Florida is commonly known amongst law enforcement personnel to have one of the highest incidences of human trafficking in the

country. With 40,000 children at risk for human trafficking, Florida is commonly cited along with New York and California as being one of the top destinations for trafficking victims in the United States. At the moment, human trafficking is considered a highly profitable industry because of the high demand and low risk associated with it. The lack of a multiplicity of factors such as community awareness around the issue, comprehensive legislation, resources and aftercare for victims all work together to make the industry relatively low-risk for traffickers. In cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm, Jacksonville, and Tampa trafficking runs rampant. Martin County remains a corridor between these cities, therein, our local region is affected by human trafficking. This year there were reported cases of human trafficking in Martin County and nearby children were rescued in Boynton Beach suburbs where traffickers sold children as sex slaves. Through a nationwide exhibition tour, school partnerships and local speaking opportunities, DACS will empower the next generation to stand up to slavery and tackle the issues that create an environment which allow human trafficking to thrive in Florida. We hope to grow our exhibitions to a point where they can become a continual source of funding for Redeem the Shadows safe homes and the rehabilitation of the children living there.

We believe that no child should be a slave, however, the sad truth is that child trafficking remains a major problem in Florida and even in Martin County. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so by creating exhibitions full of powerful and visceral artwork, Designers Against Child Slavery acts as a voice for those who have lost theirs. Through gallery events, artists from all over the world (Bankok, Amsterdam, London, New York City, etc...) lend their own creative voices by creating artwork which is sold to help provide for the rehabilitation of survivors.

DACS Grant Proposal

Currently, there are no other organizations in our area that create art as a means for inspiring social action against human trafficking and at the same time operate as a support system for rehabilitative services. Therefore, Designers Against Child Slavery is the first of its kind in Martin County that meets the following needs: Community Awareness - Community awareness plays a huge role in the fight against trafficking. As sad as it is, the majority of people in Martin County arent aware that children are being trafficked for sex in their local community. Since about 40,000 children in Florida are at risk of being trafficked, the community needs to be educated about the issue and taught what to look for. Art Therapy - Art provides a therapeutic and creative release to children who begin the restoration process. Art Therapy can be especially beneficial to children and teens with severe emotional trauma. As studies have shown, young trafficking victims with post traumatic stress, depression and anxiety are typically less capable and less comfortable expressing themselves with words. This is what makes art therapy in the restoration process so powerful. Positive results can be achieved for symptoms including but not limited to: Anxiety, Depression, Addiction and Trauma that occur from being sexually abused. There are 3 initial ways that the DACS project will fulfil these needs in the local community: 1. Art Restoration - DACS will build a creative environment that fosters the development of the restoration process. By gathering a team of trained art therapists and local volunteers, DACS will assist in the rehabilitation process by allowing victims to express themselves creatively. 2. Gallery Event in Martin County - DACS will put on a cutting edge gallery event featuring work from some of the worlds most prestigious graphic artists. There will be guest speakers from local anti-trafficking groups discussing what steps are being taken to cut down on the issue. Our mission is to open the publics eyes to the reality of sex trafficking but more importantly teach them what to look out for and how to prevent it from happening in the first place. 3. Partnering with local High Schools - DACS and Redeem the Shadows will encourage the local school systems to allow us time in their art classes, where we will speak to the students about things such as the power of art as it relates to social injustices and the need for young people to step up and make a difference. DACS will present its Art Restores Campaign where high school students are encouraged to create a piece of art based around the theme of trafficking and then share that piece via social networking. Students will be encouraged to post their pieces on facebook, twitter and instagram using the hashtag #artrestores.
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Merit of the program, project, scholarship, or internship.

DACS is a project which is geared towards inspiring the community to take action against human trafficking and assisting in the rehabilitation of trafficking victims.

Partnerships and collaborations with existing community resources.

Chamber of Commerce for Stuart Florida (member) Treasure Coast Anti-Trafficking Coalition (leader) Palm City Presbyterian (collaborator) Rep. William Snyder (collaborator) Troy Mcdonald City Commissioner (supporter/board member)

Increase of public awareness and participation in the arts

DACS will create public awareness through hosting a large scale gallery event which will engage the local community and raise awareness about trafficking problems close to home. DACS will encourage participation in the arts by partnering with local high schools and encouraging art students to take part in our student Art Restores social media campaign.

Value to the community in strengthening the arts

DACS believes that art is a powerful form of communication. DACS will strengthen the art community by inspiring people to communicate using art. Art is a way of communication that anyone can connect with in one way or another, thus making it an extremely effective tool for social causes. DACS hopes to be a testimony to the power of art through our gallery events and student social media campaigns.

DACS Grant Proposal

John Mark Herskind is a 19 year old graphic artist from Columbia, SC who started DACS at the age of 17. He was made aware of the issue and decided to take action. He leveraged his skills as an artist and networker, to put on a gallery event in his home town. The event brought in over 400 people and raised just under $10,000, which was then donated to safe homes around the world. If a 17 year old kid can make an impact, anyone can. Thats the mentality DACS carries with us as we call the people to action. DACS goal is to reach thousands of people with one simple, yet crucial message; That contrary to popular belief, slavery didnt end with the civil war. Its still alive and thriving in our country today and no matter how young you are or where youre at in life, you can make an impact. We strongly believe this message will be taken seriously, as it will be delivered by a kid who has yet to reach his 20s. Through a nationwide exhibition tour, school partnerships and local speaking opportunities, DACS will empower the next generation to stand up to slavery. On average, DACS has raised between $9,000 to $15,000 per event. Each event costs anywhere between $3,000 to $5,000. DACS hopes to make an initial investment of $40,000 into a cutting edge gallery event tour. Our goal with this tour is to kick it off in our hometown, Stuart, FL. Then travel to at least 7 other cities in the US where trafficking is a known issue. These cities include:

Through our connections, DACS will have a team of PR volunteers in each city to partner with local art councils, colleges, newspapers, radio stations, celebrities and bands to ensure that we get a substantial turn out. Based on the figures above, we strongly believe this tour can generate close to $100,000, more than doubling our initial investment. With those funds, DACS could provide art rehabilitation services and safe home funding, not only in Martin County, but across the entire state of Florida, while at the same time raising a large amount of awareness and empowering the next generation to stop slavery in America.
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DACS Grant Proposal

Artist: Grzegorz Domaradzki Location: Pozan, Poland

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Artist: Rob Shields Location: Philadelphia, PA

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Artist: Raphael Vicenzi Location: Brussels, Belgium

DACS Grant Proposal

Artist: Alexis Marcou Location: Athens, Greece

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Artist: Goni Montes Location:Atlanta, GA

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