Week of 10/25/21: Open Doors Important Updates

Thank You for Attending Last Week’s Technical Assistance Call

Our latest technical assistance webinar covered the 2021-2022 Framework for Creating the Change Guide and Toolkit, upcoming CORE trainings and expanded training opportunities, and Voices Housing Assistance Services. Thank you to all who contributed to the discussion!

For those who were unable to attend, the recording of the webinar can be found in SharePoint under Education & Training- Open Doors Specific Training- Technical Assistance Webinars.

If you have any questions about the content covered in this call, please reach out to Lauren Herod.

Training and Education Requirements Reminder

As the Network grows, we want to ensure that all team members are aware of the required training and education activities. All VOCA funded Open Doors Team Members will be required to participate in each of the following training and education activities during the fiscal year (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022):

Participation in Live New Team Member Orientation (required for new hires only)
Participation in their designated Cohort Training (taking place at the Voices for Florida headquarters in Tallahassee)
Participation in one Open Doors Outreach Network Core Training (offered in January and June 2022 at the Voices for Florida headquarters in Tallahassee)

In addition, at least one team member from each region is required to participate in:

Quarterly cohort calls
Special topic webinars as available
Technical assistance calls

If you have any questions about the training and education requirements, please reach out to Micheala Denny.

Recording Live! Perspectives Webinar: Sex Trafficking of Boys and Men

Moderated by anti-trafficking pioneer Nathan Earl, this webinar discussed the nuances of gender-based violence and provided practical tools around how communities can support male victims of sex trafficking. Speakers include Nathan Earl (moderator) of Giant Slayer Communications, John Long of U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, Martha Marin of Kaiser Health Services, and Nilda Otero of More Too Life.

Are You Attending the Shared Hope International JuST Conference?

Voices team members Robyn Metcalf, Micheala Denny, and Tiffany McGlinchey are really looking forward to attending the Shared Hope JuST Conference in D.C. next month! If you’re planning on attending, email Tiffany and let us know. We’d love to organize an Open Doors meetup at the conference!

Hoyt’s Tool of the Week: BOYS Documentary

While the movement of sex trafficking has brought large awareness to female victims of trafficking, males have largely been overlooked. BOYS, seeks to do just that – bring validity to the truth that males are victims of sex trafficking here in the United States. January 2014, Chris & Anna joined forces with Kartal Peel to create a meaningful film.

Through interviews with service care providers, male survivors and those in the field of Abolition, we hope to gain an understanding of what male sex trafficking looks like within the United States and how we can help male survivors have a voice.

Upcoming Webinars

Promoting Employment Opportunities for Survivors of Human Trafficking Economic Empowerment Peer Learning Series (Futures Without Violence)

Sessions will take place virtually every Thursday from October 14, 2021, through November 18, 2021, from 1:00–3:30pm ET

Through these conversations, participants will explore ways in which victim service agencies can develop new or expand existing economic empowerment programming that truly addresses the barriers to thriving for survivors.

Breaking Down Barriers: Legal Remedies for Human Trafficking Survivors with Criminal Conviction (Wilmington University)Promoting Employment Opportunities for Survivors of Human Trafficking Economic Empowerment Peer Learning Series (Futures Without Violence)

Sessions will take place virtually every Thursday from October 14, 2021, through November 18, 2021, from 1:00–3:30pm ET

Addressing Gangs: Understanding Violence in Your Community Webinar (National Gang Center Community Violence Intervention

Tuesday, October 26, 2:00pm ET

The fifth webinar, Understanding Violence in Your Community, in the “Community Violence Intervention—Addressing Gangs” series will focus on the need for conducting a comprehensive and systematic community gang assessment to determine the nature and scope of what is driving the violence in a community. In communities where gangs are perceived as the drivers of violence, an in-depth analysis will determine if this is accurate and ultimately guide the selection of appropriate gang prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies.

Bridging the Gap: Harm Reduction and Treatment Courts (Tribal Law and Policy Institute and Center for Court Innovations)
Wednesday, October 28, 3:00pm ET
Drug court practitioners and harm reductionists have a shared interest in improving public health and community safety. These two fields are also likely to co-exist and confront similar challenges for years to come. As such, this presentation represents a new and necessary conversation— one that will help to bridge the gap between the two contrasting paradigms. The training will provide an overview of what harm reduction is— its origins, evolution, and guiding principles— and highlight the benefits and challenges of integrating harm reduction in the drug court space.

What Every Adult Needs to Know About Child Sexual Abuse (Kristi House)
Tuesday, October 26, 2:00pm ET
This presentation is designed for parents who would like to be better equipped to prevent child sexual abuse from occurring and for adults working in or planning to work in child serving organizations. This class will assist adults to identify signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse, help them understand the dynamics of sexual abuse particularly the manipulative behavior of perpetrators, and provide them with skills to support open communication with their children to prevent future victimization. This class will also discuss in detail the additional programs and services offered at Kristi House. Curriculum developed by the Child Sexual Abuse Committee of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, funded by SAMHSA and Kristi House.