272 – The Cool Aunt, with Rachel Thomas

This episode is brought to you by Vanguard University and the Global Center for Women and Justice, who offer an incredible anti-human trafficking certificate. Whether you're a frontline responder, a social worker, in the ministry, a healthcare provider, or simply a community member who wants to help, this program is built for you. Head over to gcwj.org/ahtc to take the next step and apply today. ---Dr. Sandie Morgan and Rachel Thomas discuss a new curriculum developed as a resource for parents, social work agencies, after school programs, and more. The Cool Aunt Series is an online prevention course developed for youth that will guide them through understanding human trafficking and provide resources and support throughout and after the curriculum. Rachel Thomas A graduate of UCLA with a Masters in Education and a personal survivor of human trafficking, Rachel has extensive experience teaching, training, curriculum writing, public speaking and mentoring. As the founder of Sowers Education Group and the lead author of Ending The Game and The Cool Aunt, she has educated and inspired a wide range of audiences including teens, social service providers, churches, teachers, college students, and law enforcement. Sowers’ intervention curriculum Ending The Game is being used by over 1,000 facilitators in 36 states and helps survivors break the bonds of attachment to traffickers and the lifestyle of commercial sexual exploitation. Since 2012, Rachel and the Sowers Team have reached over 150,000 live audience members and millions more through numerous media outlets including New Day Morning Show on CNN, Inside with Chris Cuomo: Anyone’s Daughter on HLN, The T.D. Jakes Show, The New York Times Upfront Magazine and ABC’s Newsmakers. Rachel was not only honored by Congressman Ed Royce of California’s 39th district and Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe for her leadership and trafficking prevention efforts, but was also nominated and appointed to the White House Advisory Council on Human Trafficking for 2020-2022 term. Key Points They are moving beyond awareness and focusing on education so youth fully understand what human trafficking is, who it happens, who perpetrates it, why it happens, and the resources available. The Cool Aunt series is developed to be a resource for parents, after-school programs, social service agencies, etc. that can be done online. S.T.R.E.A.M.S. of Influence S – Survival T – Trafficker R – Recruiter E – Environment A – Abuse M – Media S – Solicitation Resources EP. 196 – Rachel Thomas: Ending the Game Sowers Education Group Ending The Game The Cool Aunt Series Ensure Justice Conference Love the show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! Become a Patron Transcript Dave [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 272, The Cool Aunt, with Rachel Thomas. Production Credits [00:00:09] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential. Dave [00:00:28] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak. Sandie [00:00:33] And my name is Sandie Morgan. Dave [00:00:36] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie and I are so glad to have Rachel Thomas back on the show today. If you didn’t listen to our prior conversation with her, I’m so glad to introduce Rachel to you. She is a graduate of UCLA with a master’s in education and a personal survivor of human trafficking. Rachel has extensive experience teaching, training, curriculum writing, public speaking, and mentoring. As the founder of Sowers Education Group and the lead author of Ending The Game and The Cool Aunt. She has educated and inspired a wide range of audiences, including teens, social service providers, churches, teachers, college students, and law enforcement. Her intervention curriculum, Ending The Game, is being used by over a thousand facilitators in 36 states and helps survivors break the bonds of attachment to traffickers and the lifestyle of commercial sexual exploitation. Since 2012, Rachel and the Sowers team have reached over 150,000 live audience members and millions more through numerous media outlets. She was also nominated and appointed to the White House Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. Rachel, we’re so glad to have you back on the show. Rachel [00:01:55] I am so blessed and honored to be here. Thank you for having me, Dave and Dr. Sandie.