Facts about Slavery

At our April Youth Leadership Board Meeting, the students had the opportunity to hear about a subject that is impacting not only the word but the community we live in as well. Luv Bartlett, from Stella's Voice came and spoke to our students about what Stella's Voice is doing to stop human/sex trafficking in Moldova as well as Slavery/Trafficking in Montgomery and Alabama and the rest of the world.

Here are some of the interesting facts that Luv shared about slavery.

• The Slavery "Industry" rakes in an estimated $32 billion dollars each year
• Every minute of every day, 2 children- children who should be playing and learning and enjoying the most precious part of their lives- are sold into slavery. 
• 80% of all people trafficked into forced labor both for economic and sexual exploitation are women and girls. 
• As many as 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States annually. 
• Atlanta is a major hub of trafficking and ranked among the top 14 cities in the United States for the highest incidence of children used in prostitution. 
• The majority of trafficking victims are between the ages of 18 and 24. 

Luv Bartlett from Stella's Voice with Youth Leadership Board Senior Carlie Dunn

This information not only shocked many of the students but motivated them to learn more. They were able to connect this information with our mission by realizing that as we fight to prevent teen pregnancy and the spread of STDs- many girls and boys their age around the world have no choice in that matter and are forced to take part in sexual acts everyday. 

How Do You Slice Your Pizza?

On Monday January 14th, the Youth Leadership Board was privileged to have Clay Carroll from State Farm come speak to them about learning to handle and budget their money. Since the group consists of Juniors and Seniors in high school the timing was perfect. Many of them will be in college soon and having to make financial decisions on their own for the first time.

Clay began the presentation by talking about successful people and how they handle their money. He noted the importance of having a plan, setting aside money, leaving set aside money alone, and protecting themselves from risk. He used the example of slicing a pizza to help them understand the idea of budgeting and gave each of them the tools to begin creating their own budget. Even if all of their money comes from their parents, he helped them understand that beginning to budget now will only help them later.

Clay left the students with four rules for building financial security.
1: Protect first that which you can least afford to lose... your potential earning power.
2: Protect yourself from large losses - which might be rare - but from which it would be difficult to recover financially. These are inexpensive to insure against.
3: Always have a liquid cushion to fall back on for emergencies and opportunities.
4: Save/invest as much as you can, as often as you can, starting as SOON as you can.

Many of the students expressed that they learned a great deal of information and have a new understanding of the importance of budgeting money. Clay helped Growing Our Own Youth further our mission of enhancing the future of today's youth by strengthening area families through education and community involvement.