Human Trafficking: What Every Teacher Should Know

Sex trafficking, child soldiers, forced marriages, organ removal, and forced labor—all are components of modern slavery in which people profit from the exploitation of others.  According to the United Nations, trafficking affects every country in the world, with women and children accounting for a majority of the victims.

Join us at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies on July 9, 9am–1pm, to learn more about human trafficking, how you can get involved in the fight against it, and how to effectively present the topic in your classroom. The event will include presentations by three speakers, brainstorming with fellow educators, resources for use in your classroom, and an opportunity to learn more about K-12 outreach services provided to the community by the Kellogg Institute. All sessions will be held in the Hesburgh Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Although this event is free to area educators, registration is required.  Registration will close on July 2.  A certificate of attendance will be available that may be used for Professional Growth Points.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

8:45–9:00 - Registration and continental breakfast
9:00–9:15 - Introduction
9:15–10:15 - The International Movement to Fight Human Trafficking: Chris Cervenak
10:15–10:30 - Break
10:30–11:30 - Teaching Trafficking: Nicole Garcia
11:30–12:30 - Empowering Youth To End Sexual Exploitation: Bill Odell
12:30–1:00 - Mingle and Munch: Enjoy a light sampling of international food while viewing our Traveling Trunks and continuing the day’s conversation

Chris Cervenak

Chris earned her law degree at UCLA and is currently the associate director of Notre Dame’s Center for Civil and Human Rights. She has worked in Chile, Argentina, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, and other countries on projects for the United Nations, Harvard Law School, and a range of NGOs.  She will be teaching a course on human trafficking to undergraduates and law students at Notre Dame this fall.

Her presentation will include information about the types of trafficking, a historical and legal overview of the fight against it, and some bright spots, such as Celebration without Exploitation. She will also address the issues of personal responsibility and activism.

Nicole Garcia

Nicole is the English department chair at Washington High School, where she won Teacher of the Year in 2012–13. In addition to earning a master’s degree in reading from Xavier University and an EdS in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University, she is working on her EdD at Northcentral University.

For the past five years, her English curriculum has included a unit on sex trafficking using the novel Sold by Patricia McCormick and the documentary The Sold Project. She will help participants consider how to teach about human trafficking at varying age levels, which assessments they might use, and how to align the content with standards. There will also be ideas about service learning projects.

Bill Odell

Bill Odell has been trained by the state of Indiana through a program called Empowering Youth to End Sexual Exploitation, a four-session program designed for junior and senior high school students. The training is sponsored by IPATH (Indiana Protection for Abused Trafficked Humans). Active in many areas of civic engagement, Bill recently retired as the director of development for REAL services and still serves as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels.

This portion of the morning will provide an overview about the training with an emphasis on how youth are lured into trafficking (including societal influences), signs that show a youth is involved in prostitution or trafficking, and actions that people can take to counter trafficking.

If you have any questions, contact K-12 Outreach Coordinator Anne Berges Pillai at apillai@nd.edu.

To see past topics and related resources and lesson plans for educators, click here.