Awareness Archives - Page 4 of 4

February 2, 2015 By Debora Finch Leave a Comment

National School Counseling Week – Guest Post

To welcome National School Counseling week, we wanted to start out with a guest blog post from Debora Finch, a elementary school counselor and counseling educator who has worked closely with our Kids on the Block program. You rock, Debora!

Kids on the Block means so much to our school counseling program at Lipscomb Elementary School. Not only does this inspiring character education puppetry program know about the national “School Counseling Week”, but they also want to celebrate it. If this generous and thoughtful gesture doesn’t exemplify the Kids… I don’t know what will! 🙂

Truly, I feel that having Kids on the Block perform annually at our school is a staple in the delivery of our program. In fact, over the last few years we have invited the Kids to enhance Red Ribbon Week and boy have they ever. As one theme day of the week, our students wear black and strive to “black out bully behavior” as a healthy choice. In fact, we pick this theme day around the visit from the Kids. Matching the silhouetted puppeteers is a way we strive to say thank you for their talent, dedication, and attention to detail. Yet, it’s the Kids on the Block who take the message of the day to the next level. The developmentally appropriate puppet shows find a delicate balance between fun loving and thought provoking messages that are appreciated by all members of the audience. Students anticipate seeing a new show every year, ranging from problem solving to diversity awareness. There is always giddy excitement for both the energy of the Kids and the talent of the puppeteers. By the end of the show, our students have new members of our school family who are welcomed friends. These Kids are something special indeed!

The most meaningful Kids on the Block puppet show for me is the 3^rd grade child abuse prevention program. As a school counselor, I am so grateful that the Kids approach this sensitive topic with such consideration for teaching with compassion. Not only does the program emphasize talking to an adult you trust when faced with a big problem, but also the students leave with safety to take away any stigma related to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. I cannot think of a better way to address this component of our curriculum than with the support, narrative, and message from Kids on the Block.

So as we welcome “School Counseling Week”, I celebrate Kids on the Block as honorary members of our counseling team. I am grateful for their partnership, talent, and inspiration to develop both good character and healthy development in all of our “kids.”

Debora Finch

Elementary School Counselor and Counseling Educator

January 19, 2015 By STARS Leave a Comment

No Name-Calling Week

No Name-Calling Week: January 19^th-23^rd of 2015

No Name-Calling Week was inspired by a young adult novel entitled The Misfits by James Howe. In the book, students organize a “No Name-Calling Day” at their school. This small idea motivated GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing to take the idea and make a powerful statement with it. GLSEN, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and over 40 national partner organizations created the No Name-Calling Week Coalition. In 2004, No Name-Calling Week was in schools, inspiring young adults to take the pledge nationwide and encouraging educators to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities by giving them the necessary tools.

Now, across the United States, schools participate in educational activities focused on ending name-calling and verbal bullying during the fourth week of January each year.

So, what can we contribute to this cause? What are some ways we can end verbal bullying and name-calling in our workplace, social life, and on social media? How can we set good examples and encourage young adults to join the cause?

Be kind. Even something as simple as a smile can change someone’s whole day. In our MOVE2STAND training, we talk about the impact our actions have, how they mirror ripples in the water. When we spread kindness, compassion, and empathy, others will do the same. We determine our cultural climate. The same can be said for hate, cruelty, and indifference. As adults, we nurture and teach the young adults in our life to be kind by doing it in our own lives. At STARS, we believe in the power of friendship and compassion. We believe these have the power to turn lives around. Having one person in your life, one person in your corner, can mean the difference between wanting to end your life or enduring. As a way to celebrate No Name-Calling Week we want to encourage you to BEE A FRIEND; offer friendship to people who spend their daily lives feeling invisible; to the young adults who do not have someone in their corner; to the victims of bullying.

STARS and GLSEN both want to spread the same message; love rather than hate; happiness rather than sadness; compassion rather than cruelty; empathy rather than indifference; friendship rather than rivalry.

Just like our students, we want to encourage you to take the No Name-Calling Week Pledge and inspire others to do the same. When you take the pledge you commit to:

Not bully others or partake in name calling and encourage others to do the same
Intervene in situations where someone is being called names or bullied
Support efforts to end bullying and name calling
BEE A FRIEND: Reach out to someone and offer your friendship for a year with the hopes of it blossoming into something more!

