Price of Life NYC

How Does Good Go Viral?

HAPPENING THIS SATURDAY!

It’s not too late to sign up (or invite a social media savvy friend)!

Save your spot here.

priceoflifenyc:

Maria and her cousin, Lupe, were only 14 when they were kidnapped one evening while waiting for their bus home [1]. They were drugged, starved of food and water for several days, and forced to have sex with up to 24 men per night for months.

As horrific as that sounds, they are not alone. According to the International Labour Organization, there are 4.5 million sex slaves in the world [2]. Maria escaped and led police to the brothel that housed her pimps, kidnappers, and six other girls. She and her cousin are now thankfully on their way to recovery. But statistically, only 1 trafficker for every 800 victims will receive the same or similar justice [3].

Does the world know? If not, how do we tell people and inspire them to respond?

Remember the Kony 2012 videos? What made them so popular? How did Invisible Children get Oprah Winfrey to tweet a link to their video? And how did they manage to get 5 million tweets within a week of launching the Kony 2012 campaign?

Join the Price of Life Invitational on Saturday, August 25 from 10 am - 2:30 pm at a brainstorming workshop as we explore why, despite the best efforts of hundreds of anti-trafficking organizations, the majority of the world is still blissfully ignorant about its reality, and as we brainstorm how to make a massively viral anti-trafficking campaign.

The event is free and lunch will be provided!

Learn more at our Facebook invite, and register at http://goo.gl/pPoat (there are limited spaces, and pre-registration is required). Email priceoflifenyc@gmail.com with questions.

Sources:

[1] http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/19/teens-brothel-escape-triggers-mexico-clampdown/ 
[2] http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—-ed_norm/—-declaration/documents/publication/wcms_182004.pdf 
[3] http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/labour/Forced_labour/HUMAN_TRAFFICKING_-_THE_FACTS_-_final.pdf

How Does Good Go Viral?

Help Wanted!

priceoflifenyc:

The Price of Life Invitational could really use a hand with admin & general office work! We’re also looking for people to form a social media team and contribute to blog posts.

It may not seem glamorous, but a few weekly volunteer hours would really bless us and help the movement gain momentum! Can you help? Spread the word, and learn more by emailing priceoflifenyc@gmail.com.

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (and the human trafficking movement in general) has the best people! We received 4 immediate responses - thanks so much!

Want to get involved but not sure how you fit? Check out our current lists of ways to be involved and fill out this quick form to share your interest. Subscribing to the mailing list is also a great first step!

Announcements!

The Price of Life: NYC has some exciting upcoming events! Save the dates for the following, and look out for posts in the next few days explaining more details.

• Think Tank II: Social [MEDIA] R[EVOL]UTION - How does good go viral?  08.25 |  10 AM - 2:30 PM  |  250 W. 80th St.
  
  
• Just Art II: The line between truth and propaganda - How to make (good) art for good?  When making art for justice’s sake, where does the line between art and propaganda blur? How can artists avoid gimmicky art when representing important issues?  09.13  |  6:30 PM - 9 PM  |  IAM, 38 39th St, 3rd floor.
  
  
• Just Art Poster Challenge: We’re calling visual artists to design a flyer exploring the concepts art, message, truth and propaganda for Just Art II (above). We’ll feature the winning design and award several prizes. Submit entries to priceoflifenyc@gmail.com by Friday, August 24 at 9 AM. More info here.

Help Wanted!

The Price of Life Invitational could really use a hand with admin & general office work! We’re also looking for people to form a social media team and contribute to blog posts.

It may not seem glamorous, but a few weekly volunteer hours would really bless us and help the movement gain momentum! Can you help? Spread the word, and learn more by emailing priceoflifenyc@gmail.com.

Leaders in Action - the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition

The classy, polished office on the 40th floor of the Met Life building was already filled with intense discussion when I arrived alongside the Price of Life team. Dorchen Leidholt, of Sanctuary for Families New York (SFFNY), led an earnest group (all women except for myself and two others), as they reviewed a recent protest and press release, as well as plans for the next term’s lobbying efforts. I recognized several faces, including Norma Ramos of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), and Kathleen Slocum, co-founder of Restore NYC and staff attorney for SFFNY.

Sitting in an office with 20 representatives from different groups that compiled the New York Anti-Trafficking Coalition (NYATC), some of my friends back home might note the drastic change from my typical environment. Two weeks earlier I’d been sitting in a crowded San Antonio apartment as my closest friends gathered to see me off for the summer. That gathering- with gym short clad college students eating vanilla cake because fair-trade chocolate is too expensive- is a stark contrast to the white collar room I now found myself in.

My arrival in New York City was six months in the making, as I had learned about the Price of Life internship through New York City Urban Project (NYCUP) right around New Year’s. NYCUP is a hub for several different poverty-fighting projects in the NYC, one of which being the Price of Life internship that is laying the foundation for a Fall 2013 city-wide, campus-centered, faith based campaign focusing on human trafficking. Considering my personal commitment to fight human trafficking in every way possible, this was a unique and valuable opportunity.

Read the rest of the account of the NYSATC meeting by Price of Life: NYC summer intern Eddie Knight, on the Field Notes page of our website.

Restore NYC & Price of Life- A force for freedom

Recently the Price of Life team met with one of New York’s most vital players in the fight against sex trafficking. After a day of planning for events, such as an artist round table discussion happening on July 16th, and executing intricate presentation for potential partners, we gathered for a memorable meeting.

The meeting was with Jimmy Lee, the executive director of Restore NYC, a nonprofit that provides holistic aftercare for foreign-born sex trafficked survivors. Founder Faith Huckel “diligently led the building of Restore from the ground up and created a movement of awareness of the realities of the modern-day slave trade in New York City,” as stated on their website. Needless to say it was an honor to speak with the now head of Restore after learning the incredible programs they are offering to mainly Korean, Chinese, and Latina women.

Read the rest of the account of the meeting with Jimmy Lee, by Price of Life: NYC Summer Intern, Maria Dora Berruti, on the Field Notes page of our website.