Okay… so on the menu today we have:
My dream
Changing my major
Taking a break from school
Missions Trips
Making my dream a reality
My dream: To start an NPO for victims of human traifficking. It will be a two step program wih two purposes. First of all get people out of sexual slavery, and then meet their needs in regards to the hierarchy of needs: First their physiological needs must be met. That’s obvious: Food, Shelter, Clothing, etc. Then their safety needs. A secure compound including a school, a dormitory, and office buildings for the main offices and therapists; this will involve guards, fences, the whole spiel, and people they can feel safe with. A mentor will be assigned to each person that comes into our organization, this person will be a friend and have almost a parent-like role for the victim. A stable figure they can rely on and feel safe with. Which leads into the next step of the heirarchy, belongingness and love: Not only will they have a relationship with their mentor, but they will be assigned core groups. This is a same-gendered group with which they can have fun in planned activites, make lasting friendships, and ‘belong’. Their core group leader will also be a stable adult-figure they can trust. Then their esteem needs must be met. They must feel their own personal self-worth. They will be able to attend school, but this won’t be any school, it will be an arts school. There is substantial evidence to prove that the arts can be an extremely beneficial form of self-expression and release for victims of trauma. They will be trained in music, drawing, film, pottery, graphic design, and theatre arts, along with their usual subjects. Their instructors will be uplifting, and inspire a passion and love for learning in their students, they will encourage them in all their interests. This is one way they will be able to achieve esteem. Older students will be able to work in a coffee shop/bookstore and a thrift store, which will not only be a way to raise funds to make the mission more self supporting, it will also help the students to find validity in themselves and their ability to make money to support themselves. It will give them job experience. They will be taught basic fiscal skills through their wages as well, and encouraged to save much of their earnings.
The final stage of the hierarchy, self actualization, is up to the student their self.
Younger students will be adopted by families that have been trained on what to expect and how to deal with a child who has been through so much trauma. Families will be carefully screened and often the same-gendered parent will be assigned as the mentor from the beginning.
Older students will be highly encouraged to attend college. They will also receive help from the organization like a parent would give to their child as they make their way into the world. Help getting their first apartment, paying for college, getting a car and liscence, etc.
The role of the mentor is a life-time commitment. The mentor will be there for the student in a very personal way their entire life. The mentor, and possibly the mentor’s family, will become the family and support system the student is lacking.
Also, I think it should be noted that throughout this entire process extensive therapy will be ongoing and possibly provided after the student is discharged. Victims of human trafficking often show the signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome, and these problems will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by a team of therapists.
Changing my major: I look at all this and realize… a theatre major is not gonna help me with this. I want to change to a business major with a minor in sociology and religon. Take some classes on grant writing. It’s a serious switch… but hey. I’m really scared I’ll have to take lots of math classes, though. Haha.
Taking a break from school: THen I realize… I hate college. I’m over school. I want to be done with it, and get on with what God wants me to do… but I need to get an education, or people won’t give me money… but I hate school. So… a gap year. I need to work and make some money, anyways… because a college education is expensive, and I do not want debt. So… how do I legitimize a gap year?
Missions Trips: I need to get experience anyway, right? And I REALLY want to go to India and work with victims there. I work one semester, save up some cash, and the next? India. SO bomb.
Making my dream a reality: Everything is just… coming together. It’s amazing how God works. If I can give anyone one piece of advice it’d be, ‘Seek God in everything.’
It’s the only thing I know for sure.
