Which do you think is easier?
I was reminded of this question yesterday at a meeting here in Milwaukee that’s part of an effort to create a drop-in center for youth struggling with basic needs. A lot of plans have focused on connecting youth with adult run programs and agencies and that’s super common when [...]
Today while walking to the store in my neighborhood I was, to be blunt, hollered at by some random guy driving down the street who leaned over a female companion to get my attention. In trying to keep my attention he said something that I’ve heard on other occasions: “girl, just so you know, I [...]
I can’t tell you how often I hear from youth workers across the country who explain that pimps and other sexual exploiters impress youth from group homes, treatment centers, homeless shelters and similar places where lots of youth are low or no income by getting the youth nice outfits, their hair done, their nails done [...]
I really don’t support the idea of trying to scare youth away from the sex trade. It’s ineffective because it doesn’t get at the root of the reasons youth are in the sex trade to begin with and assumes that youth don’t already know or have personal knowledge of dangerous realities in their lives.
It can [...]
I haven’t posted while this whole scandal broke out the past couple of weeks. I tried to stay from it actually. Like many people who work directly with people involved in the sex trade when the media gets a hold of a story about prostitution - I want to run in the other direction.
Now this [...]
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to present a staff training on working with youth in the sex trade for St. Rose Youth and Family Center here in Milwaukee. St. Rose offers a lot of programs including therapeutic day education and residential programs for girls ages 12-18.
I’ve noticed how, even when presenting similar [...]
In my experience, confidentiality means something much more extensive to youth than it does to adults. For adults in the social service world it can mean that as long as the information stays inside the agency, it’s kept confidential. Most of the youth I know expect that, with the requisite exceptions, something I tell one [...]
I’ve talked a bit about having started an organization and directed it for years - Young Women’s Empowerment Project. When asked I’ve often explained that I returned to my hometown Chicago, after having lived in different cities and worked in different ways on the issue of prostitution, and finding no efforts in Chicago at that [...]
Most programs in the U.S. focused on working with youth in the sex trade do not often work with parents of youth. Sure, some might have parents of minors involved to the extent of signing a consent form. And a few try to offer counseling and assistance to parents. Overall though, programs focus on youth.
I’ve [...]
Early on when I first got involved working with organizations about prostitution some 17 years ago I was taught that one of the roles of someone who cared about youth involved in the sex trade was to uncover when someone was lying about their experience.
Mostly this meant not that I would doubt that they had [...]
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