Freedom Forward

As we celebrate and honor International Women's Day and Women's History Month, it’s crucial to recognize the ongoing challenges many women and girls face—especially when it comes to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Here are some facts that paint a sobering picture: 1?? Over 70% of Sex Trafficking Victims Are Female – Women and girls make up the majority of trafficking victims, with a significant number being minors. 2?? Women of Color Are Disproportionately Affected – Black and Indigenous women and girls are at a higher risk due to systemic inequalities and a lack of resources. 3?? The Average Age of Entry into Sex Trafficking is 12-14 Years Old – Many young women are coerced into trafficking at an incredibly vulnerable age, leading to lifelong trauma. This Women's History Month, let's come together to raise awareness and work toward a future where all women and girls are free from exploitation and empowered to thrive. ?????? Learn more about our work and how you can make a difference at www.freedom-forward.org. #WomensHistoryMonth #EndCSEC #StopSexTrafficking

Foster youth in California might be eligible for the CA Foster Youth Tax Credit (worth up to $1,154)! Learn how YOU can help foster youth prepare for the 2025 #tax season and claim the FYTC. ?? Got questions? Comment below or email?[email protected]

?You Are More Than Inc. ? : ? Are you a BIPOC or LGBTQ+ small business owner in the United States who identifies as a sex worker, trafficking survivor, or someone impacted by the commercial industry? OR ? Are you interested in starting a small business and are in the planning stages? Join You Are More Than’s Economic Empowerment Program! This program offers the following support: : ?? Bi-monthly Small Business workshops ?? Capacity Building Support ?? Mentorship ?? Financial Literacy Group ?? Grant Funding ?? Partnership in our social enterprise Nurture Forward : Interested in applying? Visit us at www.yamt.org/our-programs

????January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month???? Connecting the Dots. Strengthening Communities. Preventing Trafficking. The theme for Human Trafficking Prevention Month 2025 highlights the importance of a holistic approach to preventing human trafficking—one that recognizes its intersections with other forms of violence and social issues. At Freedom Forward and the HYPE (Helping Young People Elevate) Center, this belief is at the core of our work. We know that human trafficking doesn’t happen in isolation—it thrives on systems of inequality, exploitation, and vulnerability. That’s why we’re committed to doing more than addressing the symptoms. We’re working to dismantle root causes and create pathways to freedom and agency for youth. At Freedom Forward, we believe young people deserve more than survival—they deserve to thrive. That’s why we partner with youth, communities, and systems to co-create solutions that prevent trafficking before it starts. Our work prioritizes healing, connection, and empowerment so that youth can lead lives full of possibility. The HYPE Center is one of those solutions. It’s a youth-designed drop-in space where young people—especially those impacted by housing instability, exploitation, and systemic barriers—can access the resources and relationships they need to heal and grow. From mental health and wellness, legal support and housing services, to job readiness and basic needs, the HYPE Center is a place where youth can feel safe, seen, and supported as they reclaim their freedom and build futures on their own terms. What can you do this month? ??Learn—Understand the realities of trafficking and the systems that fuel it. ??Share—Amplify the voices of young people and the solutions they’re creating. ????Support—Invest in organizations like Freedom Forward and the HYPE Center that are building real pathways to prevention, freedom, and agency. Human trafficking prevention requires a whole-community approach. Let’s work together to connect the dots, strengthen our communities, and ensure every young person has the chance to live free from exploitation and full of opportunity. Ready to learn more or get involved? Visit https://lnkd.in/g7RDsMPf #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth #FreedomForward #HYPECenter #YouthEmpowerment #EndExploitation #JusticeNotCharity #FreedomAndAgency #CommunityStrength

This Giving Tuesday, I invite you to support Freedom Forward's mission to empower Bay Area youth aged 14-24 to live free from exploitation. Through our flagship initiative, The HYPE Center—a drop-in youth center located in San Francisco—we offer young people a safe and supportive space to access critical resources like mental health counseling and wellness, housing support, job training, and community-building opportunities. The HYPE Center is more than a resource hub; it’s a space where young people can reclaim their agency, build relationships, and thrive on their terms. Every service we offer is designed to prevent exploitation and foster stability and independence. Your contribution helps us keep the doors open, expand our programs, and ensure that every young person who walks through our doors is met with the dignity and respect they deserve. Let’s create a future, where every young person can have agency over their bodies, lives and relationships, living free from exploitation!?Join us this Giving Tuesday in making a meaningful difference. Donate here: https://lnkd.in/g7RDsMPf #GivingTuesday #FreedomForward #TheHYPECenter #EndCSEC #PreventCommericalSexualExploitation

????2024 Fall Newsletter???? Read the latest updates, stories, and highlights from Freedom Forward as we work to create a future where San Francisco young people can live free from exploitation and thrive! Read now:? https://lnkd.in/eS_EbKqx #FreedomForward #Fall2024 #EndCSEC #Prevention #HYPECenterSF

Announcing the 2024 Hellman Collaborative Change Initiative awardees! We're thrilled to announce $2.66M in new funding for four promising partnerships in the Bay Area that were selected by a Community Panel of local leaders: - Alameda County Health: Maternal, Paternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Unit’s Birth Worker Capacity Building Project - Alameda County Health: Recipe4Health (R4H) Collaborative - Freedom Forward: The Helping Young People Elevate (HYPE) Center - Young Women’s Freedom Center: Beloved Youth Collective The collaborations will work to improve birth justice, increase health equity, counter sex trafficking and exploitation, and break the cycle of youth incarceration. Read more about the partners and goals of these powerful collaborations here: https://lnkd.in/gKcTWjhk #bayarea #health #equity #reproductivejustice #nonprofits #philanthropy

?? Exciting News! ?? Freedom Forward is honored to announce that we are a proud recipient of the Hellman Collaborative Change Initiative (HCCI) Grant! This partnership reflects a powerful alignment of our shared missions—uplifting community-based solutions to dismantle systemic barriers. At Freedom Forward, we believe that young people are the experts of their own lives. Through our HYPE Center, we collaborate with youth to transform the systems that affect them, ensuring they have the autonomy to choose their own paths. Our work prevents commercial sexual exploitation by fostering spaces where young people can thrive—free from harm, empowered in their choices, and supported by a network that sees their full potential. The Hellman Foundation stands out for its commitment to equity, collaboration, and bold community-based solutions. Their trust-based philanthropy approach aligns perfectly with our vision, as both organizations believe in empowering communities, fostering partnerships, and addressing systemic disparities. This synergy will allow us to scale our efforts, creating safe spaces and support systems for vulnerable youth, while continuing to work toward a future free of exploitation. Together we will continue to build a world where every young person has the resources and opportunities to exercise agency over their bodies, relationships, and futures—thriving in freedom and dignity. We are grateful for the Hellman Foundation’s belief in the power of community-led change and look forward to the impact we’ll create together! ?? #FreedomForward #HellmanFoundation #CommunityImpact #YouthEmpowerment #HYPECenter #EndExploitation #CollaborativeChange #ThrivingYouth

Join our Executive Director Francesca Gonzalez on this month’s Crucial Conversation, hosted by Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence on September 18, 2024 at 12:00 PM. She will be sharing the incredible work at Freedom Forward’s HYPE Center, a multi-service drop-in center for Bay Area youth (14-24), designed for and by young people, to co-locate the services and resources they need, under one safe, youth friendly roof. She’ll discuss systemic gaps that put young people at risk and how the HYPE Center is working towards preventing commercial sexual exploitation. Join us for this important conversation! #EndCommericalSexualExploitation #NotForSale #CrucialConversations #BlackWomenRevoltAgainstDomesticViolence