Step into a candid conversation with me and my esteemed guest, Erin Albright, as we pull back the curtain on the pervasive misconceptions surrounding human trafficking. Erin, a seasoned expert with over a decade of experience, helps us break down the sensationalism that often obscures the nuanced reality of this global crisis. Together, we take a critical look at how the drive for attention has often led to inaccuracies in public understanding of this grave matter.
Join us as we traverse the intricate landscapes of history, systemic factors, and the need for change in the anti-trafficking movement. With Erin's deep insights, we shine a light on the often-overlooked history of this movement and the systemic issues that perpetuate the 'perfect victim' narrative. This episode takes you through the complexities of collaboration and emphasizes the need for a well-rounded, informed approach to decision-making and advocacy.
Dive headfirst into our discussion as we stress the essence of learning before doing. We explore the importance of fully comprehending the nuances of human trafficking and the value of being surrounded by knowledgeable people.
Step into a candid conversation with me and my esteemed guest, Erin Albright, as we pull back the curtain on the pervasive misconceptions surrounding human trafficking. Erin, a seasoned expert with over a decade of experience, helps us break down the sensationalism that often obscures the nuanced reality of this global crisis. Together, we take a critical look at how the drive for attention has often led to inaccuracies in public understanding of this grave matter.
Join us as we traverse the intricate landscapes of history, systemic factors, and the need for change in the anti-trafficking movement. With Erin's deep insights, we shine a light on the often-overlooked history of this movement and the systemic issues that perpetuate the 'perfect victim' narrative. This episode takes you through the complexities of collaboration and emphasizes the need for a well-rounded, informed approach to decision-making and advocacy.
Dive headfirst into our discussion as we stress the essence of learning before doing. We explore the importance of fully comprehending the nuances of human trafficking and the value of being surrounded by knowledgeable people.
You know the why human trafficking work is needed To fight for the freedom of modern day slaves. But love, passion, commitment isn't all you need to be an effective and successful anti-trafficking advocate. Learn the how. I'm Dr Celia Williamson, director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute at the University of Toledo. Welcome to the Emancipation Nation podcast, where I'll provide you with the latest and best methods, policy and practice discussed by experienced experts in the field, so that you can cut through the noise, save time and be about the work of saving lives. Welcome to the Emancipation Nation. I'm Dr Celia Williamson, and this is episode 194. And today I have a special guest, erin Albright.
Speaker 1:So Erin has over 13 years in the anti-trafficking field. She's worked with law enforcement and victim services and multidisciplinary coalitions and task force and policy work. She's also developed new initiatives and she's helped coalitions and commissions and task force build their capacity and their ability to sustain themselves. She does training and curriculum development. She's skilled in leadership and partnership development. She analyzes policies, does grant writing, training, coaching and she has been the regional director for Give Way to Freedom. She's been the director of the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force and she also currently is co-director of Project Roadmap, and she also freelances because she's a subject matter expert and consultant, as you can tell. So welcome Erin. I'm so happy you were able to be here today with us.
Speaker 2:Good morning, I'm excited to be here. I think I have definitely been a fan of this podcast in the past, so I'm looking forward to talking to you.
Speaker 1:Awesome and one of the many things you talk about. Of course, you could talk in depth across subjects, but today I really want to talk about messaging and misinformation, because a lot of the listeners are still in awareness sort of building capacity and some are a little confused on what they see on the internet or in the movies or, you know, on YouTube and what's real. So you have a vast number of years of experience. So can we talk a little bit about human trafficking, messaging and maybe some information that might be out there?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I have to say from my perspective, I think that messaging and misinformation is quite possibly the number one problem that the field faces at this moment. I think you'll hear a lot of different opinions on that, whether it's training or inability to identify survivors, but I think they're at the root of a lot of those other problems. There's a messaging and misinformation issue, so it is something that I talk about a lot and it's become one of my most popular trainings. At this point, when people reach out to me what is happening?
