Have you always wanted to become educated about human trafficking, the modern day slavery that is present in our own Dallas-Fort worth Metroplex? Have you always wanted to make a difference in the world or in your own community? If so, Not For Sale’s curriculum on human trafficking is a great opportunity you can’t pass up.
On October 2, 2013, Not For Sale Club officially began its year with the first part in its curriculum on human trafficking. The curriculum will cover different forms of human trafficking, such as labor trafficking and sex trafficking. The club will hold thirty-minute meetings each Thursday during sixth period in A120 to watch short videos and discuss issues.
Katie Segal, the club moderator, began the first meeting by stating that the goal for this curriculum is to educate students about “all the different facets of it, the different types of trafficking.” The students will be looking at trafficking through the “perspective[s] of victims,” noting how modern slavery differs “from historical slavery”. They will also be coming up with ways to stop modern trafficking.
Mrs. Segal concluded the brief meeting by stating Not For Sale’s long-term goals. She plans for students to “become educated so that [they] can begin brainstorming” and “figure out what [they can do] about” contemporary slavery in the United States. One of these plans includes posting flyers with vital service information at several churches in the Dallas area. Studies show that more and more slaves in Texas are discovering ways to contact these services. Slaves could then use the phone numbers on these flyers to call services that could help them escape their current conditions.
“The meeting was a huge success,” says Ben Thomas ’14. “There was a great turn out of students and staff who wanted to know how they can make an impact on the issue of modern slavery.” With active student and faculty participation, Not For Sale will start the year on a positive note and continue this trend into the future.
At its next meeting on October 10, 2013, students will start by looking “at historical slavery, chattel slavery in the South” and by “looking at the life of a modern slave…[they will note] the differences between the two things.” The students will watch a few short videos, one of which, produced by Mrs. Segal and Ben Thomas ’14, features “an interview with a victim,”named Holly, and a current Dallas police officer.
Not For Sale is always open to new members, as David Alvarado ‘15 can tell you: “I’m a new member so I’m excited to learn about the issue and see how I can make a difference with this awareness.”
Feel free to tell your friends to join Not For Sale on Thursday, and don’t worry about missing the first meeting since there will be many other opportunities to learn about human trafficking and to start making a difference.
