Monthly Cohort Calls
A friendly reminder that the required bi-monthly cohort training calls will be taking place the week of August 9th – 13th. The purpose of these calls is to maintain strong connections between partners, share successes and challenges among teams across regions, discuss transfer clients, and generally share information that will help support the Network’s synergy. Make sure your appropriate cohort meeting date and time are on your calendar! A minimum of one team member from each region is required to join each call.
Survivor-Mentor Cohort Call: Tuesday 08/10/21 10:00am-11:00am
Clinician Cohort Call: Wednesday 08/11/21 10:00am-11:00am
Victim Services Coordinator: Wednesday 08/11/21 2:00pm-3:00pm
Regional Advocate: Thursday 08/12/21 10:00am-11:00am
Please reach out to Lauren Herod if you have any questions about your upcoming call. A calendar invite has been sent to each cohort, which includes a Zoom link to join. Additionally, the calls are listed on the Sharepoint calendar.
At least one Team Member from each region is required to attend, but all are invited.
Introducing New Team Member William Morland
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to William Morland, the newest Open Doors Regional Advocate in the Suncoast Region at More Too Life! William can be reached at william@moretoolife.org.
Do you have any hidden talents/fun facts about you?
I sing and I am a composer of my own music. Fun fact is that I like karaoke, outdoor events, and trampoline parks such as Sky Zone.
What is one achievement you’re proud of?
Being a part of the 2008 NFL Draft. It was soon afterwards that I started as a social worker and began helping youth and adults. This achievement allowed me to grasp an understanding of teamwork as I have now helped youth and adults connect with resources to empower them and break the generational cycle of the abused, abandoned and neglected.
What drew you to serving sex trafficked children and young adults?
Years ago, I had the privilege to work with More Too Life concerning a youth that I was a Case Manager for. The level of care, compassion, and consistency stuck out to me as this youth was able to sore and overcome obstacles with the help of More Too Life. I’ve always had a passion for people and feel that this experience with helping this youth at that time in my career showed me gifts within me that can help change the course of generations to come and ultimately our world. My motto is Changing one life at a time is the key to changing our world.
Voices Hosting Webinar Next Week on Grooming, Recruitment, and Prevention of Sex Trafficking
Tuesday, August 17th, 2021, 10:00-11:30AM
This month’s webinar will feature Katherine Gomez of Florida Department of Juvenile Justice; Corporal (RET) Alan Wilkett, Board Member of Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking; Survivor Leader Jamie Rosseland; and Brittany Peck of Shared Hope International. These speakers will lead a conversation on the realities of grooming and recruitment of sex trafficking victims, as well as highlight the role community members can play in the prevention of this heinous crime. Click here to register
Open Doors in the News!
Jacksonville nonprofit to stage ‘See the Girl Monologues’ to promote healing, social change (Florida Times Union)
CEO Vicky Basra and Survivor-Mentor Chanel Dionne are interviewed about an upcoming initiative to bring awareness to sex trafficking, help survivors heal, and provide them a space to use their stories to advocate for change.
Fla.’s only safe home for boy sex trafficking victims struggling to fill beds, despite growing need (ABC Action News)
Open Doors team member Nilda Otero of More Too Life discusses how sex trafficking recruits and affects boys and men differently.
Human Trafficking: What exactly is human trafficking and how do we help (Tallahassee Women’s Magazine Feature)
Pages 28-29 features an interview with Open Doors Statewide Director Robyn Metcalf that highlights the Open Doors Outreach Network’s approach to services, care offered, and impact.
Hoyt’s Tool of the Week: An Oral History of Efforts to Address Human Trafficking
Voices of Freedom, a collaborative initiative between the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP), the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), and StoryCorps, records, preserves, and shares the stories of survivors of trafficking and allied professionals. As an ongoing archive of nearly 100 recorded discussions, Voices of Freedom commemorates the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) by collecting oral histories through conversations with those who have informed, shaped, and contributed to the successes of anti-trafficking efforts over the past two decades. Click to Read More
Upcoming Webinars
Three Things Tech Could Do to Effectively Fight DMST (Shared Hope International) on August 11, 2:00-3:00pm EDT
Join Shared Hope’s, Kelly McCaughey, and Freedom13.org Director Gene Hill as they review the latest best tools for parents to protect children on the Internet. Next, they’ll explore software-only upgrades tech could do to dramatically improve minors’ online safety and effectively address Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. These three easy-to-implement changes would enable safety nets for all children and leverage parental control apps.
From Text Messages to Trafficking: A Conversation on Grooming and the Prevention of Commercial Sexual Exploitation on August 17th, 10:00-11:30am EST
Hosted by Voices for Florida and the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking
Speakers Katherine Gomez of Florida DJJ, Survivor Leader Jamie Rosseland, and Corporal Alan Wilkett of Pasco County Sheriff’s Office will discuss the various common forms of sex trafficking recruitment and how service providers can help to prevent this heinous crime. Free to participate.
Working with LGBTQ+ Survivors of Human Trafficking on August 19th at 2:00-3:30 pm EST
Hosted by the Freedom Network USA Training Institute
This webinar will provide attendees with an overview of best practices when working with LGBTQ+ survivors. Presenters will cover outreach, wrap-around services, and case management, housing, and immigration services specifically available to LGBTQ+ survivors. Free to participate.