Speaker 1:I mean there's Hollywood movie coming out that came out actually and grossed several million dollars about trafficking. There's internet. I mean I get messages all the time about people being snatched, or they think this white van is riding around snatching people or we need to just go and deep prayer about it, or we need to go after those multimillionaires who have underground trafficking rings. So can you sort that out for us? What's happening?
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I think I should start with that for a long time. We are now in what our third decade of the anti-trafficking movement, more or less, if you clock it from the time that the TVPA was signed, and I think in the early years we were running off of just basic experience, anecdotal evidence and all of that. But two and a half arguably three decades into it, we have a lot more information now that can help us correct some of those past things. So, with the fact of the Hollywood stuff and all that, I think there's this concept that in order to create awareness, you need the attention grabber, you need that sizzle or whatever people want to call it. And I was at a restorative justice conference a couple of years ago and I was sitting in on a session about the domestic violence field and one of the speakers said something that I thought was really powerful and really applies to trafficking as well, and what she said is that in the early days of the domestic violence movement they traded nuance for attention.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I think that that is something that is a mistake that we have repeated in the anti-trafficking world, we absolutely traded nuance for attention and I think now we're hitting the point where sort of a corrective action point of we're having to step backwards because all of that sensationalism designed to draw attention certainly did, but didn't draw the right kind of attention.
Speaker 1:I see, I think I tend to agree with that and may have participated in that in the early days. I wanted people to become aware, grab that attention so that we can protect vulnerable people, and I think I've been guilty of that as well. And now it's coming home the chickens coming home to roost, as they say and we need to start talking about the realities of trafficking. And, like you said, we know a lot more today and so I think it has been difficult to correct ourselves and understand the intersectionalities and those types of things. So in what ways have we been misguided and what ways can we sort of correct?
Speaker 2:That's a good question.
Speaker 2:I think it's important to recognize the system and sort of the historical system that we're working in definitely incentivize sensationalism, and that's where we hit this point where I think we're at a transition point in the trafficking field where we've really built the movement off of individual responses, individual perspectives save that one victim, which is absolutely important but we're not a point where we're recognizing all the systemic things that feed into that.
Speaker 2:We're at a point where we really need to be focusing on systems, and this isn't easy, but it is really about coming together and pushing back on some of those traditional pressures, whether it be the really big stats are going to get you somewhere. Well, they don't get you very far if they're not true. Or someone said me the other day, the wrong map gets you to the wrong place. So if you share statistics that don't really have a sound methodology, certainly create awareness, but awareness about what is the question, not the problem we're trying to fix. So that is a problem, and so what can we? I think that's one of the things that we can do is that A we can recognize that we need to be pushing back against the system.
Speaker 1:Exactly. And you know, I often say, like people say I'm walking, I'm walking alongside, because that's the buzzword and I always like to say, but where are you going? Yeah, where are you going. And the other thing is, when you say systems, you know there's been a lot of system imposed, trauma, and we, I often say, have given ourselves a great big old pass. Like we say, oh, we're going to become trauma informed, like this is our new buzzword, we're going to all be trauma informed how nice of a word. Why are we becoming trauma informed? Because what we've done in the past is traumatized people. But we but we don't say that we just talk about the good we're now going to go forward and do while we stigmatize, continue to stigmatize people, or we're looking for that victim who is the perfect, like stereotyped caricature victim. And this victim has approached us in a way that is pleasing to us. I like to say kiss, maybe the right side of our butt cheek and on the right day at the right time, and so we are willing to help and suspend judgment. So I mean, do you find in your experience that that's been the case?
Speaker 1:I wanna break into this podcast and ask you an important question why did you become so passionate about the issue of human trafficking? Because you know how precious freedom really is and you know that if you could offer that to someone else, it would make your life that much richer, as well as theirs. Whatever you've accomplished thus far in life, nothing is more satisfying than being able to help someone receive the gift of freedom. If you're interested in taking the deep dive and becoming trained, write this down. It's my effective case management with human trafficking survivors course.
