On this episode of Virtual Business Generating Good Summit, we host Courtney Schmakers, the executive director of She Has a Name (SHAN), to explore the topic of advocating for good.

SHAN exists to combat human trafficking through education, advocacy, and direct care for impacted individuals. They raise awareness in the community by educating individuals and groups through training on the reality of human trafficking while also providing resources for survivors. SHAN funds a variety of academic scholarships for survivors such as the DREAM scholarship and also leads programs such as the John school where men who have previously been involved with human trafficking can become educated on the impacts of their actions.

SHAN guides survivors to resources and represents the strength in those impacted by human trafficking. Courtney discusses her view of advocacy, explaining that it is all about speaking up and acting. One person engaging others can have a snowball effect in bringing difficult topics to light. She discusses how SHAN engages with advocacy when she says they seek to:

“...use our knowledge and our resources to make sure that those without a voice are heard.”

This speaks to the heart of SHAN, as the organization is named to remind people that each survivor has a name and a voice that needs to be heard. Women impacted by human trafficking are people too and have a perspective and voice that needs to be uplifted.

Often as individuals, it can be overwhelming to find ways to engage in advocacy. Courtney explains how little actions can have great impact, whether that is engaging in the legislative process to bring justice and peace to the victims or becoming a more conscious consumer, becoming aware of companies that do not have ethical practices and voting with your dollar. She empowers our listeners by speaking about individual impact through conscious consumerism:

“So for the labor trafficking side of things...we vote with our dollars. Everything that we purchase does cast a vote of confidence in that brand.”

SHAN seeks to expose the realities of human trafficking, providing individuals the tools they need to engage with something that is happening often right in their backyard. Courtney shares SHAN’s goal of helping survivors in any way they can while advocating for their strength and voices to be heard.

Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Virtual Business Generating Good Summit. Go sign up for She Has a Name’s virtual training offerings at https://shehasaname.org/ and check out our other podcast episodes where we will continue to explore topics around volunteering for good, consuming for good, and advocating for good.