Workshops and Presentations

I wanted to know more about this important issue. I work at a DV/SA agency, but have not had any formal training.

To become more culturally aware, to help the community in taking care of the youth, help inform the youth, and to expand on my own job as a social worker.

I have attended many workshops and red bandana making workshops, as well as marched for MMIW. I wanted more information on how to be a better ally in supporting my community.

The Tribe is in receipt of grant funding from DOJ for Violence Against Women. It is crucial for us to understand the dynamics of ST and other assaults on girls and women.

I wanted to learn additional information so that I can stop this from continuing and to help the teenagers who are exposed to this horrific ordeal.

Because of the line of work I am in and I heard about it a few years back. And wanted to learn more about it.

Because I wanted to learn more about this and I have a great niece that was murdered and had been missing for nearly 2 years when her bones were discovered and another close family friend’s granddaughter that was in a domestic violence situation and is still missing nearly 3 years later.

My supervisor felt the Sex Trafficking MMIW workshop would be beneficial.

We are working to establish a steering committee to address CSEC, and felt this training would be informative. 

I want to be a better ally to all of my sisters. 

To further my understanding of sex trafficking in my community.

Yes, I felt as if I learned a lot and that there was a cultural responsiveness part of this training that was really spot-on. Lori Paul was an amazing teacher, her warmth and guidance and love came through even though we were on zoom. 

I enjoyed the training, I hope the Tribal community, and different community resources are able to provide education to the youth.

The topic of ST and MMIW was addressed very well. For example, as information was presented, I could visualize how to discern a perpetuator and how a potential victim might learn to recognize danger signs before getting trapped into a situation she can’t get out of. The real life examples that were given did help to illustrate points.

Yes, the series was informative and the presenter was very experienced and knowledgeable with interesting stories that were survivor centered

Yes, this series exceeded my expectations.

1. Ms. Paul’s kind and generous spirit 2. The amount of information – I took tons of notes 3. The enormity of the issue and the way it has been playing out since colonization, and how that continues to this day

I was touched by the openness of the presenter. I was impressed by the attendance. I was encouraged by the communication.

Hearing our speaker give her own experiences as a survivor was emotional, but impactful insight into what could happen to a survivor and best ways to support him/her. Hearing about hotels being used to traffic young women made me sick to my stomach because there are so many hotels in the area where I live and I have a lot of young girls/women in my family who live close by hotels as well. Hearing different ways that we can support families directly, such as providing wood for traditional fire, donating food/groceries to the families in need, as well as providing “services” to create fliers for their relative. 

1. How rampant ST is and that not enough information is out there to the community for awareness and education. 2. Thriving child sexual trafficking and it is a dark area, not brought up and discussed, and 3. The resources available to us to oppose pornography.

1. The amount of individuals who are involved in this incident. 2. I enjoyed the prayer and acknowledgement of how horrific this information was to obtain. 3. The compassion and the greatness that the instructor was able to get legislation to make changes, made me feel proud and I cried.

1. The gateway cities on how traffickers are able to come in & out. 2. How Native American’s go missing are higher than any other race. 3. Technology plays a big part of the sex trafficking. I heard that the sex trafficking is here in our own backyard and I believe that to be true, it is scary times now. We need to learn to be safe at all times.

How easy it was to get caught up in the trade. How difficult it is to get out. How much support and resources are needed.

1. The methods traffickers use to obtain their victims 2. The history of sex trafficking 3. The long term support survivors need 

Understanding how widespread this issue really is, the evolution of mainstream, systemic attitudes towards sex trafficking, and how to build community resiliency against it.

The statistics were jarring. I didn’t realize how many people are affected by trafficking. And the correlation between abuse, addiction, disabilities, and being vulnerable to trafficking. Lori sharing her story made an impact, and her ability to create a safe space for all of us. I felt welcome, and appreciated being present. Also, hearing the other women speak up about how powerful the workshop was to them, and how it validated their experiences. 

Listening to a survivor. Honest discussion. 

Use it in my volunteer training to better inform folks who I have the privilege of training. Use it to try to advocate for my agency to do better. 

I would hope to be able to keep another safe from exploitation.

Continue to help spread awareness of this epidemic and do a better job at reaching out to families that need support

To be more aware of surroundings and situations, to be on alert, to alert others, to post help line phone numbers, to contact the sources given to oppose pornography.

Utilize it with the the children on my case load that are CSEC and help them. I would also like to be involved in a larger group for our community to help pass legislation for our victims and survivors.

Continue my work with Trafficking in the Northern part of California.

Keep the information on hand and be a resource for who ever needs it.

Bring awareness to my community

I’m an victim advocate. I will be vigilant about watching for the signs and providing a safe space for survivors to seek support and resources.

Use it to build trauma-informed policies and collaborate with community partners to identify and prevent CSEC in Mendocino county.

I want to research my area to see what efforts are happening to help trafficked women. I want to find resources to share with my ER doc and nurse friends and local volunteer EMS.

To inform others in the community and my children.

Yes. It made me value so much teaching from folks I don’t normally get to study with. I am very grateful for this training.

I came into these classes already having personal experience of losing relatives to this epidemic. I feel that the classes gave me a different scope of the work being done in other communities and how we can bring resources/ support to our area as well.

I became more wiser to danger signs and situations.

Yes, acknowledged how important self care, breathing, letting go and prayer is which I had practiced by now more often religiously practicing.

Yes, it has made me wake up to what is going on in around in Mendocino county.

Yes… I found a deep rooted empathy in listening to the stories

The problem of sex trafficking has grown and so has the information to assist survivors of sex trafficking has also grown so that will help me in my field

Very much so. This training hit me emotionally, and I will carry many of the things I learned with me for a long time. I questioned some basic assumptions I didn’t realize existed, and have grown in my ability to empathize with those impacted by trafficking.

Yes, I have more empathy for people who find themselves in these situations. I think I had it before, but it has grown by understanding all the ways women end up there. I also appreciate having opportunities to learn and gain perspectives from Indigenous folks.

It is always good to have real life information to understand the community I serve.