Speaker 1:You know many direct service providers are passionate about working with survivors. They understand their why in doing this work, but many don't understand their what to do or how to do it, or when to do it and where and how much to do what. And unfortunately, we don't give permission for someone to be honest and say they don't have the knowledge and skills to effectively work with the population of survivors that have suffered trauma. Well, I have a course on how to work directly with survivors, including the 10 common areas of need and how to assess those areas of need, and then how to intervene more effectively and in trauma informed ways. Complete my course Effective Case Management with Human Trafficking Survivors at your own pace. I'll walk alongside you as you walk alongside survivors, sharing with you my almost 30 years of experience. If you're interested, you can find my free webinar on my website at ciliawilsoncom. And now on with the podcast.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. First of all, I think that sort of conversations about history are absolutely critical for this movement and it's something that we have not done a very good job of yet. There's incredible harms that a lot of victims and survivors and vulnerable populations have experienced at the hands of different systems, whether it's sort of social welfare system or child welfare system or law enforcement anything. There's historical harm and historical trauma that we just gloss over to your point and we gloss it over with a happy little band aid that says victim centered and trauma informed and we think everything's all better. But when I'm training law enforcement, one of the things I like to talk about is I can train you all day long in trauma informed, but if I don't help you understand some of the harm that these populations have experienced before they met you, I'm basically sending you out into the field six feet under and you have to dig out of that hole before you can ever have any impact or start working these cases. So history absolutely critical. And then I think the perfect victim it's funny I was having a conversation yesterday about this goes to systems change, because the systems we work in incentivize the perfect victim. Funders want the story, but they don't want the complicated story. They want the beginning, middle and end happy, a little happily ever after. Perfect victim story in law enforcement. Right, they're actual performance metrics and their careers are based on basically the perfect victim, because we live in an adversarial system. Right, guilty, not guilty, and so all of these.
Speaker 2:So I think a lot of what the response for me is beginning to have a lot more conversations about expanding our options and beginning to at least name these problems out loud and acknowledge them. And I find that when I do say them out loud, usually the people in the audience there's sort of this collective sigh of relief of yes, that's what we've been feeling or that's kind of what's wrong. And note that I'm not even pushing people right now to say like, let's change it. I mean, some people are agitators, I'm an agitator, some people aren't. But I think the first step in solving any problem is recognizing that it exists.
Speaker 2:So just being able to say, all these times when the local reporter or whatever calls and they wanna know the stats on how many victims, well, guess what, you're not gonna give them that answer, right, or how big is the problem this is my least favorite question ever. So, and it's about being able to have that conversation and say, like you know what? We don't know how big the problem is, but what we do know, we know a lot of what feeds into the problem. We know a lot about these vulnerable populations and so we do know that we have these guest workers in our jurisdiction, that we can be looking to make sure we're preventing trafficking or something. So it's pushing back and helping to realign the expectations of reporters and funders and politicians and stuff. And that isn't easy, which just means it's all the more important that we kind of come together collectively to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. Thank God for the people who push back, the advocates, the agitators, the people who don't fall in line. We should celebrate them, because that's how change, that's where real change occurs. And when you're talking about you know law enforcement or whatever, sending them out there six feet under if they don't understand the history, you know I mean labor trafficking, which I know you're also an expert in. You know a lot of the communities.
Speaker 1:I'm in Ohio. We have a lot of migrant workers, we have a lot of people who may not be, who may be undocumented, and then the government says, oh, we just discovered trafficking, so, department of Homeland Security, go out and help the people. Well, the people only understand ICE. So I don't care what pretty name you're calling yourself. Now we are not building a relationship, given our history. So history is critically important. Now you're supposed to be the eyes and ears of the good guys, but for many years you've not been seen as the good. Same with social workers, same with healthcare providers, same with the professional helpers. So we have to understand history, but sometimes we just I'll just label you non-compliant and move on. I don't know why you're not working with me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you know and we live in, we live in a fast-paced environment and we live in a binary world where you're guilty or not guilty, you're documented or undocumented.
