Look For The Helpers: An ICT S.O.S. podcast.

You can listen to our podcast here on the blog, at anchor.fm/ictsos or your favorite podcast platform!

About Human Trafficking

Video: Making of a girl | Girls Educational Mentoring Services | Rachel Lloyd

Read Rachel Lloyd's story in her book: Girls Like Us

Recommended Reading:

• Somebody’s Daughter - Julian Sher

• The Johns - Victor Malarek

• The Natashas - Victor Malarek

• Half the Sky - Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn

About Trauma & Resiliency

Video: We Can Prevent ACEs || CDC

Recommended Reading:

• The Deepest Well - Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris

• The Body Keeps The Score - Bessel van der Kolk

• The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog - Dr. Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz

• The Connected Child - Karyn Purvis, David R. Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine

• Born for Love - Dr. Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz

About Poverty

Video: 'How to End Poverty in 15 years' Hans Rosling

Learn more from Hans Rosling's research at Gapminder.

Recommended Reading:

• When Helping Hurts - Steve Corbett & Brian Finkert

• Toxic Charity - Robert Lupton

• Charity Detox  - Robert Lupton

The post Learn about Human Trafficking. appeared first on ICT SOS.

Wichita is a hub...

Wichita is known for...

These are things we hear when it comes to sex trafficking in our city. Let's talk about what we know to be true when it comes to this issue and what that means for Wichita.

1. We don't know where Wichita (or any other city) ranks in terms of being the *BIGGEST SEX TRAFFICKING CITY IN THE WORLD!!* Yes, that is screaming. Yes it is over-sensationalized. Because that's what we see. The reality is, statistics on this issue are very hard to nail down. This is an under-reported crime. Communities are still catching up to speed with training to identify victims and there are many different ways of gathering and reporting the statistics, none of which are centralized. Polaris does a great job with stats of calls into the national hotline and that does give a bit of a broad overview of levels of activity around the country but it is not a comprehensive database of cases worked. It is based on the public and service providers calling in to the national hotline. Think of it this way- Butterball has a turkey hotline at Thanksgiving for people to call in and ask questions. They can then report how many calls they got about roasting, frying or brining a turkey from different cities around the country. But, they can't tell you how many people actually cooked turkeys. Some of those people that called may have been cooking enough turkeys for a small army and others may have chucked the whole idea and went out for Chinese food instead. But we could get a broad sense of what areas might be cooking the most turkeys based on the call volume for that area. Make sense?
2. The number of cases has jumped in Wichita in the last few years. This one is true. In 2014 we had 29 cases of trafficking that involved minors according to the Exploited and Missing Child Unit (EMCU) and in 2015 EMCU reported 65 cases. Why is this? Well, we don't believe there is more activity. We believe our community is getting better at identifying victims- which is a good thing. Over the last several years Wichita has really stepped up to the plate with training for law enforcement, social workers, medical providers and the community. Students are being provided with more and more prevention education through programs like Tell Your Friends.  More identified victims means more survivors healing and more perpetrators being held accountable. Of course, we hope to see those numbers drop as we get better and better at fighting this issue- hopefully to zero in the future- but, for now we are encouraged by the progress being made.
3. Wichita sits in the crosshairs because of the highways. Again, this one is true. But so do a lot of other cities. Major highways are a way for traffickers to move their victims around the country. So, naturally more access to highways may mean more activity in certain areas just based on proximity. But, we also know the internet reaches into every corner of our society. That means that vulnerable people are more accessible by traffickers than ever before through a "like", a friend request or a private message. This issue touches every part of our country and it happens in every community.
4. There is GREAT work being done in Wichita to fight trafficking. This is the absolute truth. The community is more aware of this issue than ever before and because of that, they are reaching out in more ways than ever before to support direct service providers. We have good laws around this issue in Kansas and they are evolving and growing as we learn more. We have a law enforcement community that is receiving training, training others and partnering with the community to link arms and fight this together. We have social service agencies that are looking at their services and how to expand and adapt them to survivors. Our medical providers are taking a proactive role in identifying victims in the hospital setting and providing proper care. Our schools are welcoming in prevention education for their students as well as their staff. Wichita has a phenomenal homeless youth drop in & Street Outreach Team at the OZ.  More resources are coming online for survivors in our community from the new Child Advocacy Center in Wichita opening later this summer to Clover House in Salina opening soon to provide residential care specifically addressing the needs of adolescent survivors. The new Wichita Children's Home opens later this month as well. Good, good stuff happening!

