BridgeNorth Women's Mentorship & Advocacy Services

Published purpose

This 47-month project with BridgeNorth Women's Mentorship & Advocacy Services will develop and implement specialized, trauma-informed services, as well as prevention training for teachers, parents and high risk students, to advance knowledge and enhance empowerment supports for child and youth victims and survivors of human trafficking in York Region. This will be achieved by supporting the implementation of the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) protocol for disclosed and suspected cases of human trafficking; the development and rolling out of inclusive, gender sensitive messaging on human trafficking; the implementation of an exploitation prevention curriculum for at risk youth in the Township of Georgina; and the assessment, as well as the provision of referrals, direct services and peer mentorship for children and youth identified as high risk or suspected victims of human trafficking in the Township of Georgina. At the end of the project, key messages on the prevention and identification of human trafficking in York Region will be available to all YRDSB educators, parents and students; 80% of high risk students enrolled in the exploitation prevention curriculum will have completed the program, and 100% of child and youth trafficking victims and survivors will be referred to the direct services needed. The project will include an external evaluation that will look at the success and scalability of the promising practices. The supplemental funds will expand activities in the York region, delivering prevention programming and direct services to victims and survivors of human trafficking.