Speaker 2:And I think again, this goes back to trading nuance for attention and it's about digging more into the nuance and having more honest conversations, which is hard because all of us are doing burnout cultures a thing. We're all working harder than ever before. So it's one of those things where you kind of have to take a deep breath and step back and be really deliberate and really open about what you're doing. And even then it's hard to get buy-in for it a lot of time because there are so many competing pressures on it. But I do think history I mean, if we're not helping people understand what came before and what all these past experiences are that have created trauma and memories and all of that, we're basically setting them up for failure. We can't just slap a trauma-informed and victim-centered band-aid on things and send people out into the field. That's not fair to them, that's not fair to the survivors that are out there, that's not fair to the vulnerable communities that they're working with. So and.
Speaker 1:But of course, when that does happen, we will not take responsibility. We'll again blame them. For why didn't you get this great service? Why didn't you change? Why didn't you become a better person, a better human? It must be you, it's not, it's not us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there's a lot of victim blaming and I think, well, ultimately there are a lot of the victim blaming comes from a source of it's. Actually again, the system is what created it and people just don't know to sort of aim the blame that way, and I think people really struggle because we can't always change the system right away. It's easier to it's easier to attribute it to a single person and a single person singular actions than it is the system. But another thing that I do with a lot of the groups is work really hard to help people understand. I at least stayed out loud, be help them understand. All right, let's find the places in the system where you do have some level of power. What are the small things that you can change over time based on your power in the system, and are you going to change the whole thing overnight? Absolutely not.
Speaker 2:I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because where you have influence, where you can open doors, authority, do your part and then if everybody does their little part to push on the system to make sure that system is responsive, is kind, is knowledgeable, is skilled. So let me ask you this question you help collaborations build and sustain themselves. Would you prefer somebody who has an inch deep of human trafficking knowledge to go out there and help the people, or would you prefer waiting to help the people but becoming more knowledgeable and skilled? Which would you go with? Or is there a third?
Speaker 2:option. All right, if there's two options, I'm going to say wait, because I think the people that only have an inch of experience, good intentions, all exist, and I'm very happy for people to have good intentions, and I think a lot of times, what we see in the trafficking world, though, is good intentions can go really, really wrong and create a lot of additional harms, and so I mean there is obviously a third option, and I think that third option really is the multidisciplinary approach. So you have that person with only an inch, but if they partner with four other people or disciplines that have more knowledge and they're actually collaborating together and having the conversations, then that person can go out and do what they're good at and only have an inch, because there's checks and balances to prevent that other harm from happening.
Speaker 1:I totally agree. Totally agree 110%. So what would you say to those people who are out there lone wolves, rogue, they're going to do it themselves. They don't need a collaboration, they don't need a team or they don't need to be multidisciplinary. They can do it. Stop, all right.
Speaker 2:And so I'm being clear. But I think that those can be really challenging situations because in my experience they come in a couple of different formats. Some of them just don't know Right, and so exposing them to the support of others in their community and helping sort of educate some and redirect a little bit is really great. And then there's others who are in it for I mean, I'll be blunt because that's how I am but there's some people that are in it really for their own ego, right, to really just sort of pat themselves on the back, and I think those are the ones that tend to be dangerous and so and I call those people the rogue, the rogue entities or people, and there's not a lot you can do with that subset.
Speaker 2:The good thing is it's a very small, small, small, small. The bad thing is they tend to be really loud and get a lot of attention. So you know, there I don't really know what you do to them. You can try to educate I think everybody tries to partner with them, but ultimately you just have to be better at what you do than they are. But I feel like that was also a little bit negative, because there absolutely are a lot of people that are out there and they're doing things and they start their NGO and they have good intentions and it's great, and yet they still aren't really there yet, right? And those people, I try to just sort of wrap around an expertise and help them understand that, like this is a learning and growing process and we're all learning and growing at all times. That's right.
