Dartmouth student teaches human trafficking lesson
A grade 12 student at Prince Andrew High School in Dartmouth has taken on the role of teacher.
Hailey Thomas will educate her entire school on Friday about human trafficking.
"I've planned an all day conference with a number of different speakers to come in and talk to students about human trafficking, sexualized violence and coercion," she said.
It started out as a class project, but Thomas hopes it will change a few lives in the process.
"I was a bit flabbergasted by the fact that this happens so much, not just in Canada, but in Nova Scotia, and Dartmouth specifically," Thomas said.
"I had a distant relative become a victim of human trafficking, and at the time I didn't know what that was so I looked into not only the case but also just human trafficking in general."
When Thomas got assigned a project for her International Baccalaureate program this semester, she decided to hold a series of presentations for her classmates on the issue.
Her teacher, Amy Smith, says it's a sensitive subject but also an important one.
"The presentations will inform students and be clear and real about what human trafficking entails and how girls, the age of our students, are very often lured into it. But at the same time, respecting the fact that it is a young audience," said Smith.
Thomas says the goal is to raise awareness and reach potential victims before it's too late.
"I'm hoping that maybe if this is happening to somebody in the audience or they know somebody who this could possibly be happening to, they could kind of say like 'hey' so on and so forth and we're also giving our resources that tell you where you can get help and what not," she said.
Teachers and guidance counsellors will be on hand to sit down with students affected by human trafficking.
About 350 students are expected to attend the human trafficking conference at Prince Andrew High School.
