Mental Health Series Kicks Off

Speaker: John Mayo LMHC, and founder of Success 4 Kids & Families presented at this workshop. The topic was Conversations to Motivate Others, Strategies to Elicit Change. One of the challenges for those of us who volunteer on the Healthcare Committee and who work with struggling kids, teens and domestic abuse and human trafficking victims is gathering the facts as to what is really going on and convincing the victims to trust us, and communicate with us. This takes time and patience and we rarely get the “true” story right out of the shoot. Learning better communication skills is key to our success! Many of our cases are ongoing as there is always more support needed than just providing safe, short term shelter.

WHAT PARENTS, PEERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND EDUCATORS
SHOULD WATCH FOR:

Signs of Adolescent Vulnerabilities

Social and School Withdrawal

+ Drop in School Attendance, Drop in After School Activities
+ Change in Appearance – Expensive Clothes, Accessories or Opposite
+ Excessive Cash, High-end Items
+ Sleep Deprived
+ New Older Friends, Bad Crowd, Secret Friends
+ Unusual Tattoos on neck, breast, i.e., Who’s Your Daddy Now!
+ Disoriented, Confused, Feels Hopeless
+ Change in Hygiene, Unwashed Hair, Hands, Face
+ Malnourished, Hungry
+ Responds Only When Coached – Tells You What They Think You Want to Hear
+ Physical Abusive Signs – Can be Hidden
+Dental Issues. Mouth Sores
+ Anger, Fearful, Anxious, Mood Swings, Refuses to Engage
+ No Eye Contact, Refuses to Respond, Won’t Listen
+ Afraid to go Home, Overly Helpful
+ Infections – STDs, Abortions, Skin Ulcers
+ Fearful for Another Family Member, Pet, Friend, + + + Family History of Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse

Drug Addiction or New Drug Habits

+ Theft, Stealing Money, Items – Home, School, Retail, Work
+ Manipulation, Lies a Lot, Blames Others, Changes the Subject
+ New “Aunt, Uncle, or Cousin” Who Dominates Their Life
+ Unsupervised Use of Social Media, On All the Time
+ Branding and Burns
+ Cries a Lot, Feels Abandoned
+ Lack of Eye Contact, Can’t Keep Still
+ Allows Others to Speak for Them, Language Barriers or Pretending?
+ Lacks ID/Documentation, Cash
+ Not Allowed to Socialize, Confined
+ Easily Intimidated
+ Burst of Violence, Bullying – Receiving and Giving
+ Depressed, Lack of Motivation, Giving Up
+ More Than One Cell Phone
+ Taking Part in Bad and Risky Behaviors
+ Participating in Illegal Activities and Encouraging Others to Join In
+ Loss or Lack of Appropriate Social and Physical Boundaries with Peers
+ Homeless, Foster Teen

If you suspect human trafficking or domestic violence issues, which is often at the root, contact your local law enforcement, school social worker, the National Hotline (888-373-7888) CAHT (813-938-5660), Florida Abuse Hotline 9800-96-ABUSE), text HELP to Be Free (233733) or Hillsborough County Hotline Crisis Center pf Tampa Bay– 211 or 844-MYFLHLP (693-5457).

Human Trafficking – What Every Parent Should Know.

Sponsored by Tampa Area PTA and School Board Human Trafficking Task Force.
The Program was Thursday, Jan 7th 2021. It is good information

Mentoring Inspires

Hi, This is Yuritzel Luviano. She graduated in June from Manatee Technical College in Lakewood Ranch with Her Certification as a Dental Technician and a Certificate to do Dental X-rays.

Medine Marvals was our summer intern from Gannon University who created posters and instruction materials for each school level – the elementary, middle school and high school levels. 

Campaign Against Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence, known as CAHT, has a volunteer mentoring program headed by CAHT board member, Deborah Petrocelli.

June 16, 2020

The program partners with other organizations in the area, such as schools, churches, food pantries and youth organizations offering tutoring, life- skill coaching, counseling and plain old “we care about you” messages and services.  Some of our mentor volunteers have developed close relationships with their students, helping them as they advance through the school systems, career planning, and supporting their families’ struggles with the financial changes caused by the COVID19 epidemic.  Bonnie Doll, CAHT volunteer and board member, and Lennard High School graduate Larissa Saldano, are one of the successful mentoring teams. They have developed a rewarding relationship where Larissa knows she can reach out to Bonnie at any time, even enjoying a lunch out. “Larissa is also one of this year’s CAHT scholarship winners, which will help her continue her dream of becoming a nurse,” states Bonnie Doll.  This year CAHT awarded 7 scholarships to aspiring graduates.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please contact Debbie Petrocelli at 813-922-4580.  CAHT is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Sun City Center. Our mission is to prevent the spread of human trafficking and domestic violence in the south shore area through funding, prevention/education programs for all ages, mentoring, and a safe shelter program that removes individuals or families out of harm’s way.  For more information contact President Robbie Chaplin at 319-360-7025 or robertainscc@gmail.com

Hey, Hey, I’m Cool!

Stop that bully—boy or girl
Tell a teacher, be a friend.
Help each other, make bullying end!

CAHT’s puppeteers are making it happen! The kids just love this rap/dance song! Created by Jan Gurley, it’s a blast to see how the kids get involved while learning about bullying and how to stop it.
Bullying is one of the top 3 causes of tween and teen suicides and often starts when kids are in elementary school. The Elementary Ed Committee, chaired by Kathy Eckhart, has created 3 scripts that teach kids how to recognize and stop bullying.

