The Nottawasaga Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will be hosting a free, family-friendly Youth Symposium about online safety and human trafficking.
The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Banting Memorial High School in Alliston.
The event is targeted for those aged 13 and older, including family members, and is open to the public.
Local community partners will be attendance with information on services their agency provides, as well as guest speakers including:
· Kaitlin Bick, a Peer Support Worker at LOFT Community Services, who is a survivor of domestic sex trafficking. She is a former substance user who uses both her lived and professional experience to support and advocate for others.
· Michelle Furgiele, a Canadian survivor, senior speaker and consultant, course content director with Timea's Cause Inc. She is also the head of the National Survivor consulting team. She was trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation by Canadian sex traffickers. Michelle has co-written several manuals on how to detect human trafficking and has assisted victims in crisis. Some of the agencies she has assisted are the Ontario Provincial Police, Waterloo Regional Police, Lindsay Police, American Express, Deliver Fund United States, and the Houston Police Department. Michelle was also the co-founder of Timea's Market, a social enterprise that employed and supported victims of sex trafficking in Canada.
Banner image: File photo via Nottawasaga OPP
