Connect for Freedom is an awareness and prevention program for online exploitation and human trafficking. Our program is designed to support the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (NJSLS-CHPE), Standard 2.3 on Personal Safety, as they relate to online safety and human trafficking, as well as the NJDOE Guidelines for Schools on the Prevention of Human Trafficking of Students (N.J.S.A. 18A:6-131.2–131.3).
Our program includes a school district implementation guide to help schools seamlessly incorporate the materials and coordinate support services with local law enforcement, prosecutor’s offices, hospitals, and child support services. We offer materials such as faculty training, response protocols by county, a sample resolution for school district approval (if required), and a parent letter informing parents and caregivers of the program.
We offer teacher driven lessons for K-12 schools, survivor stories and videos of online exploitation and human trafficking, as well as enrichment activities for students to learn the material. We also provide student campaign ideas which can be student or teacher led. We recommend to run a campaign during Human Trafficking Awareness Month which takes place in January, or anytime during the year to bring awareness to their school.
We provide faculty awareness training materials that will teach faculty about the topics of online exploitation and human trafficking. These trainings are done remotely, with the majority providing teachers with a certificate upon completion. These trainings are completely free and will prepare teachers to teach students the lessons in our program.
Parent engagement is also included in our program with a Parent/Caregiver Presentation, Parent/Student Workshop, tip sheets for adults, and sample family technology agreements. The goal is to help parents feel equipped to protect their children in this digital world and feel comfortable discussing tough topics such as safe online practices, online enticement, sextortion, and human trafficking.
We also provide information to be included in an after-school program that highlights the importance of healthy relationships. It is important to ensure that students are using their free time wisely and building strong bonds with positive role models. Youth that are highly vulnerable (i.e. McKinney-Vento, foster care, special needs, etc.) would benefit tremendously from an after-school program and it would give them a safe space after school.
To support the student learning expectations outlined in the 2020 NJSLS-CHPE, Standard 2.3 on Personal Safety, and the recommendations in the NJDOE Human Trafficking Prevention Guidelines, we recommend implementing our student lessons, faculty training, response protocols, and parent presentations. Together, these resources provide schools with a comprehensive approach to awareness, prevention education, and student safety.