Speaker 1:I mean I totally agree with that. I mean I think every community, or almost every community, has that sort of rogue entity or person who's out there that sometimes you try to wrap them in expertise and collaboration and they are not having it and so managing that. It can be stressful, but that's what happens in the movement. It's messy. Some people are highly skilled and I also agree Weight.
Speaker 1:Even though this is something that is critically important, it's even more important that you weight, go deeper, become skilled and then enter because we have passed laws, people have been overzealous, we have caused a lot of collateral damage because people were an inch deep and they ran and they passed the laws and everybody passed themselves on the back and it was one of those examples, I'm suspecting, where they wanted the individual credit instead of doing the good for the people. So, yeah, I think weighting. So when somebody is involved in a collaboration, for instance, I mean what are the best ways to be collaborative, to be involved in a collaboration? How can you be the best at it if you wanted to be collaborative?
Speaker 2:I love that question and you mentioned sort of the number one not the number one thing, but one of the things that I think is going to be messy. It's going to be messy. You might as well just accept that from the get go and let it slide off your back, otherwise it's just going to cause endless frustration and that's not healthy for anybody. Open, honest communication is absolutely vital for collaborative efforts, especially around human trafficking.
Speaker 1:Open and honest communication. That can be pretty scary because people come to the table often with their agendas. They're not always positive, they're not always beneficial. Sometimes it's to build your own career. Sometimes it's because your agency said you have to. Sometimes you're coming to the table to say what can I get for me or my agency instead of how can we work on the mission? Hello, I mean, I don't think being collaborative is intuitive or innate. I think it's a skill. So what say you to somebody who's like we have a collaboration, we're good. Are they good?
Speaker 2:So I mean, those are all really good questions and I think the other thing about collaboration is you're right, it is a skill. Collaboration takes work. I think that was one of the. So I did a three year visiting fellowship with DOJ at the Office of Victims of Crime, where I was working with their enhanced collaborative model task forces, and that was one of the important things for me to work on then is helping convey that message of collaboration takes work, it takes time, it takes attention, it takes intention. Right, these are people coming together with a level of intention to have a shared mission and communicate openly, and the hope is that, going through the process of buildings that some of those other agendas have failed to the past and in service to the mission. But that doesn't always happen.
Speaker 2:And I would say to the folks that come to me and say like, hey, we have a collaboration, great. My first question is cool, what happens if one of you leaves? Important? Yeah, because what we find, what I have found, working with the task forces, or what we find working with the task forces, is everybody wants to talk about training all the time. We need more training, more training, and I don't actually think that's true. I think we need better training, but one of the primary challenges we found is not necessarily training, it's turnover. We have a lot of training, but the turnover whether it's in law enforcement or social services the turnover rate is so high that you get about two or three years out of somebody in a collaborative effort before they move on. And that is really tough to navigate if you don't have some structures put into place around it. So I was-.
Speaker 1:The idea of attention and intention, because intention kind of leads you to build that good structure in those systems. So whether that person leaves or not leaves, the structure is sort of in place so that that new person can plug in and become educated and skilled. But it's continuous work, I guess, isn't it?
