Guest Blogger Mia Alvarado: Roxbury Youthworks Nears a Decade of Battling Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Roxbury Youthworks, Inc. (RYI) has been actively working with, and on behalf of, commercially sexually exploited youth for almost 10 years.

Early in 2002, RYI's Executive Director attended a Department of Children and Families (DCF then known as the Department of Social Services-DSS) conference highlighting the tragedy of children living on the streets and the trauma that they faced especially through sexual exploitation. Moved by what she learned, she began leading early efforts with other partners to begin strategically thinking about how to decrease child exploitation connected to the local sex trade industry within the City of Boston and the Commonwealth. Those efforts lead to the creation of the Child Exploitation Roundtable (the Roundtable).

Under this new Roundtable, other important stakeholders from various state, local, private and public social serving agencies became involved. The Roundtable became the incubator for what has become SEEN - a nationally recognized community response coalition. RYI is therefore a founding member of the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) coalition, formerly known as the Teen Prostitution Prevention Project.  

Later in 2002, RYI was selected by the Boston Regional Office of the Department of Children and Families to provide the first and only outreach and support program to victims of, as well as youth that are at high risk for, commercial sexual exploitation. "A Way Back" outreach workers walked the streets of Boston's "Combat Zone" Thursday-Saturday nights from 10pm to 2am trying to engage exploited youth.

The outreach staff let these young people know that RYI was a safe place where they could receive support when they were ready to exit "the life." Recognizing that leaving a pimp is more complex than simply making a decision, the staff would oftentimes begin a relationship with a youth by providing them with a gift certificate for food, necessary hygiene products, clothing and condoms. Often this led to youth dropping by the program, grabbing a shower, eating and talking about their life circumstances with the staff. Relationships were built slowly, safely and successfully.

More recently in 2008, DCF decided to create a continuum of services for sexually exploited youth that included a group home, intensive foster care placements and support and stabilization services. RYI bid for and won the contract to provide support and stabilization services because of its extensive history of successful service to this population. This continuum was named the GIFT (Gaining Independence for Tomorrow) Network. RYI created its Life Coach program that provided both mentoring and intensive case management and opened in July 2008. 

After a full year of service delivery, DCF evaluated the implementation and impact of each program in the GIFT Network. They decided that the only agency that would continue to receive funding would be RYI's GIFT program. DCF observed that in that one year we had been able to successfully engage and provide intensive support to its youth. Young people stabilized in their placements, reestablished relationships with their families and enjoyed school success. 

RYI's current Executive Director, Mia Alvarado, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, has been a leader and champion for commercially sexually exploited youth since 2000. The Executive Director is the former Chief of Staff for the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services (now DCF). While there, she was in a position to promote the needs of exploited youth and assist DCF with meeting these needs. Mia was selected to represent the child welfare field as a member of Technical Working Group for the Salvation Army's Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Community Intervention Project funded by OJJDP in 2007. As a result of her experience in Boston, she significantly contributed to the Community Response Guide and CSEC training curriculum developed by this project. Mia has been a Steering Committee member of the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) coalition since its inception. She actively assisted in the drafting of the Safe Harbor legislation which has been incorporated into a Human Trafficking Bill.

About United Way Women's Initiative Education Series: Saving Our Girls - Demystifying the Secret World of Sexual Exploitation
An estimated 240,000 - 325,000 youth in the US are at risk for sexual exploitation annually. The most common ages for girls recruited into prostitution are between 12 and 15 years old from foster homes, MBTA stations and high schools. United Way heard the story of Rodnee Davis and her brave escape from this lifestyle at our Women's Leadership Breakfast in September. Join us for a powerful roundtable discussion with local leaders and advocates who are working on the front lines to eliminate sexual exploitation. Boston City Councilor-At-Large Ayanna Pressley will moderate the discussion between panelists including Mia Alvarado (Executive Director of Roxbury Youthworks, Inc.), Audrey Porter (Assistant Director of My Life, My Choice) and Rebecca Kantar (CEO of Minga). This event is generously sponsored by Eastern Bank and Nutter, McClennan & Fish, LLP.
When: Wednesday, December 7 from 5:30-7:30pm
Where: Nutter, McClennen & Fish, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, MA 02210
Contact: womens@supportunitedway.org or call Beverly 617-624-8059