Education and Prevention Services for Youth
Child Advocacy Center of Niagara partners with local and national organizations to educate youth who are at risk for child trafficking about warning signs, dangers, and what to do if they find themselves in that situation.
Love146 Not A #Number
Watch this powerful five minute video about Not a #Number.
The Curriculum
Not a #Number is an interactive, five-module prevention curriculum designed to teach youth how to protect themselves from human trafficking and exploitation through information, critical thinking, and skill development. Not a #Number uses a holistic approach focusing on respect, empathy, individual strengths, and the relationship between personal and societal pressures that create or increase vulnerabilities.
Effective prevention often starts by raising awareness of harmful stereotypes and attitudes that create vulnerabilities and keep youth from seeking help.
Through open conversations, engaging activities, the use of media, and opportunities for self-disclosure, participants will:
- Raise their awareness of what constitutes human trafficking and exploitation.
- Learn how to recognize recruitment tactics and understand vulnerabilities.
- Challenge harmful stereotypes and societal attitudes.
- Identify healthy support systems.
- Develop skills to safely navigate potential and existing exploitative situations.
- Learn how to access community resources when situations occur that increase their vulnerability (or if exploitation is already underway).
Where and How is it Taught
Not a #Number is relevant for many different communities and populations. It has been taught in schools, child welfare agencies, and juvenile justice agencies. The curriculum fits well into health education and life skills programs and more historical lessons that address modern violence and social movements. It can also be used in after-school programs alongside psycho-educational and therapeutic services.
Target Audience for Not a #Number
- Youth ages 12-18
- Youth of all genders including youth that identify as LGBTQ
- Youth of all ethnicities and backgrounds
- Youth with high risk indicators such as low socioeconomic status, history of abuse and/or neglect, exposure to violence, risky offline and online sexual behavior, or history of alcohol/substance abuse among other factors
- Youth at risk of trafficking or who have experienced trafficking.
