EDUCATE YOURSELF
Check out RJI’s website for book and documentary recommendations. Stay up todate on different human trafficking symposiums that are being conducted around the area.
NOTIFY YOUR CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE
Publicize RJI’s name through social media like Facebook and Twitter. Update profile pictures and statuses using RJI event photos and RJI’s educational links on human trafficking. Examples of posts might be: “Survivor Holly Smith says that there is no such thing as teen prostitutes, just victims of child commercial sex,” or “RJI is committed to ending commercial #sexualexploitation & domestic #trafficking of children by spreading awareness.”
DISPLAY YOUR GIFTS
Offer up your God-given talents for RJI’s cause whether it’s graphic design or public speaking. Paint a picture and display it publicly. Write a song or create a short film and post it on the web.
INCORPORATE THE CORPORATE
If you work in the corporate world (or know someone who does), ask if RJI can be involved in a partnership program or a sponsored charity of the business. Offer a percentage of company’s profits to RJI. Donate products, offer discounts, sponsor events, and raise awareness within the company (through newsletters, business meetings, etc.)
GIVE UP THE 27TH FOR THE 27 MILLION
Take the 27th day of every month to fast and pray in honor/solitude of the 27 million enslaved globally. Justice Prayer outlines are available on request.
INTERN FOR A SUMMER
Get a wide variety of experiences working for a non-profit, learning the dirt about human trafficking, gaining leadership skills and contributing in ways that could alter the lives of young people in the Richmond area.
TRACK WHAT YOU BUY
Become a conscious consumer. Ensure the products you buy are made without using slave labor. Find out more about where your apparel comes from using Not For Sale’s 2012 Report: “Apparel Industry Trends – From Farm to Factory”. Download NFS’s iPhone App: “Free2Work”.
SHOP FOR A CAUSE
Buy gifts that make a difference. Each purchase from the following websites helps women who’ve been exploited in the sex industry begin a new life with dignified work.
Sari Bari: www.saribari.com
Nightlight International: store.nightlightinternational.com
Rahab’s Hideaway: www.rahabshideaway.org
Hagar: www.hagarinternational.org/usa
Love Calcutta Arts: lovecalcuttaarts.com
Freeset: www.freesetglobal.com
Stop Traffick Fashion: www.stoptraffickfashion.com
100 POSTCARD CHALLENGE
Spread awareness concerning the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) through IJM’s 100 Postcard Challenge. Visit the 100 Postcard Challenge page and have advocacy postcards sent to you for free. Get your church, workplace, family, and friends to sign the cards. This lets your specific congressional representative know that their constituents care about human trafficking legislation.
CONTACT AUTHORITIES
Publicize the Human Trafficking Hotline Number (1-888-3737-888) through word of mouth, your Facebook status, bracelets, and Hotline flyers, which can be found here.
FIND OUT HOW MANY SLAVES WORK FOR YOU
Go to slaveryfootprint.org and figure out how much you really depend on slave-made goods.
PARTY/MOVIE NIGHT WITH A PURPOSE
Have fun with those closest to you and inform them about modern slavery: give a presentation, have a movie night. Find a list of movies on human trafficking. Raise money creatively (maybe charge an entry fee, ask for donations, or sell homemade goods). Pray as a group.
INVOLVE YOUR CHURCH
Help your church partner with RJI and host awareness events for your congregation (e.g. documentary showing of Nefarious).
RALLY THE ARTISTS
Round up your artist friends to donate some pieces for a silent auction with part or all of the proceeds going to RJI. Raise money for RJI through a dance performance or music recital.
READ UP
Host a book club focused on human trafficking. Book references can be found here.
MONUMENT 10K FOR RJI
Form a team for the annual Monument 10K in April and raise money for RJI. Create a goal. A great resource for raising money is First Giving. You can even wear shirts with statistics about human trafficking on the back to raise awareness among the runners at the race!
STICKER CHALLENGE
Gather together for a Sticker Outreach at a central location. Approximately 20 minutes is taken to hand out materials and go over instructions. Teams are then sent out to localities where human trafficking has been witnessed. It is a known fact that human trafficking victims can be found at three primary locations (gas stations, hotels and hospitals). After sharing some facts about human trafficking (included as part of the materials), teams ask owners of local businesses if they would be willing to put a bright orange sticker with the human trafficking hotline in a prominent location. The hope is that victims or witnesses of human trafficking will see it and call the number. The facilitator of the group will hand out a specific list of addresses to be used for each event.