HEALTHY HABITS

compiled by Greta Bauer

A Fresh Look at Resolutions

Surveys across the nation indicate a lot of change in our focus on resolutions. Putting 2020 behind us has assured many that creating better budgets, saving more money, and learning a new skill may be more practical than losing weight or getting a better job.

Studies show only 12 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions feel like they were successful. The good news is that people who “resolve” are still ten times more likely to change their behavior than those who don’t. So, while you may have already missed your chance to start in December, which many experts say is a great way to establish the habit by the New Year, there are many ways you can still follow through. BE REALISTIC: The surest way to fall short is to make the goal unattainable. Resolving never to spend money on UberEats again will trip you up the first time you’re too tired to cook. Instead, work a goal that is attainable, such as allowing one uber night a week in your budget and sticking to it. JUST ONE: Psychologists suggest picking one resolution and focusing your energy on that behavior, rather than spreading yourself too thin among different objectives. Taking on too much at once can be daunting, and hard to maintain.

BITE-SIZE: Break goals down to manageable chunks.

Set clear, realistic goals such as mastering one Spanish lesson a week, saving $100 a month, or finishing a new book every two weeks. Each small success will empower you for more. MAKE A PLAN: Don’t overdo it January 2. If you’ve resolved to run a marathon this year, create a plan to run a little more each week and adapt your schedule to your progress. Plan menus to force yourself to learn how to cook one new thing each week, or a reasonable work adjustment, over time, to cut down on answering emails at home. MEASURE IT: Easy, if your goal is fitness or weight loss, but you may have to get creative for lifestyle behaviors.

If, for example, you want to spend less time on social media, download a tracking app to keep you honest and reinforce your progress. TALK ABOUT IT: Explain what your goals are to friends or family and ask them to help you achieve your objectives. Better yet, enlist the help of others by joining a group that shares your goal. REWARD YOURSELF: No, you can’t eat a box of chocolates if your resolution is to eat a better diet. Celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that doesn’t contradict your resolution. E.g., if you have been sticking to your promise to eat better, reward yourself with an outfit in your new size. TRACK PROGRESS: Keep track of each small success, especially if your goal really has no “finish line.” Shortterm goals are easier to keep, and each small accomplishment will help keep you motivated. If you resolve for better health, get a 2021 planner and schedule a year’s worth of doctor, yoga, or chiropractic appointments. Crossing each one off the list is a visual reminder of success.

KEEP TRYING: If you get to, say, mid-February and already feel like you didn’t stick the landing, don’t despair—start over. Recommit to it for 24 hours; you can do anything for 24 hours. Those increments will soon build on each other and get you back on track.

If all else fails, you can resolve to buy a bunch of leftover 2020 calendars and enjoy burning them. We can all get on board with that.

awareness & action Abolish Slavery Everywhere and Forever

by Ann Marie Kennon annmarie@lhtxdigest.com

IF YOU RESOLVE TO DO EVEN ONE THING TO MARK NATIONAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION MONTH, THE SINGLE BEST ACTION YOU CAN TAKE IS TO LEARN HOW TO SPOT THE SIGNS OF TRAFFICKING.

BY PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION, JANUARY 2021 IS NATIONAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION MONTH

THE PROBLEM

Right now, people are being bought and sold against their will in every country around the world. This illegal trade, recruitment, control, and use of people for their bodies and labor is called Human Trafficking. At $150 billion a year, it is the world’s fastest-growing criminal enterprise; a criminal can only sell a drug or a weapon one time, but he can sell a person indefinitely.

The Attorney General of Texas reports, at any given time, there are 79,000 child and 155,000 adult victims in our state alone. Across the globe, there are more individuals enslaved today than any other time in history; 5.4 out of every 1,000 people. But, thanks to organizations like A21, slavery is more stoppable than ever before.

THE SOLUTION

Since 2008, Christine Caine and her husband Nick have been working to do the impossible; create a world where men and women are no longer sold for labor or sex, and children are not exploited. As founders of A21, they developed a global strategy to reach the vulnerable, rescue the victims, and restore survivors.

Close to home, Michelle Parrozzo, A21 Senior Advisor of Strategic Partnerships, lives in Williamson County and says the organization employs a holistic approach to breaking the cycle of trafficking.

“Reach is about preventing trafficking before it happens. A21 has curricula in place that are customized by region and country; one such program is written to Texas core education standards, and we are eager for any opportunities to share with Liberty Hill schools and community organizations.”

Michelle explains the importance of recognizing the signs, and A21 provides examples of awareness to help students recognize when a person is being trafficked, including themselves; e.g., having limited freedom of movement or no access to medical care. They are also taught to recognize when they are being approached or groomed on social media. “It is difficult to quantify the results of prevention,” she says. “By continuing to equip 

Christine Caine

Photo: Wikimedia Creative Commons

people with information they need to stay safe—we believe we will continue to see vulnerable people avoid situations of trafficking. Following, victim identification and assistance will increase, and survivors will be restored.”

CAN YOU SEE ME?

To assist in that recognition, A21 offers many free and online videos that demonstrate common scenarios of trafficking, which equip people everywhere to be a part of the solution. This awareness campaign, Can You See Me?, is reaching millions of people, across several countries, every day.

Within six months of launching this campaign in the U.K., A21 reported a 400 percent increase in hotline calls. Additionally, several investigations by law enforcement led to raids and the identification of trafficked victims. This success led to the campaign’s expansion into new locations in the U.S., South Africa, Mexico, and Thailand.

In 2019, the campaign arrived in Texas (photo next page), with support and cooperation from Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Clear Channel Outdoors, law enforcement, and Senator Ted Cruz.