Trafficking is a huge issue with lots of moving parts and puzzle pieces to figure out. We're not there yet. There is a lot of work yet to be done, a lot of lessons yet to learn and a long road ahead. But when someone asks about what the trafficking issue means in Wichita, KS our hope is that you will focus on the efforts being made. Focus on the hard working people who are doing their best to give kids in our community a chance at a safe childhood. Focus on the strides made even in the last five years as we look back on where we've come from in terms of knowledge, resources and community partnerships. And then roll your sleeves up and figure out where you can help be part of the movement!

The post What you Need to Know About Sex Trafficking in Wichita appeared first on ICT SOS.

We have followed the work of INK 180 for several years and for the past couple we've talked about getting Chris Baker here to share their story with the Wichita community. Friday, January 22nd we finally made it happen and Chris spoke to a packed house at Gracepoint Church, one of our longterm community partners.

KWCH came out and did a great story on the event which was later expanded into an even better story on the work Chris does and how we are working to bring some of that awesomeness to Wichita. (More on that later!)

We started out the evening with a screening of the INK 180 Documentary  followed up by Chris speaking to the crowd about his work, some updates on a few of the people in the documentary and stories of the success he has seen in the lives of those he serves once they are free from the gang or trafficking tattoos that he helps them with.

We wrapped up the evening with a panel of local law enforcement, social service and healthcare providers working on the frontlines of the fight against traffcking right here in Wichita.

L-R: Sarah Haldeman-Smith from Saint Francis Community Services, Nicole Ensminger from Via Christi and Lt. Travis Rakestraw of the Exploited & Missing Children Unit.

L-R: John Ferreira of Homeland Security, Jason Hart of the U.S. Attorney's Office.

L-R: Connie Hultmann of Wesley, Tina Peck of Via Christi (both forensic nurses), Diana Schunn of the Child Advocacy Center & Chris Baker.

Here's the whole panel! We learned so much, had great questions from the audience and heard about new resources coming on board very soon such as Clover House, a residential home for adolescent girls, and the new CAC building opening this summer. (Which will also be our new office space!)

The event itself was wonderful but we're even more excited about what is in the works because of it! While Chris was here he was gracious enough to provide his services to 2 survivors. He did one tattoo removal and one cover up. One a gang tattoo, one a trafficking tattoo. I wish I could share photos with you but in the interest of privacy I can't. But trust me when I say both were amazing to witness and both women remarked that their lives we changed by the services Chris provided to them. They walked away with no more painful reminders on their bodies of the things they had been through.

Here's the next step... We are working with one local artist and plan to get a few more on board. Chris will be back later this summer to do some training and we have some options for a private location for the artists to serve survivors on a volunteer basis without it comingling with their regular business. We have also been approached with some potential funding options to cover supply costs. This is all VERY new and soon there will be more to share. Just know we're working hard to make this an option for survivors in our area as well with the support and guidance of Chris Baker and INK 180.

Thank you Chris, thank you panelists and thank you community for partnering with us. None of us can do it alone.

The post INK 180 in the ICT appeared first on ICT SOS.

Welcome to the team Sara, Rula & Erika- it's going to be a great semester!

I am Sara Baltazar. I am a senior at Wichita State University working towards my Bachelors degree in Marketing with and emphasis in Real-Estate and a minor in communication. I like to read and spend time with family and friends.

Hello! My name is Rula Jamaleddine and I’m planning on graduating this May of 2016 with a Health Service Management Community Development (HSMCD) degree. I am 21 years old and I am really interested in community and any leadership development. When I first started college,  I was Pre-Med, I actually wanted to be an anesthesiologist ,  but soon after I realized I should probably not do something that I can’t even spell without Google and every time a needle comes up in a conversation I go into a fetal position. Long story short, it was definitely not for me so I decided to change my major to hospital administration and loving it so far. One day, I would love to be a CEO of a major hospital or even a huge corporation.  I am working at a preschool because I adore kids and it is probably because I act like a big kid most of the time and that is maybe why I get along with them so well. I also help out at Marcos Cantina, which is our family restaurant during the weekends. Some hobbies I enjoy doing is singing, it’s a big passion of mine, I have auditioned for different TV shows. Having grandparents that aren’t as fluent in English, I have had to speak with them in Arabic for all my life, so I have a good grasp on the language. I also enjoy watching movies, during my free time you will more than likely find me in a movie theater. I can’t wait to take part of this wonderful organization and bring more awareness as well as learn more through ICTSOS.

