In September, The Center for Justice and Reconciliation (CJR) at Point Loma Nazarene University was named one of 18 winners for Phase 1 of a national competition put on by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, via the Office on Women’s Health.
The Center for Justice and Reconciliation was recognized in the HHS Innovation Challenge to Prevent Human Trafficking Among Women and Girls for its kNOwMORE Prevention Program.
Along with the honors comes a $50,000 award – a portion of the nearly $2 million distributed by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of the competition.
According to the Center’s director of operations, Jon Krapivkin, the additional funding is crucial for the continued work of the CJR.
“As a program that relies on fundraising and contracts, this award means so much and has supported our ability to bring this important information to local schools at no cost to them,” Krapivkin said.
The kNOwMore Prevention Program is a drama-based, student-centered human trafficking awareness and prevention curriculum for middle school and high school students across San Diego County.
“Through an innovative, interactive approach, kNOwMORE educates students on the red flags and warning signs of human trafficking and teaches them how to be an upstander to keep themselves and their peers safe from grooming and exploitation,” Krapivkin said. “In partnership with local survivor leaders and experts in human trafficking, kNOwMORE was written by a creative director whose main focus was to ensure the voices of survivors would be heard authentically.”
The drama was developed in conjunction with San Diego Youth Services, Child Welfare Services, and the San Diego Board of Education and focuses on the fictional story of Amanda, a 15-year-old high school student from San Diego. The audience observes the red flags and vulnerabilities of someone who is being groomed for human trafficking and later exploited.
“The CJR wanted to provide a common and relatable story of a student who is lured into human trafficking through means other than force,” Krapivkin said. “The content provides students with actionable ways to prevent human trafficking within their communities and schools. The drama engages students by allowing them to practice being an upstander or concerned friend, and it shows them that they can raise awareness by asking caring and curious questions.”
Since its inception in 2015, according to Krapivkin, more than 15,000 students, parents, and administrators have benefited from kNowMore.
“The curriculum has been performed in 30 schools and six school districts in San Diego, focusing on students who are at greatest risk of being targeted for trafficking – girls, students of color, those living in poverty, etc. – Krapivkin said.
Krapivkin pointed to a 2016 study – Nature and Extent of Gang Involvement in Sex Trafficking in San Diego County – conducted by Ami Carpenter and Jamie Gates from the National Institute of Justice as being foundational to kNOwMORE.
“Their research produced groundbreaking data on the prevalence of human trafficking throughout San Diego and illuminated the risk factors for grooming and exploitation among teens,” Krapivkin said. “Specifically, they uncovered an alarming statistic: recruitment starts as young as 8 to 10 years old, and the average age of recruitment is sixteen.”
“This study also demonstrated that across all participating schools (20), human trafficking recruitment was occurring at their sites,” Krapivkin added. “Those identified as higher risk for grooming were youth facing homelessness, living in low-income neighborhoods, or navigating foster care. While boys can be victims of trafficking and are often overlooked, the primary targets for grooming and exploitation are middle school and early high school aged girls, particularly girls of color.”
In addition to the kNOwMORE Prevention Program, the Center for Justice and Reconciliation also runs the Beauty for Ashes Scholarship, which supports survivors of human trafficking to achieve a college education at Point Loma Nazarene University and HT-RADAR, distributing research to support multi-disciplinary professionals in the anti-trafficking field.
The Center also has PLNU Student Initiatives, to educate the student body in the work of justice and anti-trafficking.
“The Center for Justice and Reconciliation leads both the university and the wider San Diego community to proactively face the injustices in our world – specifically human trafficking, racial and immigrant oppression, and unethical consumption,” Krapivkin said.
