Exploring Community-Based Advocacy Work Against Human Trafficking in the U.S.

Research on community organizations suggests there are a variety of factors related to the success of an organization’s mission. This study identifies general facilitators and challenges advocates working against human trafficking experience and the strategies utilized to overcome these barriers. Fifteen individuals who are advocates in the Chicagoland area participated in the study. Qualitative methods using the social ecological theoretical framework show personal, organizational, and system-wide factors impacting advocates. Individual support systems and advocates’ collaborations with other organizations are encouraging factors in their work. Furthermore, advocates feel motivated by trafficked persons’ stories and by the capacity to raise awareness through social media. Challenges advocates face include a lack of time and money, a lack of communication among organizations, and negative cultural attitudes related to trafficking. Results focus on the specific experiences of anti-trafficking advocates and convey strategies to provide quality services to survivors and effectively raise awareness in the general public.&nbsp

Exploring Community-Based Advocacy Work Against Human Trafficking in the U.S.

Research on community organizations suggests there are a variety of factors related to the success of an organization’s mission. This study identifies general facilitators and challenges advocates working against human trafficking experience and the strategies utilized to overcome these barriers. Fifteen individuals who are advocates in the Chicagoland area participated in the study. Qualitative methods using the social ecological theoretical framework show personal, organizational, and system-wide factors impacting advocates. Individual support systems and advocates’ collaborations with other organizations are encouraging factors in their work. Furthermore, advocates feel motivated by trafficked persons’ stories and by the capacity to raise awareness through social media. Challenges advocates face include a lack of time and money, a lack of communication among organizations, and negative cultural attitudes related to trafficking. Results focus on the specific experiences of anti-trafficking advocates and convey strategies to provide quality services to survivors and effectively raise awareness in the general public.&nbsp

Empowering Women through Alternative Settings: Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

Sexism is a form of oppression impacting women in multiple spheres of their lives. The current study examines the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival as an alternative setting in which attendees create a unique culture apart from dominant patriarchal systems. An ethnophenomenological approach was used to examine experiences of empowerment and healing among festival attendees. Twenty women were interviewed at the festival and this data was analyzed using content analysis. The women-only, feminist space offered attendees both physical and emotional safety, which yielded healing. Participants defied gender-prescribed roles through work duties, gender non-conforming dress, and festival events/ceremonies. The development of a “festival family” and close relationships within the festival, quiet times of introspection, and designated spaces of healing were empowering. Results from this study add to the understanding of empowering settings and may inform efforts to create safe spaces for other oppressed groups

Empowering Women through Alternative Settings: Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

Sexism is a form of oppression impacting women in multiple spheres of their lives. The current study examines the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival as an alternative setting in which attendees create a unique culture apart from dominant patriarchal systems. An ethnophenomenological approach was used to examine experiences of empowerment and healing among festival attendees. Twenty women were interviewed at the festival and this data was analyzed using content analysis. The women-only, feminist space offered attendees both physical and emotional safety, which yielded healing. Participants defied gender-prescribed roles through work duties, gender non-conforming dress, and festival events/ceremonies. The development of a “festival family” and close relationships within the festival, quiet times of introspection, and designated spaces of healing were empowering. Results from this study add to the understanding of empowering settings and may inform efforts to create safe spaces for other oppressed groups