Speaker 2:What is so many of my conversations over the last decade, probably with respect to collaboration, have been simply giving people permission to slow down and have that intention right, because I think everybody knows that this is obviously it's a horrible crime. There are lots of victims and survivors out there that really need support and everybody sort of runs immediately in that direction, usually at the expense of building that necessary collaboration. So again, the conversation that I've had a lot is giving people the permission to slow down and build their things, because that's what gives you sustainability in the long run.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I believe people love to say well, at least we're doing something. That's the sentence that kind of gets under my skin the most. At least we're doing something. No, take the time to do the best thing, because that's what you would want. If somebody is coming to help me, I want you to have taken the time to bring me your best, not just something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that there's enough energy and individuals and expertise in the anti-trafficking movement that we can do both. Right, we can still be responding to cases while building an infrastructure, you know, and solidifying that. And yeah, one of my least favorite things is similar to years, but instead of at least we're doing something, it's well, we have to do something. That's when they go off and there's some sort of silly law pass that ends up causing a lot more harm than good at the end of the day, because people feel this pressure to do something but they don't necessarily do their homework before doing something. So that's a little bit of a scary moment.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I heard one of the lawyers tell me actually Bridget Carr, at the University of Michigan's Human Draftgain Clinic always look if you're passing a law whether state law, federal law always put on a different hat and say how is this law gonna be used against poor people, against people of color, against marginalized people? If you look at your proposed bill or you don't read bills because you are not down like that, ask the people on your committee, if you're involved, how will this affect the poor, the marginalized? Because therein lies some of the problem. It's like we're running oh my God, this is a great law, let's pass it, and then we don't understand the collateral damage that could happen or how other attorneys will use it against people who are vulnerable and marginalized.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I need everybody. I would love for everybody out there that's moving forward on good intentions alone to have some sort of cosmic pause in their life or a checklist of questions to go through, because good intentions are great, but without additional knowledge they tend to go haywire.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I mean, I have good intentions. I would love to run down to our emergency department right now and help people, because I have a good heart, I have good intentions. So can I just jump in there and help like hell? No, because people are gonna get infections, I know it's fine Like so.
Speaker 2:And that's the like. You know, I was reading something a couple of weeks ago and I was talking about forming a task force, and it's sort of the first thing you need when you're informing a task force is a sense of urgency, and I had somewhat of a visceral reaction to that, and it's a document that I had read previously and it came out like 15 years ago maybe and I thought you know, 15 years ago. That made a lot of sense to me. Now, 15 years later, I get a little upset or nervous about that, because a sense of urgency tends to mean people running forward without the requisite knowledge to build what we need and creating infections or getting people hurt, and so that for me, I mean on both an information and a collaboration level, just to tie it back to what we talked about at the beginning, I think a lot of it is slowing down and taking the time to make sure that you are prepared and educated on things, and that's not always easy.
Speaker 2:But when I'm talking to brand new task force directors or coordinators, the very first advice I give them well, first I tell them take a deep breath. It's complicated and messy, but it'll be fine. But the second thing I always tell them is give it three months. Give it three months to talk to all of the members, to sit back and observe the working relationships, to kind of get a pulse on and figure out what the rhythm of all the different partners are, right Before you start planning or doing anything or whatever, because you need that time. I mean, understanding the rhythm of your collaborative group is really important for a leader, and if you just right and if you dive in and the first thing you want to do is I can't even think of a good example right now, but you know slowing down a little- bit and.
Speaker 2:I think it's okay for people in the movement to slow down and have these conversations.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so too and I think I love you know, to make sure you know the rhythm. I love that analogy because I feel like on task forces, commissions, coalitions, whatever you call yourself, that law enforcement comes into the room with the big bass drum, boom, boom, we're here. We're here to solve, and there's social services, there's healthcare people, there's lived experience experts All of these people make up the rhythm of the song. And if you're coming in with the big bass drum because you got the answers to solve everything, you drown out the rest of the band. So you can't hear the rhythm because you're in their pound, in your big bass drum. That it's all about investigation, prosecution and incarceration. That's not all it's about. So I love that rhythm analogy.
Speaker 1:And you know, I think programs, just coalitions, tasks you know they're like the life cycle of a person. I mean they're messing with you. They grow to be an adult. Hopefully they perform as an adult and eventually they'll get old and die off. But you got to recognize where you are. Like what you're saying Sit back, learn, listen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they do, and I think and it's this again comes to being deliberate and communication because the world, that the world and the system that law enforcement comes from is all about that big bass, right, it's all like that's how they're literally taught and socialized and that's how they're, they have to exist in their law enforcement world, and so it can be really hard to take a step out of that if you don't have the right sort of atmosphere and setting and if you're not. But I find that you know, when you give people permission to slow down and be deliberate and take a deep breath, that they can, that all of that can kind of shed away a little bit, and then you can have those larger conversations where it's a little bit more of an equal playing field. But again, that comes back to system change and just talking about all that, which you know feels really daunting, but it doesn't have to be.