My name is Erika Rivera, I was born in Wichita Kansas and am currently working towards a Bachelors degree in Health Services Management at Wichita State University. I have worked in the healthcare field since 2008, beginning as a medical assistant and moving towards my current position as an assistant manager of an orthopedic surgeon's office. My future career goals are to become a healthcare director at either a local physicians office or hospital. However, gaining experience wherever I can help others, improve lives, and better the community will be my ultimate goal.

The post Meet the Spring 2016 Interns! appeared first on ICT SOS.

[/caption]As we are looking forward to 2016, one of the things we're excited about is bringing new life to our little blog feature here on the website.

We'll be introducing our spring interns, sharing some insights and highlighting our direct service partners so you can get to know them better.

Be sure to bookmark or add us to your feed reader- and stay tuned!

The post Bringin' Back the Blog! appeared first on ICT SOS.

Hey all-

Meet Heather James, our 2014 Summer Intern! Heather is a student at Newman University, who graduates this year! She is active at Audacity Church, where she learned about ICT SOS. Heather loves dogs and volunteers at the Kansas Humane Society. She is still deciding what she wants to be when she grows up but would love to join her city in the fight against human trafficking.

I can tell you this- Heather is already running circles around me! She's been organizing our shirt inventory and updating our online store (which was SADLY out of date!), working on some data entry projects and researching a few other things for us. At LEAST once a day I get a text or email asking, "What's next?"

Welcome to the team Heather- we're so glad to have you!

The post Meet our 2014 Summer Intern! appeared first on ICT SOS.

I have seen statistics stating that as high as 80% of trafficked youth have been in the child welfare system. To me, this says one thing: we need to do a better job of supporting foster agencies, foster parents and foster youth.

Children who have a sense of community, family and support are much less vulnerable to abusers and traffickers. So, how do we create that safety net? Here's a list of ideas:

• Be a foster parent!
• Be a respite provider. You don't have to be a full-time foster family. You can also provide occasional respite or emergency care.
• Serve as a foster care ambassador. (Contact valerie.leon@st-francis.org for info!)
• Be a support to a family that you know is fostering. (Provide meals, rides, babysitting)
• Throw a "Foster Shower" for new foster parents for items they will need. (Outlet plugs, cabinet locks, smoke detectors, etc)
• Send an encouraging note or small gift to a kiddo placed with someone you know.
• Call to check in with foster parents and ask how they are doing- let them vent if they need!
• Show up to games, concerts, events for fostering families- cheer LOUDLY.
• Host a donation drive for a foster agency for duffel bags, snacks, kids' books or other items they need.
• Volunteer at an agency's office.

The requirements to foster are fairly simple:

• 21 or older, married or single
• Complete MAPP training
• Pass a background check
• Have an additional source of income (outside of foster care reimbursement)
• Own or rent a suitable residence
• Be willing to work as a team member

There are several great agencies to work with in the Wichita area as well:

Saint Francis Community Services

Youthville

Wichita Children's Home

Salvation Army

TFI Family Services

The post May is Foster Care Awareness Month appeared first on ICT SOS.

March 13, 2011 the Wichita Eagle published a story about a trafficking case here in our city that involved a 13 year old victim. That article changed my life and was the catalyst for ICT S.O.S. becoming the organization that it is today.

Here's a quick overview of some of the things that ICT S.O.S. has been a part of over the last 3 years:

• Multiple awareness events including documentary screenings, speaking engagements and even a flash mob.
• Thousands of dollars worth of donations collected including clothing, hygiene items, food and Christmas gifts for local agencies serving homeless, exploited and at-risk youth.
• A human trafficking conference with the U.S. Atorney's office for over 450 attendees.
• 2 Race for Freedom 5K races (3rd in planning now!)- each with over 900 runners and a combined total of over $35,000 raised for local agencies (Carpenter Place & Child Advocacy Center).
• 2 years of our Rock The Market concert in Old Town.
• $25,000 State Farm "Cause an Effect" grant won and donated to create additional housing at Carpenter Place.
• Thousands of volunteer hours logged with local agencies.
• Volunteers, donations, and coordination to get the "OZ" drop-in center up and ready to open.
• Middle and High School curriculum available at no cost to local schools, churches and groups with the "Tell Your Friends" program.
• A great social media presence and participation from the community to share info, spread needs and educate the public about opportunities to get involved.

