Rethink Resources

Here in Milwaukee, efforts are underway to start a drop in center for homeless and runaway youth. The city has a street outreach program and two shelters specifically for homeless youth but no drop in center specifically for teens without a safe place to live.
We developed a survey to give to youth who are currently [...]

you have about growing up and some resolved ones too. Or at least the ones you thought you had resolved.
I heard this many years ago from a friend of mine. She had been in recovery for many years and worked in adult programs. But then she had a chance to work with a teen girl [...]

We’ve all been there if you do educational groups.
You’re standing up front of a group of youth and it seems that nothing you say is getting or keeping their attention. In fact, complete silence is sometimes not the worst response. It’s when the whole group seems determined to break the sound barrier in how loud [...]

I’m working on a number of new projects.
For today I’ll talk about rethINK - the zine. I’m looking for creative expression from youth who are currently or have been involved in the sex trade for a zine. I need youth’s contributions by December 31st, 2007.
What’s a zine you ask?
It’s a cut & paste, copied publication [...]

I presented at the Fourth Annual Conference on Prostitution, Sex Work and the Commercial Sex Industry in Toledo, Ohio almost two weeks ago. I really enjoy meeting with everyone who attends this conference because it’s just so rare for those of us working entirely on issues of the sex trade to get together and [...]

I’ve talked with hundreds of adult youth workers in fields like foster care, juvenile justice, homeless and runaway youth, schools of all kinds, mental health inpatient and outpatient places, health clinics, substance abuse treatment programs who’ve met youth who are currently or have been involved in the sex trade. However most said they had no [...]

So a few months back I wrote about Ludacris being recognized for his song and work by the National Runaway Switchboard. My friend Victoria’s recent comments had me thinking about hip hop and youth work.
First I think on the practical side that if you work with young people involved in the sex trade (or even [...]

Often in workshops and discussions I’ve shared with teens about the sex trade, youth will try to explain that they know girls 11, 12, 13 years old who are having sex a lot with guys are much older who give the girls stuff too. But the girls don’t consider what they are doing to be [...]

Some of you have already heard that I’m working on a report on mandated reporting and how it affects youth workers working with youth impacted by the sex trade.
It’s a question I hear often - if you work with minors involved in trading sex for money - what do you do about mandated reporting?
Every state [...]

I’ve read some research and heard some people talk about youth having sex for designer or luxury items. I have a different perspective than most it seems on this issue. I recently had the chance to strongly present my case to someone and I thought I’d share my perspective here.

I believe strongly that youth desires [...]