About Us
How we began.
In 2001, a Boston teen was brutally murdered while being commercially sexually exploited. Latasha was 17 years old and living in a group home funded by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Unbeknownst to any of the caring adults in her life (her family, her DCF worker, the group home staff), she was being sold for sex. Following her death, city leaders came together to ask "was this an isolated incident or the tip of the iceberg?” We quickly learned it was the tip of the iceberg.
Out of Latasha's death, My Life My Choice was born.
Survivor Empowerment
We provide intensive, consistent support with a multidisciplinary, survivor-led team to provide community and stability for our mentees.
Led by survivors. Informed by evidence.
Our holistic battle tested approach is grounded in the experiences of youth who have survived the ugly realities of commercial sexual exploitation. Our mentors, survivors themselves, provide stability, community and hope to exploited children. Our partners and allies stand with us, shoulder to shoulder, in the fight for change and social justice. Our vision for change centers around four strategic endeavors: survivor empowerment, prevention, training, and policy and advocacy.
Prevention
Our nationally-acclaimed, research-based curriculum and prevention solutions protect young people from predators.
Training
We work closely with service providers, law enforcement and community members to build a strong network of responsive and informed providers and community leaders.
Policy and Advocacy
We advocate for legislative change that codifies safety, rights, and resources for minor and adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.
Our Values
-
Social Justice
We provide more than just social services. We are warriors fighting for social justice who aim to dismantle the systems that give rise to trafficking and exploitation.
-
Survivor Leadership
Through Survivor Leadership, we give voice to a movement by uplifting and inspiring others, who, too, are strong, resilient, and worthy of greatness.
-
Empowerment
Empowerment is not something that is handed out. It is the process of taking back or finding one’s power. It is reclaiming the breath in our voices that was once kept quiet, suffocating.
-
Unconditional Love
We provide unconditional love to the youth we serve. It is what all children deserve and it is what we do every day.
-
Community
Community unites us, keeps us from feeling alone, and helps us feel part of something greater than ourselves.
-
Equity
Racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, transnegativity, ageism, and ableism have no place at My Life My Choice. We are committed to advancing equity internally and advocating for it externally.
-
Opportunity
At the intersection of hope, possibility and access lies opportunity. We make sure those roads all cross.
-
Effective Allyship
For effective allyship, one must honor and amplify that those most affected by an injustice have the greatest knowledge to fix it.
-
Resilience
We model and teach resilience. It is the courage to begin anew, and it is the refusal to give up hope.
Our core values are all grounded in the undeniable truth that people have fundamental human rights, including the right not to be bought or sold.
Our Foundation Partners
