kNOw MORE! is a drama-based and student-centered human trafficking awareness and prevention curriculum, for middle school- and high school-aged youth in San Diego County.
It is a comprehensive and engaging program based on the latest sex trafficking research in San Diego and developed in collaboration with experts from various sectors. The curriculum was designed to help young people recognize the red flags and vulnerabilities around trafficking and equip them to take action for themselves and their peers. The ultimate result would be the prevention and eradication of this injustice in San Diego County and beyond.
Why Middle and High School?
Recent research confirmed that the average age of entry for the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is 16 years old, and can range from 12 – 21 years of age in San Diego County. This underscores the urgent need for educational interventions in middle and high schools to help prevent the proliferation of trafficking at its beginning stages.
Curriculum Methodology
The curriculum was developed based on the pedagogical understanding that students will best respond to and retain learning experiences gained through:
- Creative Mediums
- Real Stories
- Interaction
The curriculum is primarily co-facilitated by a survivor facilitator and a teaching artist who move the participants through drama, interaction with peer facilitators, dialogue, and informative visuals. This program creatively empwers the students to recognize human trafficking in their current context, and to respond when they or their peers may be targeted for trafficking.
Facilitation and Delivery
The curriculum is designed to take place directly in school facilities or community centers, in a large classroom or small auditorium space that has projection capabilities. Program times are flexible to accommodate the needs of schools and communities and can range from 90 minutes to 3 hours and can take place in one day or over the course of multiple days.
Curriculum Development Team
The human trafficking curriculum was initiated by San Diego Unified School District, PLNU's Center for Justice & Reconciliation, and the San Diego County Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). The curriculum advisory and development team consists of researchers; survivor leaders; health professionals; and experts from Child Welfare Services, law enforcement agencies, education, victim services, and the applied performing arts.
If you are interested in bringing kNOw MORE! to your school or organization, please contact:
Melissa Baldwin
Artistic Director
mbaldwin@pointloma.edu
kNOw MORE! is funded by donations and grants. Community partners that are supporting the program are making it possible for us to reach the youth of our community. For more information about how to sponsor kNOw MORE!, please contact Melissa Baldwin at mbaldwin@pointloma.edu or call the CJR at (619) 849-2771.
Our 2022-2023 Program Sponsor
We want to give a huge thank you to Apriem Advisors, our core sponsor for the kNOw MORE© program for this academic year. For the second year in a row, Apriem Advisors has partnered with us to expand our programs and reach more youth and survivors in our region. We are grateful for their generosity that is making it possible for us to continue interrupting grooming and exploitation in our local schools!