 

BULLYING IS ALSO A PUSH BUTTON THAT LEADS TO UNHAPPY CHILDREN RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME AND INTO THE CLUTCHES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKERS AND PEDOPHILES.

Participating in this show for the Hope Fund Afterschool program are Kathy Eckhart, Debbie Petrocelli, Betty Mitchell, Jan Gurley, Annie Garrison and Judy Kiel.

 

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New Puppet Show
CAHT has launched a new  puppet show for elementary school students on bullying and respecting each other.  The puppeteers are  volunteers,  many retired educators, who enjoy helping students understand the basic of bullying and how to handle a bullying situation. Studies from the National Center for Sexual Exploitation of Children shows that school and home bullying are two of the main causes of kids becoming volunteer to human trafficking and domestic abuse issues. Bullying impacts their self-worth, school performance, and can lead them to search for other forms of attention like inappropriate apps on  social media and befriending risky older friends. “Cyber-bullying, sexting, viewing pornography, and vamping (glued to the social media all night) can become part of their daily life, says CAHT president, Annie Garrison, so teaching young students how to recognize and handle bullies is critical to their well-being.”. ” CAHT is all about education prevention.”

Roberta Chaplin, President,
CAHT 319-360-7025
wwwsccblueheart.org

CAHT participated in Hillsborough Public Schools LGBTQ Youth Summit in May, sponsored by Hillsborough Public Schools and other area nonprofits.  We were invited to speak about the relationship between human traffickers targeting this vulnerable group.  About 300 students attended.  Robbie Chaplin and Debbie Petrocelli and Annie Garrison manned a both plus giving a presentation.  

 

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Awesome board and important committee chairs:

Great energy and well-informed presentations were presented.  It was a joy for me to listen to all of you!  See your perspective, your personal stories and thoughts of the value of CAHT – truly inspiring.  And I know the audience thought so also.

Jimbo – loved your magic!!!  You are simply a joy and I am so glad you shared with all of us.

Watching you all today, reinforced why I stay involved with CAHT – it is not only what we do to improve our community and stop the spread of suffering but it is the wonderful opportunity of working with such a great group of folks – YOU!!

 

 

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Prevention/Education Symposium for Gannon University

 

Last Friday, CAHT hosted a prevention/education symposium with Gannon University on Human Trafficking 101 and related social issues. The event was held at United Methodist Church. Over 85 students, faculty and our supporting volunteers attended. Ann Garrison kicked off the event with a human trafficking overview, followed by presentations from Selah Freedom, PACE Center for Girls, Gulfcoast Legal Services, and a high school teacher – sharing their different roles in combating human trafficking. Applause to our Secondary Education Chair, Elaine Palach,and other board members and volunteers who pitched in to make this a big success!!! Photo;  Micheal Esau, PACE Center for Girls Outreach Coordinator.  Photo:  general student crowd, Photo:  Elaine Palach welcoming everyone..  Approximately 100 students, faculty and guests attended.  CAHT hosted the symposium.

 

 

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HUMAN TRAFFICKING PRESENTATION

Board Members Debbie Petrocelli and Bonnie Doll gave a human trafficking presentation to the Ruskin Women’s Club in March.   Ruskin Women’s Club President Cheryl Delilong is in both photos.

Nine Apps Parents Should Know About

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office warns about Nine apps that could leave your children vulnerable to predators! Visit the WFLA Channel 8 website for more information: WFLA Channel 8 – NINE APPS

 

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USF Panel, End Human Trafficking January 2018

 

A true collaboration involving human trafficking nonprofit leaders, USF students, law enforcement, the legal community, and USF professors from the College of Public Health shared their experiences and ideas at USF’s first End Human Trafficking: A Community Approach Conference held on January 26, 2018. Professor Elizabeth Dunn, Department of Global Health was the chief organizer with the Students Against Trafficking team. Three CAHT board members attended – President Annie Garrison, Education/Prevention Chair, Ann Fenimore, and Victim Services Chair, Joan Kramer.

A panel of distinguished speakers kicked off the discussion, moderated by Joanna Gutierrez Winters, President/CEO of the FREE Network. The four other panelists were Bryanna Fox, Ph.D., Departments of Criminology and Mental Health, Connie Rose, M.S., President/Founder of Victims2Survivors, Inc., Laura Hamilton, MPH, Founder/President of Bridging Freedom, and Sasha Lohn, JD, General Counsel and legal advisor, St. Petersburg Police Department. Each panelist gave their views on their roles as key players in combating human trafficking in the area.

Approximately 70 students and nonprofit leaders participated in round table discussions, sharing concerns and ideas in five major areas: improving human trafficking policies and legislation, data collection and research, community outreach and education, innovative strategies for ending human trafficking, and developing partnerships in the Tampa Bay area.

“I found the whole experience extremely rewarding. The human trafficking community coming together to address these important issues was a winning success as it gives us a stronger voice in our efforts to fight HT and heal the survivors. Student involvement is key to effective collaboration and this conference reaffirmed the need for their participation” states Annie Garrison, Campaign Against Human Trafficking – Southshore, Inc.

We wanted to share with you a video that was put together by the wonderful videographer from the College of Public Health along with a link to the article about the Human Trafficking workshop hosted at USF.

 

• Ending Human Trafficking: Ending Community Collaboration in Tampa Bay https://youtu.be/18I8J4tQ2GQ. Video by Zachary Murray.
• Story on the “End Human Trafficking: A Community Approach” workshop posted to the USF Health and USF News site: https://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/blog/2018/01/30/usf-joins-community-partners-strengthen-anti-human-trafficking-efforts/.  Written by Anne Delotto Baier.

Photos of USF students involved in a round table discussion – 1/26/18