Designed For Joy recently had the incredible opportunity to participate in a Power and Promise of Belonging Workshop in Nashville, Tennessee. This workshop brought together like-minded organizations from across the United States, including AnnieCannons, Awaken, Eden House, Empower Her Network, Frontline Response, Reflection Ministries, REST, Rest Stop Ministries, and Rethreaded. The goal of the workshop was to foster meaningful connections and promote a deeper understanding of biases, barriers, and opportunities in our collective fight against human trafficking.
Our facilitator for the workshop was Kia Jarmon, an inspiring entrepreneur who specializes in communication, culture, crisis, and community. Kia works with mission-driven organizations that prioritize inclusion, anti-racism, racial equity, and justice.
We were fortunate to have Thistle Farms as the host for this event. Thistle Farms is dedicated to helping women survivors recover and heal from prostitution, trafficking, and addiction. During our time in Nashville, Thistle Farms graciously allowed us to tour their residential home and manufacturing facility, giving us a deeper understanding into their impactful work.
This gathering was made possible through the generous sponsorship of The Jensen Project. The Jensen Project aims to advance agencies that serve adult female survivors of human trafficking through housing programs or proprietary technology. As a recipient of The Jensen Project GrantTank, Designed For Joy was awarded a $150,000 grant in 2022 to support our ongoing mission.
The Jensen Project focused exclusively on housing and economic empowerment for sex trafficking survivors. In total, over $8.6 million dollars has been granted to these areas of focus, which is being distributed between the years of 2021-2024. Collectively, GrantTank recipients come from 14 states. All organizations serve survivors of any race and nationality, from any state.
Collaborating with other organizations and learning from experts like Kia Jarmon, we returned from Nashville inspired and energized to continue our mission of empowering survivors through safe, dignified, living wage work.
You can shop Thistle Farms, Rethreaded, and other anti-human trafficking partners we love here.
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