The Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum rock band has joined the campaign to end slavery
around the world.

Presenting The Free2Rock T-shirt for May

Proceeds from this month’s campaign will help Not For Sale create programs that
encourage economic development and provide jobs and artisan skills training for vulnerable
communities in the Peruvian Amazon. 

Rock out with Third Day to prevent exploitation, protect freedom and dignity, and
educate others on human trafficking. 

| CLICK HERE for your FREE2ROCK T-SHIRT |

Only available: May 15 – May 24

“Because SEED is all about empowering groups that work together to create sustainable incomes, it was a no-brainer to order t-shirts from a fair trade source,” said Rose Brewer.

Not For Sale’s Abolitionist Faith Community Director, Kevin Austin, had talked to the couple numerous times about the importance of SEED creating new futures. “We kept his words in mind as we have worked directly with our partner livelihood groups,” said Rose.  “We’ve realized that the risk of being trafficked is a reality in some of their lives and communities, much more pervasive than we would have guessed.”

SEED (Sustainable Empowerment through Economic Justice) empowers holistic livelihood groups in Free Methodist churches around the world to do micro-enterprise that makes sense in their communities.

“We appreciate Not for Sale’s work to prevent trafficking and create new futures.  We know that we are contributing to a system where the people making those T-shirts are treated fairly.”

Not For Sale’s custom apparel is made by survivors of human trafficking at a partner factory in El Salvador. All merchandise in the store, including the unprinted wholesale line, is ethically sourced at either NFS social ventures, partner sites, or by global brands that align with the Not For Sale mission.

The rate at which Romanians are being trafficked to London is rapidly increasing in the months leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Daily Mail reports that in London alone “Police recently discovered 50 women believed to have been trafficked into the area to work as prostitutes and arrested four female beggars using babies as young as three weeks old.”

Organized crime syndicates are recruiting hundreds of Romanians who hope to encounter opportunity, but are forced to beg, steal and have sex. The surge of Romanian beggars is unprecedented and surely organized by gangs who hope to profit from their suffering with the influx of tourists during the Olympics, set to be held this summer.

Just last week, Not For Sale Romania was able to repatriate two girls who had been trafficked to the U.K. Watch this video to learn more about how NFS Romania is creating positive, sustainable change in Eastern Europe.

In Delhi, India, Not For Sale works to reintegrate survivors of exploitation and at-risk populations by providing dignified and sustainable employment opportunities. Additionally, Not For Sale drives business to local ethical companies, increasing production and generating funds to be re-invested into at-risk communities.

Thousands of woman and children in India are trafficked into labor and sexual exploitation. Many are trafficked into Delhi’s red light district where several brothels are hidden in a façade of storefronts. Local NGO’s estimate that there are up to 10,000 prostitutes living and working on one street alone. All too often, when women seek new employment, they receive little to no support or protection and quickly end up back on the streets. While not all women are coerced into prostitution, many have the perception that they have no economic alternative, and an estimated 60% of trafficking survivors in India are re-trafficked.

Not For Sale recently developed a job and life-skills training program for socially conscious manufacturers, piloted at Open Hand, a for-profit ethical manufacturing company. The program will provide a passage of stability for new employees moving from recovery to re-integration.

Opening May 2012, a new 10,000 square foot factory is home for this program, empowering women from exploited backgrounds to create their own new future through job-skill training. The Not For Sale training program will support and engage women who desire to return to or enter the workforce following rehabilitation. Trainees are supported by the community and will be appointed a social worker. As part of their training, they are offered counseling, childcare, literacy programs, savings and financial training, and additional transferable job skills.

Not For Sale’s unique model includes training videos that target the different learning styles of individuals, as well as a step-by-step strategy – each woman sets goals they would like to achieve throughout the program. Not For Sale believes protection from traffickers, support during the transition to new employment, and a quality training program in Delhi will lead to enhanced self esteem, higher retention rates of employment and a decrease in re-trafficking cases.

As women begin their new jobs, they are engaged to explore a range of opportunities within the company while offered a realistic understanding of the work environment. In 2012, Not For Sale aims to train 100 women to be employed at Open Hand’s new factory, of whom 30-40% are survivors of exploitation or severely at risk. 

Not For Sale employee Caitlin Ross has just arrived in India, where she will help manage relationships between Not For Sale’s global partners and local manufacturers. Additionally, Ross will network with local NGO partners to investigate instances of trafficking, and explore new avenues for improving social and economic impact in vulnerable communities to expand sourcing opportunities in India. “I am delighted to be heading to Delhi to represent Not For Sale and assist our partners on the ground,” Caitlin stated, “The partnership in Delhi is so valuable to Not For Sale’s as we scale our impact in India. I am looking forward to learning first hand how Not For Sale can expand and enable more vulnerable and exploited women to gain access to fair employment and to prevent further instances of trafficking.”

Scarves made by Open Hand in India create sustainable, dignified employment for men and women in India, while the profits are reinvested to create new futures for survivors of Human Trafficking. 1 scarf can provide education to a survivor of Human Trafficking for 4 months. 

CLICK HERE to purchase a Freedom Scarf and help create new futures for survivors of Human Trafficking.

Maddy Feder, a sophomore at the University of San Francisco, remarked, “It was great to learn how someone like Jeremy, a public figure as an athlete, can use his strength and power with his voice. Jeremy really showed me how I, personally, can get involved, especially after seeing all he has done.”

The pitcher spoke to the experience of being a professional athlete, but emphasized that being a major league ballplayer isn’t what he wants to be known for. “I don’t care how many World Series’ I’ve won or will win. That is not fulfilling for me. I want to be remembered for the people that I helped.” 

As a boy, Affeldt dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player, and he was empowered to pursue that dream by those around him. He strongly believes that all children have that same right to dream of who they want to be and that they have the right to pursue that dream.

“Everyone has the right to say, ‘One day, I’m going to be…’ Human trafficking steals kids’ voices and their ability to dream. That is unacceptable.”

Free2Play is a platform that allows Affeldt to use his influence as an athlete to end modern-day slavery and create futures for kids who are subject to exploitation. Free2Play allows athletes and sports fans to pledge together to support survivors of, and those vulnerable to, human trafficking around the globe. This season, Affeldt has pledged $250 for every strikeout, hold, save, and win. 

The Free2Play Facebook App also allows fans to build a customized Free2Play Roster of their favorite ballplayers and challenge their friends to play as well.

Athletes have a huge ability to influence culture through their game. Affeldt said, “I want people to get in the fight against human trafficking. We need to make a significant mark in this world with the help of fans joining us. Fans are what we need. They are the ones that will cause this movement to accelerate.”

Join Jeremy Affeldt and Free2Play by pledging here.

Join Not For Sale at AT&T Park for Free2Play night on Friday, June 8! Click Here to RSVP

Despite good intentions and positive attitudes towards companies taking a social responsibility, purchase behavior too often remains unchanged.  Even though we believe ourselves to be willing to compromise on price or brand familiarity, this is often not translated into action.  Several researchers address this issue and state that there is a gap between consumers’ attitudes towards socially responsible companies and a purchase behavior consistent with such attitudes.

Continue Reading on Free2Work.org

Current fellow Matthew Collard joined the Fellowship looking for his role in the movement to re-abolish slavery. “When I first applied to the Fellowship all I knew was that I felt like I had a purpose in combating human trafficking and working to end modern-day slavery, but I didn’t know what my exact role would be. I thought the Fellowship would be a good chance to find out where I fit into the movement, where I could offer the most, and it has.”

Fellows are invited to join Not For Sale’s national staff in the San Francisco Bay Area to work in an entrepreneurial-focused, grassroots, international non-profit organization with the ambitious mission of ending slavery in our lifetime. It is a full-time, unpaid six-month program designed to offer training, leadership cultivation, and professional development. Fellows are encouraged to pioneer and develop programs that will create new futures for survivors of modern-day slavery.

“These past few months have been invaluable to my growth in not only my career in social justice, but as an individual as well.” Session five fellow Adrienne Lee stated. “It has helped me build my confidence, allowed me to become an expert in the field, and has allowed me to be part of a movement that is making real change in this world.”

Holly Bolles agrees, adding that the Fellowship program has provided her with an amazing opportunity to be surrounded by people who are “passionate, humble, and supportive, and truly believe that we can end slavery in our lifetime.” 

Applications for the next session are due May 15. For more information and to apply, click here: www.notforsalecampaign.com/action/fellowship.

Geutari mobilized his coworkers at Juniper Networks around the cause, educating and engaging them in a collective goal to end human trafficking in this lifetime. In little under two weeks, 90 supporters from 16 different countries donated more than $10,000 to Not For Sale to ensure all kids are free to play.

Juniper Networks, an international company working to transform the experience and economics of networking, is an active partner with Not For Sale, sharing a collective passion for developing bold and creative solutions to solve the world’s toughest challenges. Geutari’s contribution is an exciting new step in the partnership between Juniper Networks and Not For Sale. It is thrilling to see corporate partners engage with Not For Sale in a new and innovate way; rallying employees to use their energy, commitment, and resources to join the movement to re-abolish slavery.

“I could not be more proud of having such generous colleagues.” Geutari stated. “To say that I was touched by their sincere devotion to the NFS cause does not sufficiently express my gratitude.  I had to run with shin splints right after 10k, but running for such a cause gives the mental power and willingness to overcome the pain and deliver on the mission.”  

Thanks to Juniper Networks and Ahmed Geutari, Not For Sale will continue giving hope and new futures to survivors and those vulnerable to human trafficking.

To visit Geutari’s page, visit:  http://grouprev.com/virginlondonmarathon

Rarely do we associate human-trafficking with the degradation of the environment.  It is generally believed that human-trafficking is a human rights abuse, which fundamentally can be disaggregated into a political issue, or an issue of inequality.  On the other hand, the fall of the environment is seen as a problem with infrastructure, and associated with poor agriculture, fishing, mining, or forestry practices.  In the world of non-profit organizations, we do not often connect the two; the two movements are often disparate and in turn target different demographics and actions for change. 

What we fail to realize is how the two are so closely linked.  Where poor human rights exist, we often see the fall of environmental conditions.  When looking at the products that surround us everyday, we can see that poor enforcement of worker rights including health, safety and environmental standards can lead to environmental degradation. 

Continue reading on www.Free2Work.org.

Rebecca discovered Not For Sale through Twitter in 2009 and was immediately drawn to the entrepreneurial focus as well as the plethora of actionable platforms and tools that Not For Sale offers.  Moreover, Rebecca also found it appealing that she could fight modern-day slavery within her own community.  Instead of relocating to Washington D.C. or Europe, Rebecca became involved as a Community Abolitionist Leader for her local Not For Sale chapter in Georgia. 

Just last weekend, Rebecca and co-director, Pattie Harrelson, hosted a Backyard Academy to engage their community in the abolitionist movement.  Over 200 justice seekers flocked to Atlanta, Georgia from April 19-21 to attend the three-day event, which is designed to enable each attendee to find an entry point into the abolitionist movement and to incorporate activism into daily life. 

“Philanthropy is often constructed to have a beginning, middle, and end,” explains Rebecca Posey, “but our intention at the Backyard Academy was to encourage the audience to internalize that ending modern-day slavery is part of a lifestyle.  It requires daily advocacy in the form of purchasing behaviours or interactions with public officials.  You don’t have to be an expert—you just need to get started.” 

The weekend was comprised of workshops and training on investigating, mapping and documenting cases of slavery; effective models of aftercare for survivors of human trafficking; connecting consumers to just-market supply chains; and using faith-based activism to inspire individual, congregational and institutional change. 

In addition to serving as a tool for education and engagement, the dialogical nature of the workshops facilitated endless opportunities for networking.  Rebecca and Pattie also hosted an ethically-sourced buffet dinner celebrating local heroes in the abolitionist movement.  The celebration featured a panel of experts representing victims services, law enforcement, government, and business, reflecting the diversity of the abolitionist movement and the need for cross-sector collaboration. 

Rebecca attributes the success of the event to a core team of local volunteers, the breadth of knowledge of the speakers, and the momentum from the Backyard Academy the year before.  She also notes that instead of using sensationalism or guilt, Not For Sale events mobilize grassroots more effectively by empowering them to act on their knowledge and training.  Rebecca explains that “Not For Sale educates, equips, and empowers you in a way unlike any other non-profit organization.”