Beyond offering human trafficking prevention education to youth, rigorous evaluation of programming that considers the voices of recipients is much needed to advance safety of teens across the U.S. 168 high school aged youth at a school in a Midwest School District were offered 4.5 hours (six 45-minute sessions) of programming focused on preventing human trafficking. Students’ feedback on the program was solicited following each session, and 462 written forms were thematically analyzed to determine 1) overall reception to the program, 2) grouping categories most reflected upon, 3) self-reported/perceived impact of participating, and 4) negative emotions (materials making one feel upset/unsafe) elicited. Data from pre/post surveys, and program fidelity forms were integrated to generate a rich overview of programming context, participants, and effect. The findings of the program evaluation suggest most students had positive reception, gained positive effects from participating, and with few instances of students reporting feeling upset or unsafe. Feedback primarily reflected upon program educators, program structure/layout, and materials/activities. Themes of programming impact most centered on gained skills and knowledge. Based upon student reflections, researchers curated recommendations related to generating positive human trafficking prevention programming reception and impact with 9th-12th grade students. Collectively, youth responses indicated the need for programming to be interactive, include information related to current events/focus on local sources, and be delivered by educators willing to integrate compassion, authenticity, and at times humor about a difficult topic often shrouded in a culture of silence.
Aleesa Nutting is a research project manager at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Possessing a Master of Arts degree in Social Justice and Human Rights and integrating a wealth of professional experience in leadership in direct services supporting youth survivors, Aleesa is committed to challenging systems of inequity and oppression.
Aubrey Paschal is a research technician at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Interpersonal Violence Research Laboratory. She received a Master of Arts degree in Social Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa. She is primarily interested in legal topics such as juror decision making, recidivism, and wrongful convictions.
Alexis Chavez is a doctoral student in the Quantitative, Qualitative & Psychometric Methods program and a graduate research assistant in the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics, and Psychometrics (MAP Academy). He is interested in nonverbal communication analysis in mixed methods research and its application towards ecological emotions.
Dr. Katie Edwards is a Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she directs the Interpersonal Violence Research Laboratory. Her work focuses on participatory action research to prevent and respond to sexual and related forms of violence.
Dr. Rochelle Dalla is a Professor in the Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research centers on women trafficked into the commercial sex industry in non-Western countries. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Human Trafficking.
Dr. Lorey Wheeler is an associate research professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she directs the MAP Academy. Her research focuses on the role of family and context in individual development, including outcomes related to interpersonal relationships, psychosocial adjustment, and educational outcomes among marginalized and understudied populations.