According to #Changemaker Christi Wigle investing in others is one of the greatest investments we will ever make. Making a difference is what fuels Christi, the CEO, and Co-founder of United Against Slavery. She has worked on the frontlines of anti-human trafficking work for 13 years, serving in leadership and survivor advocacy for sex and labor trafficking survivors. Drawing upon two decades of business and product development experience, she created an innovative methodology to perform comprehensive frontline research and data collection, using a Collaborative Research Model. Christi co-founded United Against Slavery in 2014 as a research organization to identify and document the challenges faced by more than 20 stakeholder groups here in the United States and around the globe and to help confirm what is and isn’t working in counter-trafficking work.

Christi developed the National Outreach Survey, a tool designed to collect and disseminate comprehensive frontline data on all types of human trafficking to inform research, programming, evaluation, and other functions of the counter-trafficking community. The UAS team has worked with more than 50 professionals from 22 countries to identify challenges and recommendations from the frontlines, which has helped inform the survey questions on the NOS.

Under her leadership, UAS launched two pilot studies, a National Outreach Survey for Flight Attendants in early 2020, and plans to launch the 2021 National Outreach Survey for Transportation, upon receiving the first-ever US Department of Transportation Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award.  She serves on the Transportation Research Board Human Trafficking in Transportation Common Interest Group Steering Committee, the Alliance 8.7 Communications Engagement, and Advocacy Group, and as Co-Chair of the United Against Slavery Judicial Working Group. In addition, Christi serves as a Board Member for multiple non-profit organizations. Christi shares interesting insights and awareness which can help keep us safe.

This conversation highlights how easily one can be recruited into the trafficking world and illustrated that any of us can be a victim of trafficking. Knowledge, awareness, and advocacy are required to highlight the risk so people can detect the red flags and can avoid being lured into these trafficking situations.   According to Christi, prevention is the best form of anti-trafficking and recommends keeping the doors of communication open with children.  According to Christi, prevention is the best form of anti-trafficking and recommends keeping the doors of communication open with our children. She emphasizes the power of words and subtle questions. She recommends light-heartedness and creating a safe space to share!

A must-listen for all of us, parents, kids, as this awareness talk can save lives.......... To know more about Christi and her organization: https://www.unitedagainstslavery.org/

Please note – that this conversation was pre-recorded, references to currency conversions, etc will not be accurate at the date of release.

Thank you for stopping by Love and light! ED and Charmaine

#UbuntuConnectED #IamTheChangeAndFree #weareconnected #NOST #CollaborativeTeamwork #GoImpactChange