Dr. Sandie Morgan is joined by Crystal Bennett as the two discuss the importance of building survivor informed organizations and how the Toolkit for Building Survivor Informed Organizations serves organizations who seek to do so.

Crystal Bennett

Crystal Bennett is a seasoned professional serving as the Deputy Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, and Special Initiatives at the Office of Trafficking in Persons’ National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. With a rich background in social justice, advocacy, and community engagement, Crystal is dedicated to fostering inclusive environments and advancing initiatives that combat human trafficking.

Key Points

• The Toolkit for Building Survivor Informed Organizations is for organizations who serve individuals who have experienced trafficking, are working to prevent situations where an individual may experience trafficking, or are wanting to include individuals with lived experience in anti-trafficking efforts. 


• SAMHSA’s 6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Approach are vital in the Toolkit for Building Survivor Informed Organizations. The principles guide organizations in cultivating a physically and psychologically safe environment. 


• It’s important to listen to and uplift the voices of those with lived experience in order to guide the work of the anti-human trafficking movement. 


• An organization should ensure that all staff members have access to self care and should have a foundation set in which leadership shows a commitment to the organization’s ability to achieve its mission. 


• It is essential to ensure the culture of an organization values all staff and members, giving individuals with lived experience control over their stories and whether or not they are shared. 


• Equity represents access and opportunity. 

Resources

• Toolkit: Building Survivor Informed Organizations


• National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center


• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


• SAMHSA’s 6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Approach


• Human Trafficking Leadership Academy


• On the “VIBE” Framework

Transcript

Sandra Morgan 0:14

Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking Podcast, here at Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women and Justice in Orange County, California. My name is Dr. Sandie Morgan. This is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Today, we’re going to explore the Toolkit For Building Survivor Informed Organizations. I talk to people all the time, who say, “Well, we have had a conversation with so and so who is a survivor and they tick the box.” Well, I’m here to tell you today that our guest is going to show you there are a lot more boxes to tick on this. Our guest today is from the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. Crystal Benett is a seasoned professional serving as the Deputy Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, and Special Initiatives at the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. With a rich background in social justice, advocacy, and community engagement, Crystal is dedicated to fostering inclusive environments and advancing initiatives that combat human trafficking. As I’ve followed her leadership, I have admired how she’s driving strategic planning and implementation of programs, and it is a delight to have you on our show today. Crystal, thank you.

Crystal Bennet 2:09

Thank you, Sandie. It’s an absolute honor to be here.

Sandra Morgan 2:12

So Crystal, I want to start with who is this toolkit for?

Crystal Bennet 2:18

Yeah, Sandie. I think that there are a lot of organizations that are currently serving individuals who’ve experienced trafficking, or are working to prevent situations where an individual may experience trafficking, or maybe wanting to bring in individuals with lived experience to be a guide, and support a leader to really help to implement practices around anti trafficking efforts. I think this toolkit really can be for many folks across the gamut. Whether it’s individuals who may be providing funding to support organizations, to support the work with individuals who have experienced trafficking, or it can be for organizations that are currently providing services or who are providing preventative services. So I think that’s often organizations that are missed, is that if we don’t do anti-trafficking work, we think that this work is not for us. But many of the services, when we’re thinking about upstream determinants of health and meeting, just basic needs of folks, can be considered anti-trafficking work, because they do fall into the scope of being prevention.

Sandra Morgan 3:28

So as we dive into the toolkit, let’s review the guiding principles, because they show up throughout this toolkit. I think it is important that any organization is clear and has these principles somewhere on a wall, in a handbook, in a policy guide.

Crystal Bennet 3:53

Absolutely. So when we look at the guiding principles, really, as you said, this is the overarching framework for any organization when we’re thinking about involving those with lived experience, or working with individuals with lived experience. We’re really looking at Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s, otherwise known as SAMHSA’s, 6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Approach. Those principles are around how do you as an organization, create safety? To make sure that not just those that you’re working with, but also those that work within your organization feel safe physically, and psychologically. Also looking at trustworthiness and transparency. Does your organization conduct work in a way where decisions are made transparently and maintain that level of trust? Because I think many of us are familiar with being part of organizations where decisions are being made, but we’re not really sure why the decisions are made, or having the opportunity to be part of those decisions. Also peer support. Peer support is not, again, just about providing someone with lived experience to those that we’re serving, but also thinking within the organization, how are we engaging with each other in a way that really holds space for the work that we’re doing, and allows people to just show up as themselves with that availability of one another to align with and support us? Collaboration and mutuality. How do we see some of the leveling around power differentials that often exist, either between staff persons at various levels, or when we think about service providers or individuals within an organization, meeting the needs of those out in the community, and making sure that everyone has an opportunity to be part of decision making, sharing power, and recognizing the value that everyone brings into the space. And then the last two, e mpowerment voice, and choice is really around providing choices and centering the strengths that are inherent to each and every one of us, to cultivate an environment of contribution to organizational decision making and policy setting. Lastly, cultural, historical, and gender issues. This is really looking at how does our organization address the explicit and implicit biases and historical trauma? We do this through practicing cultural competence, being culturally humble, and then ultimately changing the way that we work through being culturally responsive in our protocols and our policies to ensure that people’s needs are best met.

Sandra Morgan 6:44

Some of the language that you use, it’s so natural, but really inspires me. The terms around leveling and centering are words that make me feel like there’s room for me somewhere in this space. It balances with the use of language around biases, where I’m afraid that I’ve got biases, and I’m going to hurt somebody, so I have to be really careful. Your approach to looking at this as a framework also, is not just a structure that, “Oh, you’re an organization, you need to do these thing,” but this is also a foundation that makes your whole organization stronger, and more suited for a broader community to be involved. We do need that mutuality and that collaboration. C