184 – A Toolkit for Faith-Based Communities

Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak are joined by Nicole Wood,  the Program Advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, to discuss the recently published toolkit from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign. It includes five areas of trauma-informed principles that can be implemented within a house of worship as well as resources for faith leaders and their communities. Key Points The Toolkit's purpose is to do a better job of communicating messages that are practical, actionable, and usable for our faith leaders. Faith leaders need to be equipped with resources because they are trusted messengers, force multipliers, cultural keep holders, community investors, and most importantly influence their congregations as well as the broader community. Trauma-informed principles to implement within a house of worship: Safety -  Create a private, safe environment and set a positive tone through interactions. Trustworthiness and transparency - Build trusted and transparent relationships without judgment. Peer support - Social networks and support are necessary for transformative impact. Empowerment, voice, and choice - It's important to recognize and build upon the individual's ability to make their own decisions. Cultural, historical, gender issues - Be mindful of racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural past traumas and present needs of individuals. There is value in alerting law enforcement of a possible human trafficking situation, rather than personally intervening, in order to prevent causing more harm to the victim and allowing professionals to take the appropriate measures moving forward. Resources Faith-Based and Community Toolkit Blue Campaign Sweat and Toil App Ensure Justice Conference Are you enjoying the show? If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe. Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today. Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected]. Transcript Dave: [00:00:01] You're listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 184, A Toolkit for Faith-Based Communities. Production Credits: [00:00:08] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential. Dave: [00:00:29] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak. Sandie: [00:00:34] And my name is Sandie Morgan. Dave: [00:00:37] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, so many people we've had on this program over the last gosh it's almost over seven years now that we featured that have been such wonderful partners in the work that we're doing and the work that you're doing. And today another wonderful partner who has been a long-term friend of yours and someone who's been a big supporter of the work that we're all trying to do. So, I'm glad we get to welcome Nicole today. Sandie: [00:01:12] Yes. And Nicole comes to us with when I first met her, she was actually part of the leadership of the Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking and then she left us and is now the program advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives. It's a center of the White House Office of Faith and Opportunity. And Nicole's service as a subject matter expert and strategist and communication outreach on meeting the needs of survivors of disasters and human trafficking domestically and internationally. And she works with senior-level officials and the broader community on the traumatic impacts, underlying causes, how to prevent the harms of human trafficking and natural and man-made disasters. So, her work on training and technical assistance and...

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