Claudine O’Leary is one of the finest workshop leaders, community organizers and youth workers I have ever worked with. From debating the ethics of the sex trade to creating a strategic plan, Ms. O’Leary is one the few clear and empowered voices working in our communities today.
Shira Hassan, M.S.W.
Harm Reduction Training Collaborative
Chicago, Illinois
I met Claudine O’Leary soon after she arrived in Chicago with a powerful idea — that young women and girls with life experience in the sex trade and street economies could come together to claim their voices and realize their dreams. She nurtured that vision into a thriving community-based youth leadership project that truly empowers its participants. Claudine brings to the table years of experience with hundreds of young women and girls surviving in the street economy and their adult allies. She is smart, engaging, a good listener, practical strategist, creative organizer, and an effective community educator.
Rev. Barbara Bolsen
Vice President for Programs
The Night Ministry
Chicago, Illinois
Claudine O’Leary is a wonderful person with years of experience who knows how to empower youth and help communities reach even the most distant and troubled youth. I love the ideas she brought to our city. She is one of the most knowledgeable people on the the topic of experiential youth that I know. Her presentation style is engaging. She helped us tremendously.
Celia Williamson, Ph. D.
University of Toledo
Researcher Activist
Toledo, Ohio
Claudine O’Leary is the go to adult ally in the Midwest for issues regarding girls and young women impacted by the sex trade. She has created a better understanding of young women working in the sex trade throughout Chicago, helping them and others look critically at the sex trade from a harm reduction perspective. Claudine’s heartfelt trust and belief in young females guides every interaction with the youth she encounters. She works side by side with youth—helping them lead their lives, make their own informed decisions, and fight their own battles.
Natalie Smith M.A.
Training and Education Coordinator
National Runaway Switchboard
Chicago, Illinois
Bringing together her own experience and insights gained from working with hundreds of young women, Claudine O’Leary provides important, practical information to help organizations more effectively serve young women. Her consultations and conference and workshop presentations provide invaluable tools, especially for organizations working with highly vulnerable girls—those who are in the criminal justice system or foster care or group homes. Claudine’s understanding of the current realities of young women’s lives enables her to help organizations assure that their programming is relevant and empowering for young women.
Dotti Clune and Jeannie Hosey
Prostitution Round Table
Grand Rapids, Michigan
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