Speaker 1:That's right, absolutely. And so, erin, if somebody is on a collaboration or coalition or task force and they really they're recognizing through this conversation wait a minute, okay, let me slow down and make sure that I'm doing this in an effective way, in a productive way. Is there an opportunity to talk to you or to bring you in to train or build this collaboration and sustainability? Is that a possibility? And, if so, how do people get a hold of you?
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I work with jurisdictions across the country, both through my own consulting and then also through my role with Project Roadmap, so individual jurisdictions that aren't funded by DOJ for the task force can reach out to me on my website or through my email, which is just Erin at newframeworksorg.
Speaker 2:And then the other thing I would point people to is there's an amazing resource published by OVC and International Association of Chiefs of Police that I led the team in putting together when I was at DOJ and it's called the Task Force Development and Operations Roadmap and what it is is basically it's modeled off of five stages of development theory or process and it kind of charts out different parts of a task force over a five stage period and it's something that we use with task forces a lot to really help them kind of pinpoint where they are and then what they can do next and see what.
Speaker 2:That's always a great thing. Reaching out to me is a great thing, and I would be remiss if I didn't say that there is. The DOJ has a grant opportunity that it puts out every year called the Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking, and so you can look that up and find previous solicitations and that's an amazing opportunity for a jurisdiction that is looking to start a task force or one that already has a task force, because it's an investment of money and support and technical assistance that can really walk to your point, walk alongside people To support in building some of these things and strengthening that collaboration.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. I think those are all amazing resources. Thank you so much, erin. Is there any last word of advice for people who are trying to do this work? What would you advise them to do? I guess I won't repeat statistics.
Speaker 2:Sorry that was Glib as well, but all of those statistics we see floating around 40 million, 26 point, whatever million, 14,000 to 17,000, all of those really big statistics that are out there none of them are accurate. Just don't use them. Instead, talk about vulnerability, talk about migrant workers, talk about runaway and homeless youth, but we have to get to a point. Actually, part of my training that I do these days is an actual memorial service to some of those stats that tracks them back to their source and explains how they're discredited at this point. But that's my biggest piece of advice stop repeating stats, because none of them are right.
Speaker 1:Well, and that's exactly true. When you go back to the source, you will be sorely disappointed in how they came up with these statistics. We still don't know. It's all underground, it's illegal. No one really has a handle on the number. I love that you said don't repeat I love being Glib, I love your Glib. Here's why Because one we need to be skilled and knowledgeable.
Speaker 1:We don't have time to pretty it up and figure out how to say it delicately. If you're in this business, you need to hear it and you need to hear it in the way that it said. You need to understand it in the raw way. We don't need to put a bunch of flowery language around it. If that is upsetting to you, then you really can't be in this type of environment. Us doing the work. We just don't have time to pretty it all up for you. We just have to say it to you and you have to decide whether you accept it or not. Thank you so much, erin. I so much appreciate your just refreshing and knowledgeable, skilled way of presenting to us and letting us know that it's okay to sit back and relax, take the time to learn and become skilled and then get out there and do the great work. Thank you so much, erin, and I hope you continue to do the great work that you're doing.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you very much. It was really fun talking with you. If anybody needs a pep talk on slowing down, just reach out. I'm really good at that pep talk.
Speaker 1:Awesome, okay, thank you. That was Erin Albright With the message take your time, learn your craft, then jump in and do the good work. Take the cosmic pause, slow down, be deliberate, be intentional. I just remember getting my doctoral degree in. I felt like I was in the ivory tower for way too long and I was anxious I was learning, learning, learning. I felt like I had so much that I learned and I just wanted to get out in the world and start doing things. It seemed like it took forever just to get out there and do, do, do, but I was so motivated and I haven't stopped being motivated to do the work. But I understand you want to jump out there and just do it, but please learn your craft, learn your skill, become knowledgeable, surround yourself with other knowledgeable people, collaborate and do the work. Remember the African saying like, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to do things well and do it right, it will take time, right, but go together Until next time the fight continues.