3SGF Awarded Texas grant to prevent human trafficking - The PROTECT program will launch in Texas

Sacramento (November 19, 2019) – 3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF), an El Dorado Hills based non-profit that mobilizes communities to combat human trafficking through prevention education and reintegration, was awarded a grant by the state of Texas to deliver prevention education to the two largest school districts in the state. With the grant, 3SGF’s co-founded program, PROTECT, will be able to reach students, educators and those who interact with youth in both San Antonio and Austin, Texas. “Prevention is paramount and worthy of funding. When we prevent human trafficking before it starts, we have the ability to not only reduce trauma in our youth, but also prevent the future exploitation of a child,” said Andrea Sparks, Director, Governor Abbott's Child Sex Trafficking Team. The mission of 3SGF and the PROTECT program aligns with the Governor’s platform of combating human trafficking in the state of Texas, Sparks said. PROTECT is a scalable, online training and curriculum that trains teachers to identify human trafficking and educates students about the signs and tactics of traffickers to empower them to protect themselves and others from victimization. According to the National Trafficking Hotline, The United States saw a 25% increase in reports of human trafficking and Texas has the second highest number of identified victims in the nation with more than 1,000 victims reported in 2018. “Human trafficking is a crime that’s hidden in plain sight and exploits the vulnerabilities of our children. Many human trafficking victims do not see themselves as victims; this is why education is key in preventing the crime before it starts, shared Ashlie Bryant, Co- Founder and CEO of 3Strands Global Foundation. Think about Jack, a 14-year-old boy, who realized he was being exploited on-line after going through the PROTECT curriculum in his classroom and knew he needed help...this is how we save lives,” Bryant recalled of PROTECT’s impact. PROTECT takes a holistic and complete approach to prevention. PROTECTed schools first design a response protocol with the PROTECT team to ensure that trained staff know what to do when a potential victim is identified in their classroom. Next, staff are trained on-line or in-person on primary prevention, trauma and red flags and protocols. Then school staff have access to Elementary - High school modules, which are available on the PROTECT platform, easy to access and include narratives, lesson plans and resources, etc. Lastly, PROTECT works with outside evaluators to assess how the training and curriculum are being implemented and its impact. PROTECT equips educators with the resources and materials they need to cultivate an environment of awareness and understanding in the classroom, thus preventing human trafficking from happening. PROTECT prevents, and prevention changes everything. PROTECT was cofounded with a Joint Venture Agreement by 3Strands Global Foundation, Love Never Fails, and Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives in partnership with the California Department of Education and the Office of the Attorney General (CA).