Empowering Young Men In Ending Sexual Exploitation

Progress Report on the Implementation of

CAASE’s Prevention Curriculum:

Empowering Young Men to End Sexual Exploitation

July, 2013

The school year in Chicago ended a few weeks ago, and the prevention education team at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation is taking a moment to pause and reflect. 

During the 2012-13 school year, the prevention educators:

• Facilitated Empowering Young Men to End Sexual Exploitation with 439 young men between the ages of 14 and 18;
• Facilitated Empowering Young Women to End Sexual Exploitation with 344 young women between the ages of 14 and 18;
• Presented workshops on topics such as healthy relationships, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and human trafficking to 1088 young people between the ages of 14 and 18; and
• Presented in 15 high schools in Chicago, 9 of which were new partnerships.

The goal for the 2012-13 academic year was to present in 12 schools and to bring programming to 2,000 students.  We surpassed our school goal, and reached 1871 students—very nearly reaching our goal.  Word of the success of the high school programming has reached the elementary and middle schools, and they have been requesting programming for their students.  The CAASE prevention team is taking the summer to adapt some of the programming for younger ages, and we hope to be able to pilot the first of these programs in the fall.

This program is continuing to each day, and is now receiving national attention for the innovative way in which it engages young people—especially young men—in a conversation about ending sexual violence and exploitation.  Please continue to support CAASE’s prevention team as we continue to empower the young men and women of Chicago to make a difference.