And we're just getting started!

This past 3 years have FLOWN by. We have so many dedicated volunteers, donors, runners, sponsors and participants in our events. And that is what ICT S.O.S. is all about- giving EVERYONE an opportunity to fight trafficking in our city through prevention, education, resources and volunteerism. We couldnt do it without all of you!

And a special note to our board members: You have given so much of your time, talent, passion, blood, sweat and tears to this organization and to our community. ICT S.O.S. would not exist without you. You have been amazing friends and cohorts on this crazy ride and I love each of you dearly. Thank you for what you give, so unselfishly, every time a need arises. You are AMAZING!

It's been a crazy, beautiful, hard, rewarding, exhausting, and humbling 3 years. Let's keep going, shall we?

Thanks just isn't enough,

Jennifer White

Founder, ICT S.O.S.

The post Happy 3rd Anniversary ICT S.O.S.! appeared first on ICT SOS.

How does someone "throw away" a kid? When did it become ok to let "The System" raise our children? And why do so many of them fall through the cracks?

I keep hearing people say, "The System is broken." Yep, sure is. Guess why? Because it's run by broken people in a broken world. There isn't a perfect system for raising children who are given up, taken from drug-addicted parents, or removed from abusive homes. There isn't a perfect system for raising kids in a loving home with two doting parents, a dog and a white picket fence. This world isn't perfect.

So whose fault is it? Whose responsibility is it to fix "The System"?

It's yours. And mine.

It's so easy to be the armchair quarterback, isn't it? We need more funding, we need more social workers, we need better social workers. Someone should really do something about that. Our government should fix that. Nonprofits should fix that!

No, YOU should fix it. I should fix it.

Guess what? If enough people would step up and stand in the gaps for these kids there wouldn't BE any cracks to fall through.

Think about all of the people in your children's lives. Teachers, family friends, relatives, coaches... If something happened to you today I'm guessing your kids would have a safety net of people around them who love them and support them and would walk beside them.

Now take all of those people out of the equation. What if your kids had NO ONE?

For so many kids, that's exactly how it is. They have no one to turn to.

And why not? Because we're too busy keeping up with the Kardashians and watching pregnant teenagers on MTV. If you have time for reality television, you have time to mentor a kid. Give up your lunch hour once a week to go eat in a school cafeteria with a kid. When you take your kids to the zoo, take along a kid from the neighborhood that you know is struggling with things at home. Be a Big Brother or Sister. Be an adoptive grandparent. Go read to the kids in a low income school. Be a foster parent. Babysit for someone else who is a foster parent when they need a break. Send a handwritten card with a little gift to a kid in your church who just needs a little sunshine in their day.

It's not rocket science. They're kids. Love on them.

We have a system that provides the skeleton for caring for the kids that need it. That skeleton needs muscle to move it forward, a thick skin to protect it, a brain to help it thrive and a heart to feel love. WE have to be those things. And one person doesn't have to be all of those things, but you can be at least one of them.

The post It's YOUR fault! (And mine...) appeared first on ICT SOS.

A little over two years ago there was a human trafficking case profiled in the Wichita Eagle. The case involved a 13 year old victim. Her story was the catalyst for ICT S.O.S.. Today her story helped to change the laws in our state. Written and verbal testimony given in support of this bill cited her case along with other recent cases and research provided by local and national expert, Dr. Karen Countryman-Roswurm.

The Child Advocacy Center, Wichita Children's Home, DCF, Attorney General and District Attorney's offices all provided support for the bill along with others, including ICT S.O.S..

The bill passed the House today with a vote of 120-0 in its favor. Next, it will move on to the Governor for his signature.

This is not the end but a great step in the right direction. There is so much more work to be done but so many exciting things on the horizon. The Child Advocacy Center is looking to expand their services to victims, WSU will launch a new institute to combat this issue through research and education and our community efforts will continue to grow with this year's conference, Race 4 Freedom 5k and Rock the Market concert.

Thank you for writing letters, calling and emailing your legislators. Thank you for spreading the word and mostly, thank you for caring.

Join us this Tuesday April 9th for our monthly meeting. We'll have thank you cards to fill out for our Representatives as well as a letter to Governor Brownback urging him to sign this bill into law. We meet at 6pm at Mead's Corner on the second floor. More info HERE.

Let's take this victory in and keep on fighting!

The post New Human Trafficking Legislation Passed! appeared first on ICT SOS.