Week 1:
Institute for Exploited, Trafficked and Missing Persons

June 5, 2013

First weeks are always a whirlwind, and mine was no different.  I arrived in Minneapolis and started work the next day at 8:30am.  Our offices have just been moved and everyone seems very excited about the new space.  My office has a large window with a small yellow bird who likes to keep me company most days.  I was sat down and was inundated with information about the two non-profits that I will spend my summer working for.  The first is called Nuestros Ahijados and it is an international aid group focused on “breaking the chains of poverty through education and formation”, this means that we are currently running programs in 5 different countries that see to the basic needs of the most severely impoverished. Some of the programs include intensive care for infants suffering from malnutrition, a free clinic, numerous schools for children of all ages, and even a homeless shelter, all located in the slums of Antigua Guatemala.

The second Non-profit is called ITEMP or The Institute for Trafficked, Exploited and Missing Persons. The Institute is focused on raising awareness of and putting a stop to human trafficking.  Surprisingly, Minneapolis ranks #8 for most incidents of human trafficking, as the Midwest is a pipeline for traffickers and the border with Canada serves as an easy entry point.  I spend many hours listening to talks given in both Spanish and English about the two programs and have read a lot of materials as well. There are some shocking statistics out there about modern slavery.  There are an estimated 27 to 30 million people enslaved right now. Not only that but the majority of those people are women and children.  The average age at which a child is sold into slavery is 12. Human trafficking is the 2nd largest elicit trade in the world, only eclipsed by illegal drugs.  It is also the most profitable illicit trade as humans  can be sold over and over again and drugs can only be sold once. The more I learn, the more passionate I become about spreading awareness for this horrific injustice. The man who started both Non-Profits is named Patrick Atkinson and he is my boss here in Minneapolis.

They give everyone who comes to work at the Project or the Institute a book that was written about Patrick’s life called The Dream Maker. I quickly read the book in my first week high, and was amazed by all the things that Patrick has done in his life.  Let me tell you though, it is really strange to read a book about someone and then have that someone burst into your office days later unannounced bellowing about how the whole office is going to lunch and everyone should get ready to go! Patrick has a lot of energy and is constantly moving around.  He turned out to not be very intimidating but it was still pretty strange to meet someone that I had already heard and read so much about.

The office is fun and easy going but everyone always stays busy, including me! I have done so much already.  My main responsibilities while here have to do with getting our name out there and raising awareness about the human rights issues that so many victims are struggling with.  To this end I am in charge of planning events for the summer, fundraisers, church gatherings, and speaking commitments. I have also been tasked with streamlining and breathing new life into, a program called DMAC.  It stands for Dream Maker Action Committee and it is the way that The Project wants to reach out to volunteers across the nation.  I am currently working on a packet of materials that would be sent out across the U.S. and would act as a guide for people who want to be advocates for the millions of victims around the world.

I have also been working with grants, finding the ones that apply to the work that we are doing and then writing letters of Inquiry to send to huge Foundations and Donors.  Mike (my supervisor) has also been showing me how to use the plethora of software and sites that Non-profits use these days to stay organized and raise funds.  There are some pretty cool tools out there for those trying to raise funds.  I have also been doing a lot of writing for the website and to donors. My spare time (haha) at the office is used to research the latest statistics on Human Trafficking as well as the prices of the supplies that the schools in Guatemala and El Salvador need.  It is great to be using my Spanish and to be working at a mission that I so firmly believe in.

The Institute has a holistic approach to fighting modern slavery. Not only is there a focus on rehabilitation of victims and prosecution of perpetrators but there is also an expansive effort to improve lives in the places where so many fall victim to predators. By providing shelter, food, education, and medical treatment to the poor we are preventing them from entering into the desperate situations and mind frames that cause people to be taken captive and exploited. I really admire the fact that we are looking at fixing the disease that is poverty and not simply treating the symptoms. This is not an easy task and there are constantly complications, communication is a constant struggle with so many languages, time zones and agendas it is hard to coordinate. There is so much more to say but I will save it for another time.