Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP

In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson imagines freedom with Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP. Katie is a human trafficking survivor. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Clinically Certified Human Trafficking Victims Services Provider. Katie has her own private therapy practice and has a passion for providing trauma treatment to survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other traumas.

Katie has years of experience in community education and consultation. She is a School of Social Work Program Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., teaching classes on human trafficking. She has provided over 120 national and international trainings on human trafficking and is a HEAL Trafficking trainer and subject matter expert. Katie graduated from Florida State University with her Bachelors and Masters of Social Work in 2006.

Katie serves on the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) Advisory Survivor Board, the Colorado Human Trafficking Council Survivor Leader Advisory Board and the 3Strands Global Foundation Survivor Advisory Board. She is active in her local West Michigan human trafficking task force and serves on the Board of Sacred Beginnings, providing services to those who have experienced human trafficking. Katie has provided expert consultation with the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, Polaris Project, HEAL Trafficking, Freedom Network Training Institute and the Michigan Abolitionist Project.

In 2024, Katie was appointed by the Governor to the state of Michigan’s Human Trafficking Commission as the vice-chair. Katie was recently awarded “40 under 40 Boston Congress of Public Health Catalyst Award” for her achievement at the Department of Veteran Affairs in shaping human trafficking as a public health concern.

Katie lives in Michigan with her two daughters.

Contact Katie at:

Additional Resources

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Evelyn Chumbow

In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson imagines freedom with Evelyn Chumbow, a survivor of child labor trafficking turned anti-trafficking activist and public speaker who has focused her life’s work on ending modern-day slavery, a crime impacting some 40 million victims globally.

Ms. Chumbow was brought to the United States from Cameroon at the age of 9 and was forced to cook, clean, and care for her trafficker’s children. She was never paid for her work, and any hope that she might escape was undermined by the constant beatings she received from her trafficker.

After years of captivity she finally escaped, and her trafficker was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Today, Ms. Chumbow works tirelessly to raise awareness and advocate for other survivors. She strongly believes in the need for professional development for survivors and dedicates her time volunteering at the grassroots level to guide communities on how to create employment opportunities for trafficking survivors.

Among her many honors, Ms. Chumbow is the recipient of the 2021 Abolitionist Award from the Nomi Network, the 2018 African Heroine Award from the Ohio University African Student Union, and the 2015 Peace Seeking Award from the Presbyterian National Church. In 2021, Ms. Chumbow was selected to be included in the launch of Voices of Freedom, an initiative created by Story Corps and the Administration for Children and Families, in honor of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Ms. Chumbow has serves as an advisor to human trafficking NGOs. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Human Trafficking Legal Center and Free The Slaves. She has worked at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP in Washington, DC, where she supports human trafficking and human rights related pro bono initiatives for seven years. Ms. Chumbow is currently the Director of Operations & Survivor Leadership Director for The Human Trafficking Legal Center. Ms. Chumbow hopes to leverage her unique position as a former child slave to end human trafficking in West Africa, in her hometown, and the rest of the world.

Contact Evelyn at:

Evelyn Chumbow

Connect with Evelyn on LinkedIn

More Resources

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Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP

In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson imagines freedom with Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP. Katie is a human trafficking survivor. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Clinically Certified Human Trafficking Victims Services Provider. Katie has her own private therapy practice and has a passion for providing trauma treatment to survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other traumas.

Katie has years of experience in community education and consultation. She is a School of Social Work Program Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., teaching classes on human trafficking. She has provided over 120 national and international trainings on human trafficking and is a HEAL Trafficking trainer and subject matter expert. Katie graduated from Florida State University with her Bachelors and Masters of Social Work in 2006.

Katie serves on the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) Advisory Survivor Board, the Colorado Human Trafficking Council Survivor Leader Advisory Board and the 3Strands Global Foundation Survivor Advisory Board. She is active in her local West Michigan human trafficking task force and serves on the Board of Sacred Beginnings, providing services to those who have experienced human trafficking. Katie has provided expert consultation with the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, Polaris Project, HEAL Trafficking, Freedom Network Training Institute and the Michigan Abolitionist Project.

In 2024, Katie was appointed by the Governor to the state of Michigan’s Human Trafficking Commission as the vice-chair. Katie was recently awarded “40 under 40 Boston Congress of Public Health Catalyst Award” for her achievement at the Department of Veteran Affairs in shaping human trafficking as a public health concern.

Katie lives in Michigan with her two daughters.

Contact Katie at:

Read Robin’s article on the subject of family as traffickers published in the Tallahassee Democrat.

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Hollie Nadel

In this episode host Robin Hassler Thompson imagines freedom with Hollie Nadel. Hollie’s perspectives and experiences are unique and important to ending human trafficking. They discuss how she trains bankers and anti-money laundering experts all over the country on how to spot human trafficking and detect these crimes throughout the financial sector. Hollie has testified before Congress, advocating for new laws to help survivors. She also shares how traffickers can target anyone with an unmet need, including someone like her.

Hollie opens the door for us to see how traffickers need banks and other businesses to hide and move their criminal profits. She also takes time to dispel one of the myths about who can be vulnerable to a trafficker. She helps us understand how this happened to her, and at the same time, how she moves forward in her life, helping others.

Hollie also brings us up to date on the latest tools and laws to help sex and labor trafficking survivors be more economically secure and thrive.

We hope you find this conversation enlightening and motivating so you, too, can understand how pervasive sex and labor trafficking is and what YOU can do to help.

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Every year, STAC hosts an event called Imagine Freedom to recognize community leaders who have made a difference in the lives of people who have been sex and labor trafficked. And we use this event to raise funds to support the comprehensive services that STAC provides to survivors.

We also acknowledge and thank those who have worked hard to prevent trafficking from happening in the first place. This year at 621 Gallery, we decided to bring a bit of Imagine Freedom, the event, on this Imagine Freedom podcast.

You’re going to hear some background noise because we had a record-breaking attendance. You’ll hear some clapping too as people were being awarded the 2024 Gratitude Awards as we were recording. The event was terrific and really exceeded my expectations in ways I could NOT imagine! And by the way, if you want to know more, the program from the event is in the show notes.

You’ll also learn a little bit about another highlight of our event – it is a mural called “From Surviving to Thriving” that local artist Nipa Thakkar Eason created. More about this mural, including Nipa’s artist statement, can also be found on STAC website and show notes to this episode.

As you listen, you‘ll get a glimpse into our evening as well as insights and ideas about what YOU can do to recognize and respond to sex and labor trafficking. You’ll learn about free resources. And you’ll also get a sense of the tremendous power of community coming together to be there for one another and to make a difference. Like the quote from Bishop Desmond Tutu on the mural says: “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”

I hope you are inspired by the people you are about to hear and truly enjoy this episode.

Imagine Freedom 2024

My name is Graciela Marquina, and I’m here because I work at STAC, the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center. I want to support my cause and the organization I work for.

It’s important for me to continue learning about human trafficking and also for other people to know what we do and the problem we have in our communities with human trafficking — forcing another person to do something that person doesn’t want to do. It can be at work or sexual treatment. And both happen in our community here in Tallahassee, and in other communities.

It’s important for me that people know what they have to do. First, what are the signs when someone is being exploited and when it is human trafficking. Because this way we can call people like us who are going to help victims and survivors of human trafficking. And it was very important for me to see today the support we have from our community.

I am very excited that so many people came and understood the problem. I hope we all learn more, continue learning what’s important, and also support non-profit organizations like mine to continue supporting people who are victims. And when they come out, they are survivors but still need a lot of help.

The post Episode 6: 2024 Imagine Freedom Event appeared first on Survive and Thrive.

Jamie Rosseland

In this episode, we imagine freedom with Jamie Rosseland. Jamie is a lived-experience expert on the topic of human trafficking – and she brings a wealth of knowledge, compassion and incisive analysis to our conversation.

We go deep to examine the context of how traffickers target people, especially youth, and what we can do. Jamie is one of several survivor experts who consults with STAC and grounds our work.

STACPRO Human Trafficking Business Training

National Human Trafficking Hotline

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Sameer Jain

In this episode, we Imagine Freedom with Sameer Jain. Sameer is a survivor of labor trafficking. He also is an immigrant who The Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center had the honor of working with when he and his family came to Tallahassee after being trafficked.

Sameer is a compelling and thoughtful person. He reflects deeply, and in a common-sense way, about how our systems need to look at this issue of human trafficking differently and what we as individuals can do to help so that, as he says, even one person can realize that what is happening to them is wrong and that there is help.

Sameer is also a great public policy thinker, and we talk about what elected leaders and us regular people can do at the national, state and local levels to make a difference. And by the way, this podcast is not the only place that Sameer is speaking out: The US Department of Justice has invited him to speak and he is on a prestigious national human trafficking survivor council.

Sameer also helps us to see how people in the private sector need to be educated about this topic and take immediate action.

STACPRO Human Trafficking Business Training

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Dr. Jacquelynn Hairston

In this episode, we imagine freedom with Dr. Jacquelynn Hairston, a public health consultant and human trafficking survivor with a PhD in public health education who is a passionate and involved community advocate here in the Big Bend of Florida.

During our conversation, you will hear how she takes a wide-angle lens to how human trafficking happens, especially to children, both in our communities and within families. Dr. Hairston offers advice and support to those impacted by this issue, whether as a child or later as an adult. Her experiences as a child and her work with so many other survivors is eye-opening and riveting.

So, if you’re a parent or family member with youth in your life, or are a healthcare provider, work in the justice system, or are a caring person in our community who wants to know more, this episode will help you learn a lot about how YOU can help end human trafficking in your community.

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Christabelle Robinson

In this episode, we imagine freedom with Christabelle Robinson. Christabelle is the communications and media specialist for The Global Center on Human Trafficking, where she is involved in everything from programmatics, media, graphic design and events, to research and training.

A survivor herself, her passion for survivor advocacy and rights is at the forefront of her work. Christabelle has years of survivor advocacy experience including training, consultations, programmatic development, blogs, interviews and public speaking on human trafficking and related issues.

She believes in survivors leading the fight against human trafficking, and it’s her goal to support other survivors in that mission.

As you will soon learn, Christabelle leads that mission with the understanding that many survivors are left out of the field due to discrimination and inequality. She aims to increase inclusion in anti-trafficking work by including ALL survivors, from all backgrounds, races, sexual orientation, nationalities, social status and sex.

We start our conversation with Christabelle’s thoughts on how we talk about human trafficking. Her insights about the language and terms we use are really important to showing both understanding and respect when we are speaking with or about survivors.

The post Episode 2: Christabelle Robinson appeared first on Survive and Thrive.

Liz Kimbel

In this episode, we imagine freedom with Liz Kimbel, program specialist and board member at the Restoring Ivy Collective. She is a survivor advocate with the Global Center on Human Trafficking at Montclair State University and secretary of the Maryland Survivor Network. Liz is a Survivor/Lived Experience Expert of minor domestic sex trafficking and has been working in the Anti-Trafficking field for over a decade. In our conversation, Liz shares her life experiences, wisdom on how we can empower youth and families to be safe from sex and labor traffickers, and much more.

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