TRAFFICKING HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WHO ARE VULNERABLE BECAUSE NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR THEM.

“It’s not like you see in the movies,” Michelle says. “It is much less common for people to be abducted in dramatic ways; it often involves deceptive tactics.” Common examples are women and men ‘hired’ by foreign businesses for what they believe are legitimate jobs, but when they arrive at the new workplace, their passports are taken and they are trafficked for sex or labor. Another tactic is the ‘loverboy’ approach, in which an isolated teen thinks she has finally found someone who cares for her but, over time, her ‘boyfriend’ takes increasing control over her life and eventually sells her for sex. Since deception is a key tactic for traffickers, education and awareness makes a difference.

“The Reach aspect of our mission is super important,” Michelle adds. “If we can stop trafficking before it happens, we can prevent people from ever experiencing this horrific abuse.”

RESCUE

A21 works with local authorities in 13 countries to set victims free and also supports survivors who have bravely managed to escape on their own. According to Michelle, regardless of how a person came out of trafficking, A21 supports survivors through the legal process to hold traffickers accountable.

RESTORE

A21’s restoration goal is to set survivors up for independence; working with each individual to provide tailored care plans designed around their goals and dreams. “Restoration is a process,” Michelle says. “In some cases, it can take months or years to regain independence. But this stage is so important; it equips survivors to take steps toward the life they want. For some, that might be going back to school and completing their education, for others it’s being reunited with family, starting their own business, or getting a job. And, at the core of this restoration strategy is the Freedom Center.”

The Freedom Center is a drop-in day center that provides survivors access to services like counseling, life skills courses, job training, health services, and more. For their efforts, A21’s Freedom Center in North Carolina received the 2020 Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts in Combating Trafficking in Persons, which is annually awarded by the State Department.

Locally, The Key2Free (TheKey2Free.org) is committed to the mission to prevent and end sex trafficking through education, awareness, and aftercare for survivors. This non-profit is dedicated to restoring survivors to healthy lives and a place where they can hope again.

around town

Lamar Advertising joined forces with Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott and displayed A21’s ‘Can You See Me?’ campaign in more than a dozen cities in Texas, encouraging people who see or suspect trafficking to report it.

Co-founded by Executive Director Amy Davis, The Key2Free works independently and also within a network of more than 100 regional organizations to create a safe, quality environment, provide access and referrals to community-based services, and educate the public and at-risk youth about trafficking.

The Key2Free also provides safe housing for adult females, and non-residential services to a fully diverse demographic. All services are free to clients, including case management, medical referrals and counseling services, life skills classes, and educational support such as earning their GED or acquiring their driver’s license.

Another restoration arm is the Sanctuary Project in Austin (SanctuaryProject.com), which provides meaningful employment and job training to women who have survived trafficking. Founded and run by survivors, the Project supports women in transition by teaching practical skills in jewelry making. Retail sales then provide revenue and profit, which allow the agency to be self-sustaining while creating future job opportunities and growth.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Visit A21.org/GetInvolved for resources and ways to make a difference. Educate yourself on what human trafficking looks like by taking A21’s Human Trafficking eCourse, hosting a local fundraising event to bolster awareness in your own community, or donate to be a part of A21’s global restoration work.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

In the United States, trafficking often begins with grooming online or as a normal interaction. Michelle says, “A person pretends to be your age, promises to spend money on you, then asks you do to something ‘just this once.’ After that, he will threaten to tell parents or family that you’ve done something shameful unless you continue doing it. They lull you into a mental state from which you can’t escape, even though you’ve never left the safety of your own room.” She adds that, with COVID, online grooming is on the rise, as people spend more and more time in virtual conversation, commerce, and job searches, “We need to be vigilant as it is happening in plain sight”.

LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS...

Liberty Hill Chief Royce Graeter says, “While many victims are undocumented and taken advantage of because of their status, children remain our most vulnerable population.” While not all of these suggest trafficking, Chief Royce always recommends parents stay involved with their children so they will recognize sudden changes or note potential warning signs. Take note of gifts or money children received from unknown individuals.

Children or teens who run away, or are in unstable living conditions; staying with someone who is not a parent or guardian, or develop a relationship with someone they only know from social media. Jobs offered to young people that seem too good to be true, probably are. Messages they receive that are clearly not written by native English speakers, or using language that seems inappropriate for the writer’s alleged age or situation. Changes in a child’s behavior or moods; drug use, bursts of anger, sudden withdrawal.

awareness & action

He adds, “Calling 9-1-1 is always the answer, but we are available to talk over concerns in person, and the National Hotline is a great resource, as this is their primary focus. Even if your situation turns out to be nothing, you never know if your information may turn out to be a breadcrumb to help law enforcement in a larger, and serious situation.”

PEOPLE BEING TRAFFICKED MAY...

Be fearful of or angry at police and other authorities. Struggle to speak English words not related to labor or sex-related topics. Be unaware they have been trafficked and believe they are simply in a bad job. Exhibit signs of physical and psychological trauma e.g. anxiety, lack of memory of recent events, bruising, addictions, untreated conditions. Be fearful of telling others about their situation, or seem to be aggravated and angry much of the time. Have limited freedom of movement; always brought to and picked up from work by others. Be unpaid or paid very little. Have few or no personal belongings; wear the same clothing most of the time. Seem to be in debt to someone, or unusually attached to a person who never leaves them alone.

CALL 888-373-7888 • TEXT “HELP” OR “INFO” TO 233-733 • VISIT REPORT.CYBERTIP.ORG