Our Impact
Holistic. Survivor-led. Battle-tested.
My Life My Choice supports individuals impacted by commercial sexual exploitation and serves as a model for communities across the country. We aim to change not only lives, but the structural inequities that give rise to the commercial sexual exploitation of children. It is critical to ensure the efficacy of our work.
In 2018, My Life My Choice concluded a three-year, longitudinal, multi-site evaluation to determine our impact on those we serve in our Prevention and Mentoring programs. Funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, the study was conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health and the Northeastern School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
This is the first and only study of its kind. The results speak for themselves.
Exploitation Prevention Curriculum
The My Life My Choice Prevention Curriculum is a 10-session curriculum designed for youth at disproportionate risk of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and aims to shift their knowledge, attitudes and behavior to reduce the risk of exploitation or to prevent re-victimization.
This is the first comprehensive exploitation prevention curriculum rigorously evaluated with evidence of decreased risk of CSEC.
Survivor Mentor Model
The My Life My Choice Survivor Mentor Model pairs trained, adult survivors of the commercial sex industry with children who have experienced exploitation or are at very high risk for commercial sexual exploitation. A mentor’s role is to help mentees recover from trauma, find safety, stability, and hope, and move from victimhood to a position of leadership and strength.
This is the first study to evaluate the efficacy of a survivor mentor program for CSEC using data directly collected from youth over a longitudinal period.
My Life My Choice is so special because the mentors are survivors themselves. So, they have a firsthand experience of what we we’ve already been going through so they can really understand and help you focus and pinpoint the issues that you’re having. And also, it doesn’t feel like you’re talking to someone who doesn’t know what they’re saying, because they’ve been through it. So, who knows better than them?
D, Age 16
