Hi! I’m so happy you’re here. I love talking about human
trafficking, and I’m excited that you’re willing to listen!
For this first Dressember post, I thought I would open up
with some FAQ’s!
1. What is Dressember?
I’m so glad you’ve asked! Dressember is a 31 day fundraising and awareness-raising
campaign that's focus is to educate the masses about the global issue of human
trafficking (aka, forced prostitution, slave labor, child prostitution, child
labor, and etc things in which human rights are violated in the form of
slavery! BOO).
Dressember is
a group of women (and some men!) around the globe who advocate for slaves
around the world through making a simple decision each day in December--wearing
a dress. What started as a fashion challenge turned into a symbol for
advocacy. Wear a dress--a symbol of femininity--to make a statement and
educate our friends about something that is happening to people who are
exploited for their femininity. It's simple--but not easy!
Dresses
aren't popular attire for December. And that's why we do it. I can not tell you
how many times I've been asked why I am wearing a dress when there is
snow on the ground, and that's the point! It begins a conversation about human
trafficking, and I'm able to tell them all about an issue that a lot of people
simply don't know about.
And
we raise money, too! Over the past four years, we’ve raised around $3 million!!!
That has funded numerous rescue missions and has given freedom to people around
the globe. I praise God for Dressember because it has given me a practical way
to make a difference for something I am so passionate about!
Dressember participants
gain supporters and sponsors to donate to two AMAZING organizations that
actually do rescue missions--how cool!!! International Justice Mission and a21
campaign are two of the leading organizations that aim and act to eradicate the
world of slavery. They work to educate, prevent, and restore victims of human
trafficking. They are literally GOALS (like actually working for them is my
legit career goals) and the work they do is phenomenal.
2. Why do you do it?
God
has given me a heart for survivors of human trafficking. It all started when my
mom told me stories about DaySpring Villa, a local shelter for adult victims of
sex trafficking. Hearing these stories sparked an interest in me, and over the
next few years I did research and fell in love with the idea of growing up to
be a counselor for these victims. As a senior in high school, I went on a
college visit and heard a sermon that spoke all about human trafficking when
the question was posed: who is going to stop this?
And
in my heart, before I could talk my mind out of it, I knew that the answer to
that question was me. “I will,” said my heart, and I knew I was going to do it.
Since then, I haven’t been able to see myself as any career other than one that
benefitted these trafficked people.
A
few months later, since I guess I like tweeted about human trafficking every
once in a while, Twitter recommended that I follow a page called Dressember, so
I looked at it—a campaign to fight human trafficking. So literally like 2 days
before December 2014, I signed up, and I did it. And I was shocked at the
support I had received. I raised over 350 dollars my first year, and I knew
that Dressember would be something I would continue to be a part of for years
to come. I was just a high school student who decided to wear a dress and post
a picture for 31 days, and somehow I was able to make a difference.
 |
| #TBT to my first day in my first year of Dressember. Wasn't even cold :-) |
I
know in my heart that being an advocate for trafficked people will always be an
important part of my life.
3. How can I help?
Thank goodness you asked. You are the one that does all the
helping! There are so many things you can do, so I’ve put them in a list.
1) Donate to Dressember.
Rescue missions cost money.
Aftercare costs money. Being awesome costs money. It’s kind of how the world
works. If you are financially able (or if you are willing to cut back on
something for a while!), consider donating. Dressember gives 85% of each
donation to IJM and a21. The other 15% is overhead that Dressember uses for
marketing, promotions, administrative tasks, and other very typical non-profit
actions (Don’t worry, I’m a not-for-profit business administration certificate
student as TU. This 15% is really good for a non-profit!!) My goal this year is to raise $1,000! Can you help me out??
2) Join the cause!
It’s not too late—there are plenty
of days in December ahead! You have a unique group of people that you can
impact! Think of all the people you can tell about human trafficking, and all
the friends and family who would love to support a cause you love! You have
influence, and people are watching you and looking up to you more than you
know. Use that influence for something like this. All it takes is a dress and
some determination!
3) Sharing is caring!
So you’re #broke or you don’t
really feel comfy participating this year, that’s totally cool! You can still
make a difference. Knowledge like this is free folks! Share my stuff!
Throughout the month I will be tweeting, posting, and sharing facts about human
trafficking. Statistics, stories, all that good stuff. You can be an advocate
without being a participant—share this information!!!! You have no idea who
will read it and be impacted by it and act on it. You might inspire some of
next year’s participants!!
4) #MakeUsFamous
 |
| As promised, the results of the pic I posted on FB and Instagram....Sorry Campus Maintenance... #trynabecutebutlookawk |
5) Give in other ways.
Do you have a small business, or a
really cool product, or maybe a closet of 3,000 dresses you’ll never wear
again? Think about sharing your resources with us. Your products and donations
can be awesome prizes for promotional giveaways!! For instance, a few days this month I’ll be
giving away some fair-trade jewelry to the person who donates the most to my
campaign, and I’m doing a prize drawing for people who share a certain post.
The more cool things we have to give away, the more promotions we can do! And
extra dresses = less outfit work for us! If we won’t use them, we will donate
them to DaySpring Villa, so it’s a win win!
6) EDUCATE YOURSELF!!!!
LEARN MORE!!! Educate yourself about your world!!! Get pumped
about doing great things! Find who you are passionate about serving! Do what
you love to help other people! But also read about my passions here.!
Watch this Ted Talk by Dressember's
Founder!
Learn about International Justice Mission
Inform yourself about
A21!
7) PRAYER!!!!!!!
Human trafficking is a really,
really big problem. Remember how I said I raised $350 dollars my first
Dressember? Multiply that 350 times 100,000, and that’s how many slaves there
are around the globe. That is absolutely crazy. 35 million (different estimates
vary from 30-40 million, and this could very well be an underestimate).
We can’t end this injustice alone.
It’s too big of a task to handle. We need God. Please join me and my team in
prayer for the end of human trafficking. I would love to never have to
participate in Dressember again. I would love to not have a future job! Here is
a link to ways you can pray against trafficking!
WOW that was a long post. Hope I answered some questions and provided some useful insight!!! I'm thankful for your support in reading this blog post! You rock!!!!
Love, Karla
No comments:
Post a Comment