Dr. Brenda Navarrete and a group of Vanguard University students join Dr. Sandie Morgan as they reflect on their study abroad trip to Spain, where they partnered with Fiat to learn about trauma-informed care, survivor empowerment, and global anti-trafficking efforts.

Dr. Brenda Navarrete and Students

Dr. Brenda Navarrete is a professor and research associate at Vanguard University and an expert in trauma-informed survivor care. She teaches in the university’s Online Human Trafficking Certificate program. Her knowledge and cultural insight helped shape a meaningful and immersive learning experience for the Vanguard students during their study abroad program.

Key Points

• The study abroad trip to Madrid gave Vanguard students firsthand experience with global anti-trafficking work through a partnership with Fiat, a nonprofit serving survivors in Spain.


• Students emphasized learning trauma-informed principles, such as avoiding re-victimization and respecting survivor autonomy.


• Art therapy and creative expression were highlighted as effective and healing methods used at the safe home, with students witnessing their calming and empowering effects.


• The cultural value of acomodida—a spirit of humble, proactive service—became a guiding principle for student engagement with survivors.


• Students learned that trauma-informed care includes mutuality and empowerment, where survivors also offer and give, creating meaningful connection.


• Activities like cooking, sharing stories, and doing art together fostered authentic relationships and mutual respect.


• Projects like the Tree of Life and vision boards allowed survivors to express their roots, hopes, and dreams in empowering and therapeutic ways.


• The behind-the-scenes roles at Fiat, from psychologists to accountants to legal teams, revealed the extensive support system needed to care for survivors effectively.


• The experience helped students connect their faith, education, and career goals with real-world advocacy and social justice work.


• Multiple students reflected on how the trip inspired them to pursue their dreams, shift their career direction, and deepen their commitment to anti-trafficking work.


• Dr. Brenda and Dr. Sandie both emphasized the mutual transformation that occurred during the trip—for both the survivors and the students—through shared humanity and humility.


• Students left with a renewed sense of purpose, hope, and vision for how they can contribute to justice and healing in their own communities.

Resources

• Trip photos on the GCWJ Facebook page

Transcript

[00:00:00 ] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking Podcast. I’m Dr. Sandie Morgan, and this is the show where we equip you to study the issues, be a voice and make a difference. In the Fight to End human trafficking here at the Global Center for Women in Justice at Vanguard University and wherever you are.

[00:00:22 ] In this special episode, we’re joined by a passionate group of Vanguard University students, Bella Luzi, Alba, deiz Alvarado. Itel Monroy, Delaney Menninger, and Ariana Johnson. Along with professor and research associate Dr. Brenda Navarrete. They were all on the recent study abroad trip to Madrid, Spain. During this trip, we partnered with Fiat, an amazing nonprofit dedicated to preventing human trafficking and supporting survivors.

[00:01:05 ] This experience gave our students a firsthand look at the realities of global anti-trafficking efforts, what prevention looks like in real communities, how frontline nonprofits operate, and the importance of collaboration.

[00:01:25 ] Let’s listen in as they reflect on how this journey shaped their learning, their faith, and their future advocacy.

[00:01:35 ] Sandie Morgan: I

[00:01:35 ] have been in Spain for the last 11 days with a Vanguard University Global Center for Women and Justice Study Abroad team. They have been working with the organization called Fiat, here in Madrid, Spain.

[00:01:57 ] and we have spent several days working in the aftercare home and we have spent time. With the staff and professionals at F. So let’s have a conversation from the student’s perspective about their experience and what they learned. Let’s start with you, Bella, and tell us what did you expect?

[00:02:30 ] Guests: Hi, my name’s Bella Luzi. I am a, I just finished up my freshman year at Vanguard University. I am majoring in communications and I have a minor in Women in Justice. coming onto this trip, I really didn’t know what to expect. I took Intro to Women in Justice this year, so I got a brief understanding of, the patriarchy and just kind of dipped my toes into, um, women I justice.