To learn more about No Name-Calling Week check out their website and to find out more about the BEE A FRIEND campaign, visit our website.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

Tweet us @STARSNASH using the hashtag #STARSNONAMECALLINGWEEK and tell us how you are making a difference!

January 11, 2015 By STARS Leave a Comment

Global Observation for Human Trafficking

January 11, 2015 is the global observation for human trafficking. Thirty million people are trafficked for sex globally each year, three of those thirty million are children and 200,00 of those children are right here in the USA (Oath Coalition).

Since December 2007, the National Hotline has reported 18,275 cases of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that occurs in every state. Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control the victims for the purpose of commercial sex acts or labor services against his or her will (NHTRC).

WHO ARE THE TRAFFICKERS?

Typically, human traffickers are people who prey upon people’s vulnerabilities such as hope for a better life or employment opportunities, an unstable home life, or history of sexual or physical abuse to their advantage. Traffickers can be part of a criminal network or individuals with the common interest of exploiting people for their own profit. Usually, traffickers and their victims share similar national, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds; this allows them to better understand and exploit their victims.

Here are some examples of traffickers based on human trafficking cases identified by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center:

Fake massage business owners or managers
Employers of domestic servants
Gangs and criminal networks
Growers and crew leaders in agriculture
Intimate partners/family members
Labor brokers
Factory owners and corporations
Pimps
Small business owners and managers

Typically, human trafficking rigs coincide with legitimate businesses and require a number of individuals’ cooperation and specific conditions for everything to play out without being detected.

IN TENNESSEE

Tennessee has had 208 calls and 53 human trafficking cases reported this year alone. Unfortunately, trafficking still exists because it is a very lucrative business and is low risk for being detected. The deadly combination of the two is the driving force of why human trafficking is one of the most profitable criminal industries in the world (NHTRC).

TYPE OF TRAFFICKING PREVALENT IN TENNESSEE

Sex Trafficking (43)

Labor Trafficking (7)

Trafficking Type Not Specified (2)

Other/Not Specified (1)

GENDER

Female (44)

Male (8)

AGE

Adult (38)

Minor (14)

Of the 208 calls received this year, 33 were reported as high indicators, 56 as moderate indicators, and 64 were calls from victims and survivors. Indicators represent the likelihood of a human trafficking case existing. Cases categorized as “High” contain a high level of indicators of human trafficking. Cases coded as “Moderate” contain several indicators of human trafficking, or resemble common trafficking scenarios but lack core details of force, fraud, or coercion (NHTRC).

SIGNS OF TRAFFICKING

Remember that the presence of these signs only means further investigation should be made. Not all of these red flags will be present in each case nor are they cumulative.

Work and Living Conditions

Individual is not free to leave or come and go as he or she wishes
Involved in commercial sex industry and has a pimp or manager
Unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips
Works unusual hours and/or excessive hours
Recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of his or her work

Mental Health

Often is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or paranoid
Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behavior when law enforcement is mentioned
Avoids eye contact

Physical Health

Lacks medical care or denies medical services
Appears malnourished or shows signs of exposure to harmful chemicals
Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, or torture

Lack of Control

Owns few personal possessions
Is not in control of his or her finances, financial records, or bank account
Does not have control of his or her ID or passport
Is not allowed to speak for themselves
Lack of knowledge of where she or he is living
Loss of sense of time
Numerous inconsistencies in his or her story

Businesses That Traffickers Commonly Exploit:

Advertising (Online and Print)
Airlines, bus, rail, and taxi companies
Financial institutions, money transfer services, and informal cash transfer services
Hospitality industry, including hotels and motels
Labor brokers, recruitment agencies, or independent recruiters
Landlords
Travel and visa/passport services

If you suspect trafficking contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline:

1-888-373-7888

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

We want to encourage you to raise awareness to your friends and family about how prevalent Human Trafficking is in the United States.

Check out some of these awesome non-profits in Tennessee trying to put an end to Human Trafficking.

End Slavery TN

Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking

National Human Trafficking Resource Center

RESOURCES: