We're Evolving to Expand Our Impact

For more than a decade, StolenYouth has been committed to ending child sex trafficking and exploitation. Since our founding in 2012, we have focused on raising and distributing funds to create a strong coalition of service providers in Washington state, while raising awareness, creating technology and tools to interrupt trafficking, and commissioning research to support a statewide response to the issue. That model allowed us to help launch and sustain critical programs, and we are proud of the impact it continues to make.

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The issue has evolved, particularly as exploitation has moved into online spaces, as have the opportunities to create greater and longer-lasting change. The more we listened to survivors, educators, service providers, and researchers, the clearer it became: prevention must be a central part of the solution.

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Research shows that children who are educated about trafficking and exploitation are significantly more likely to recognize unsafe situations, seek help, and protect themselves and their peers. Prevention education also reduces stigma and misinformation, empowering young people to talk openly, ask questions, and advocate for each other. We know that the highly-effective public health approach to harm reduction relies on a wide base of primary prevention that centers education, yet there are few comprehensive, accessible, and broadly available resources outside of hyperlocal programs.

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That is why StolenYouth is shifting from acting as a pass-through funder to leading the development of prevention-through-education resources. In 2025, we will become the first nonprofit to create a free, adaptable, teacher-facilitated anti-exploitation library of prevention materials for use in schools and beyond. Prompted by an unfunded Washington state mandate to provide anti-sex trafficking education in grades 7-12 starting in fall 2025, we are beginning by working with input from the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop a comprehensive library of lesson plans and resources that can be used in classrooms at no cost to schools.

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Highly flexible and adaptable, these materials will address a broad range of violence-prevention topics, including consent, emotional literacy, healthy relationships, digital safety, and risk awareness. They are designed to help young people build essential skills like empathy, critical thinking, and social responsibility. The resources are trauma-informed, age-appropriate, and shaped in partnership with educators, experts, and survivors.

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In May and June, we have been piloting this program in 15 schools across eight counties in Washington state. Early feedback from teachers has been very positive. With their feedback and expert input, we will refine and expand the resources over the summer. The library will be available online for free to anyone with an internet connection starting in Fall 2025.

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What we learn from this pilot and our ongoing impact evaluation of the educational materials will guide our continued work to develop prevention resources not just for classrooms, but for the many other places young people show up. We are already laying the groundwork to expand our materials to caregivers, youth shelters, community centers, and other systems that support youth.

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We believe we are uniquely positioned to lead this effort. Our deep relationships in the anti-trafficking space, our history of listening to survivor voices, our staff expertise in anti-trafficking curriculum development and our ability to bring together trusted partners across sectors allow us to build resources that are both meaningful and effective.

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To fully focus on this new direction, we will sunset our existing grantmaking once our current grantee projects are complete. Any future funding of external programs or projects will be based on opportunities that support and amplify our new work. While we are no longer funding external programs in the same way, we remain deeply committed to supporting survivors. 

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Our emergency and education grants through the Ginny Fund and Empowerment Fund, forms of secondary and tertiary prevention, will continue to be a vital part of our work. Prevention and healing must go hand in hand. The Ginny Fund in particular is experiencing heightened demand as funding for essential human needs is growing scarcer. As part of our strategy going forward, we are reflecting on how best to maximize the effectiveness of these programs and expand them beyond their current local focus. 

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Looking ahead, our long-term goal is to become a national resource for community-based sexual violence prevention education—reaching people of all ages and backgrounds with tools that protect, inform, and empower. This evolution in our work reflects the same values that have always guided us. We still support survivors. We still work in community. And now, we are investing in solutions that help prevent exploitation before it starts.

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If you’re interested in collaborating, making connections, or investing in this next chapter of our work, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us to start the conversation. And feel free to share this news with anyone you think would be interested in working with us or investing in this critical work.

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Thank you for being part of this journey. This is the start of major change for StolenYouth, and there’s much more on the way. We are excited for what comes next and hope you will continue to walk alongside us.