6 New Programs added to the Massachusetts Prevention Solution Fellowship

Written by Stephanie Judith Batista, Prevention Coordinator

We are thrilled to announce that we have added six programs to the Massachusetts Prevention Solution Fellowship (MA PSF)! We are honored to partner with Deaconess, RFK Community Alliance, Centerboard, Grafton House, Lincoln St. Girls, and Communities for People. 

The MA Prevention Solution Fellowship aims to build capacity and increase impact in the area of human trafficking prevention by supporting organizations serving high-risk youth in implementing our research-based, gender-responsive, and survivor-informed Prevention Solution Model. Our model is centered on effective prevention, which encompasses shifts in behavior, practice and policy. We also focus on sustained system-wide change while offering ongoing consultation around best policies, implementation, and sustainability including:  

• Programmatic policy development

• Advanced data collection and customized reporting on outcomes aligned with national research  

• Ongoing support and networking with other prevention providers through our online community 

The Young Parent Living programs participating in the second year of MA PSF will benefit from My Life My Choice’s expert trainers, survivors, and practitioners, as well as these trainings: 

• The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: Understanding and Responding to Victims  

• My Life My Choice Exploitation Prevention Curriculum Certified Facilitator Training  

• Advanced Clinical Training: Developing Skills and Strategies to Provide Effective Trauma-Informed Services to Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth  

• The Advanced Residential Institute on Serving Trafficked and High-Risk Girls  

• The Survivor-Ally Relationship: Taking an Honest Look 

The Prevention Team at My Life My Choice has conducted 3 site visits of these Young Parent Living programs. These include Family Independence in Roxbury, St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children in Dorchester, and Brigid's Crossing in Lowell. Each program uniquely serves young parents and families through residential services and assists with parenting support, affordable and accessible childcare, medical/mental health care and much more. Additionally, they help young parents achieve their personal goals including continuing education, life skills training, housing search assistance, and employment support. The Prevention Team is scheduled to visit YWCA Holyoke Teen Living program, our fourth MA PSF, in the upcoming weeks.  

All four Young Parent Living programs attended our 2-day in-person Prevention Curriculum Training in March. The programs all noted how impactful our Prevention Training is as they all serve youth who have been commercially sexually exploited. They had the opportunity to network, share more about their current work, and offer valuable resources to each other. The Prevention Curriculum Training also hosted 17 participants from MA organizations including the Department of Children and Families, Pelham Academy, Baystate Health Family Advocacy Center, Children's Friend & Family Services and more.  

Below you will find our Prevention Team alongside Sarah Hall (left) from Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services and Katelyn Powers (3rd from left) from Texas Family Initiative.  

If you're interested in getting involved, our applications for National PSF are still open. Please contact Nikki Valila, Senior Director of Training and Partnerships, at nvalila@jri.org with any questions.