An ounce of prevention....
Chains Interrupted is increasing efforts in prevention through strengthening our School, High-Risk Youth, and Survivor Guidance  Programs, as well as enhancing partnerships with community youth mentorship programs.

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o Prevention of complex trauma, including a human trafficking experience, is uncontested as the most effective place we can put our efforts. Once this trauma occurs, restoration is extremely difficult. Traffickers often target youth, with the vast majority of people entering into a trafficking situation before the age of 18.

o Prevention Education: For years we have been presenting Prevention Education to high-risk kiddos in places like Foundation 2, Linn County Juvenile Detention Center, and the Mental Health Institute in Independence, as well as in public schools. We have seen such an increase in human trafficking in children along with a decrease in resources, that we couldn’t help but respond. Chains Interrupted is now focusing on helping children and youth through our BRYX Program (Building Resilience in Youth against eXploitation). In Phase I, we are increasing efforts in prevention through expanding our School, High-Risk Youth and Survivor Guidance Programs, as well as building partnerships with community youth mentorship programs.

o Survivor Guidance Program: We often get calls from frantic parents/guardians, grandparents, and other relatives stating they know a child is being groomed and they don’t know what to do. Many times, the child is being groomed through a fake romantic relationship and make plans to run away from home to go be with, whom they believe to be, a romantic partner. In our Survivor Guidance Program, we partner with survivors with lived experience to help these children see the patterns of grooming and exploitation. So far, 100% of children who have met with a survivor in this program remained out of a trafficking situation.

o Community Mentorship Programs: The importance of a child having at least one person they can count on to support them cannot be overstated. Studies have shown that mentors can play a strong role in preventing children from being exploited in a trafficking situation. Chains Interrupted partners with community youth mentorship programs (Youth for Christ, for example) to provide this for kiddos that need this type of support in their lives.