[00:02:56 ]And so, coming onto this trip, I just had, Just open expectations and just was curious to see what I was gonna learn and find out. and I was really pleasantly surprised with, what I, what I ended up acquiring from this trip.

[00:03:10 ] Sandie Morgan: Let’s go to you, Alba.

[00:03:13 ] Guests: Hi, my name is Alba Alvarado. I’m a graduated senior and I’m a sociology major with a minor in criminology.

[00:03:21 ] I didn’t really have an expectation. I was blessed enough to go to Greece last year with Dr. Morgan, and I was trying to see the differences of what we. We’re gonna do and what we did, but I knew we were gonna meet wonderful ladies like Fiona, her daughter, and the women in the safe home. So I was really excited to get to know everybody and learn more from it.

[00:03:47 ] Sandie Morgan: Thank you.

[00:03:47 ] Guests: Hello, my name is Roy. I am a freshman. I am majoring in liberal studies with a minor in criminal justice and overall. I think I had an expectation but didn’t at the same time. I tried to make sure like my expectations were low, so then when I got there, I was just amazingly surprised of like everything we were doing, like all of the, presentations and being able to just be with the women and, and see with sort of their daily life looks like.

[00:04:21 ] Sandie Morgan: Ariana.

[00:04:23 ] Guests: Hi, my name’s Ariana Johnson. I am going to be a sophomore this year. I am majoring in theology and minoring in women’s justice. I. As along with the other ladies, I didn’t have many expectations for the trip. I am currently an intern at, the Global Center and have learned a lot, and I was just excited to meet these women and make relationships and learn a lot.

[00:04:51 ] And I am Delaney Menninger. I am a incoming senior at Vanguard who’s studying sociology with a minor in women’s justice. I also have worked for the center for this past year, so I’ve gotten some good information on what human trafficking kind of looks like. I’ve worked a lot on the preventative side of it, but I was really excited to learn more about victim services and kind of see what that looks like to.

[00:05:18 ] Be in that place of taking care of somebody.

[00:05:21 ] Sandie Morgan: A major focus of this study abroad was to understand trauma-informed survivor care. Dr. Brenda Navarrete is an expert in that and teaches that in our online human trafficking certificate. And we had two guest lecturers from Fiat that are psychologists that work with victims becoming survivors and going on to be reintegrated in society.

[00:05:57 ] So I’d like to hear from a student perspective, what were the main things that stood out to you about trauma informed practices? Either from your personal perspective, what you were told, and then what you actually experienced in

[00:06:21 ] the

[00:06:21 ] home.

[00:06:23 ] Guests: So when we were preparing for the trip, we talked a little bit about trauma-informed care, and then our psychologist kind of gave us some more information on that. A really big part of trauma-informed care is making sure that you’re not re-victimizing, people who have been through these experiences, making sure that you’re not.

[00:06:42 ] Being consistent with asking these questions and prying and trying to get something for your own entertainment or curiosity. And so I think that was something that everybody did a great job of being a person who was there, if that was something they wanted to talk about, but not prying for our own personal gain or for, you know, to fulfill that kind of natural curiosity that we have.

[00:07:04 ] And then I also think that, just making sure we were, Understanding cultural context where people are coming from being very, just in the know of what they had been through without applying that to everything that they were, and kind of again, revictimizing them into that context.

[00:07:22 ] One thing, I really saw in the context of the home, that we learned about in the lecture, Was the kind of therapy that F offers, for the women. And one thing that really stood out, stood out to me was, um, the art therapy and how one of the women in the home, verbalized with us that she really feels relaxed when she’s painting.

[00:07:43 ] and I thought that it was really cool to be able to just see that, in action. And when we did a art project and you could just see like the relaxation coming over the women when they were partaking in something that like, Not only, not only relax them, but that they knew that it was like their thing, their go-to.