Give the Gift of Hope this Christmas

Category "Prevention"

Empowering Children: Your Contribution Brings ZOE Australia’s Innovative ‘Treehouse Game’ to Life

September 29, 2023

One of ZOE’s primary strategic focus lies in the prevention of human trafficking. The organization is committed to community education, involving the identification of at-risk children, empowering advocates to safeguard their communities, and collaborating to formulate sustainable solutions to eradicate child trafficking.

This year, the dedicated team at ZOE Australia crafted an engaging and interactive prevention tool called

the Treehouse game that educators, social workers, and other professionals dedicated to supporting vulnerable children across Australia can use to teach children how to protect themselves from harm.

Unlike competitive games, the purpose of this game is to facilitate the development of strategies that may aid children in identifying safe individuals and environments, ultimately safeguarding them from harm. Participants are challenged to reach their designated safe haven while also identifying three reliable individuals along the journey.

In safeguarding children who have endured neglect or abuse, we firmly believe that additional strategies are essential to pinpointing trustworthy individuals and secure environments in their lives. As responsible adults, it is our duty to ensure children are shielded from harm and abuse. Equally important is equipping them with the knowledge and skills to recognize, respond to, and report unsafe situations and behavior. It is vital to understand that neglect, abuse, and exploitation are never a child’s fault.

At present, our team is in the initial stages of piloting this innovative prevention tool. The game, along with its accompanying activities and lessons, are currently undergoing thorough trials.

Parents and Caregivers Learn from Human Trafficking Experts About the Tactics Exploiters Use to Lure Children

May 2, 2023

View the informative event here.

In April, ZOE held its first Protecting Kids Online (Navigating Digital Dangers) Educational event at Crossroads Community Church in Valencia, CA. This event was free for parents and caregivers working with children/youth. 

A group of human trafficking experts from the Los Angeles Police Department, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), Los Angeles School Police Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and ZOE International shared current trends that they see in their perspective field of work and how to protect kids from cyberbullying, sextortion, and exploitation. 

One parent shared, “It was great to hear such high-caliber people in their field speak about online safety. I have to say I was terrified, encouraged, and infuriated. There was so much important information given, and I learned so much. I hope to see ZOE lead many more events like this in the future. Thank you for what you do to serve children and our community.”

ZOE works to prevent children from being trafficked by offering educational awareness programs to the communities where we operate. If you weren’t able to attend this informative event, you can view the resources by clicking the link below.

View the event resources here.

View the article printed in The Santa Clarita Valley Signal Newspaper.

Youth in Vulnerable Communities Learn How to Protect Themselves from Human Trafficking

May 2, 2023

Awareness and education are critical to preventing human trafficking in the countries ZOE works in. That’s why our ZOE Australia team recently partnered with our Thailand teams to educate groups of students at schools within vulnerable communities about human trafficking. Both ZOE teams were able to join forces and put on fast-paced and engaging preventative workshops for students in northern Thailand.

ZOE Co-Founder and CEO Mike Hart shared, “We want to inspire and equip groups of people to end human trafficking together with us by giving them resources to do so. We do this by training community members across the globe to identify human trafficking and empower them to help end it.”

How does ZOE prevent human trafficking and exploitation? ZOE educates every sector of society and identifies and trains vulnerable children and communities about this issue. ZOE also equips local community advocates to provide protection and develops long-term solutions prayerfully.

During these interactive workshops, the ZOE team educated youth about what human trafficking looks like, how to stay safe online, and how to be aware of and respect physical boundaries. 

“The Thailand team did this impactful drama depicting the issue of human trafficking. It was so moving and effective – it stuck with me. I’m grateful to know that through this drama, and various workshops and activities with the students, they are equipped with knowledge about the issue of human trafficking and can feel empowered to reach out to safe people, be alert, and look out for their friends.” -Mareshah, ZOE Australia.