demand reduction strategy
  • Expand the definition of those protected by safe harbor and ensure state funded treatment is available
  • Meet with survivors, advocates, and leaders from Michigan’s AG, DHHS and legislature

Angela emphasized the need for us to continue to expand our training, moving beyond human trafficking 101 and specifically addressing parents and teens on the dangers within social media/Apps, of online pornography, of the subtle acts of traffickers, and the need to change the mindset of sexual exploitation. She also explained the harms of legalization and the need for statewide demand reduction efforts. She encouraged stakeholders to establish a legislative framework that provides safe harbor for former or current survivors of sex trafficking (creating alternatives to incarceration), establish state contracted funding for specialized services, treatments and skills training for survivors, and the need for service provider standards and credentialing.

Vista Maria is excited to break ground this spring on a new human trafficking stabilization center to improve and expand services for young female victims. READ MORE…

Kelly Carter (Assistant Attorney General) closed the evening out with a very information update on the the latest news from our state government and an overview of the newest legislation package that the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission is working to move forward. READ A SUMMARY.  Kelly answered some questions from the audience and the event ended with time to network and meet personally with our speakers.

Participants Feedback…

A survey collected from participants indicated  that most all attendees were very satisfied with the event and indicated they grew professionally, exchanged ideas with others, and increased their networks. Most all attendees indicated they learned more than they expected and overwhelmingly would recommend the Round Table event to other advocates to attend in the future.

The top suggestions received were to provide more time, and perhaps structure, for networking. Suggestions such as assigned seating and time for individual introductions also indicate a desire to improve opportunities to meet others and network more effectively.

The main take-aways for those who responded were the opportunity to connect with others, the printed resources list that was provided, and the informative content that our speakers provided during their presentations.

MAP staff and our co-sponsors review feedback in order to improve our efforts to provide collaboration and networking opportunities that help stakeholders and advocates in our state to grow the anti-human trafficking movement in Michigan. Thank you to all sponsors, speakers, and attendees that join us in this important work!

Empower 2019 – Improving our Collective Response

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Empower 2019! Another great conference thanks to all the amazing advocates, agencies and organizations that participated and special thanks to our esteemed presenters Andy Soper and Kris McNeil from Measurable Change, Luke Hassevoort LMSW, Housing Manager from Ruth Ellis Center and Nate Knapper, Special Agent – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Here’s a snapshoot of some of the feedback we received:

Some of the comments we received from participants about the event….

We look forward to planning more educational and training events in 2020.  Watch our newsletter and check our calendar for conferences or events near you!

 

 

2019 Round Table Event in Troy

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On January 29, 2019 over 130 people, representing dozens of organizations, gathered together for MAPs annual 2019 Round Table event held at the Troy Community Center. The Round Table, which was co-sponsored by the Salvation Army, is for experienced advocates, professionals, and service providers who are active in addressing human trafficking in Michigan. The objective of this forum is to increase collaboration and effectiveness in SE Michigan by identifying barriers, building relationships, and strengthening partnerships.

The event included a delicious buffet dinner followed by presentations from:

  • Andy Soper of Measurable Change , Measurable Change is working with state & local partners to combat Human Trafficking by developing a Baseline & Readiness Roadmap. Through this comprehensive assessment, they plan to provide Michigan with a framework for interdisciplinary cooperation & data collection, victim service provision and context-specific education.
  • Michael Glennon Supervisor of Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes Task Force (SEMTEC) gave update on the progress of the task force which consists of members from the FBI, Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County Sheriff, Detroit Police, Dearborn Police, Highland Park Police, Southfield Police, Livonia Police, Roseville Police, Huron Twp. Police, Canton Police and Romulus Police Department. The SEMTEC is a top performing Task Force in the country.
  • Kelly Carter Assistant Attorney General and Michigan Human Trafficking Commission Chair provided updates on Michigan legislation and commission.
  • Elizabeth Moon Carter from the Salvation Army shared about the collaborative grant and the Salvation Army human trafficking initiative.

The event provided time for networking, sharing of resources, and providing feedback useful for planning future events.