The Women’s Philanthropy Series: Allies, Inc.

Allies, Inc. partners with organizations such as the Department of Child Services (DCS) and other Indiana-based agencies to provide education and mentorship for young girls who have either experienced trafficking or are at high risk for being trafficked. Their program aims to help these young girls understand their experience and to pair them with a female mentor to provide compassionate support and model healthy relationships. Mentors are vetted and trained to be trauma-informed and commit to a hands-on 18-month mentoring relationship that is solidified through a Friendship Pact. The mentoring program requires mentors and mentees to connect four times per month, twice in-person and twice digitally.

Allies, Inc. facilitates connections through their LinkUp! events, which bring together active participants, mentees, and alumnae. Often, LinkUp! events are rooted in experiences that girls might have missed growing up, such as an Easter egg hunt or a pool party. MaryAnn says some of her proudest moments have been at these LinkUp! events, when program alumnae return to help mentor and provide guidance to active participants. Alumnae have begun to play a powerful role in the mentoring program because these women can share real truth and lived experience to help because they’ve been in the same place current, active participants are in. One alumna shared, “I am in a healthy relationship for the first time in my life, and I know what a healthy relationship is because of Allies, Inc. Allies, Inc. taught me what a healthy relationship looks like now.”

But despite the joy and connection built through programs like LinkUp!, many misconceptions still surround trafficking and the young people impacted by it. When asked what a common misconception is about the participants at Allies, Inc., MaryAnn shared that a lot of people have a very narrow perception of who can experience grooming or trafficking. Allies, Inc.’s youngest participants have been 12 years old, with an average age of 15.5 years old. They come from all walks of life – race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, etc. Amanda Sparks, Allies Mentorship Program Coordinator, shared, “The biggest misconception is that trafficking only happens through kidnapping or dramatic abduction scenarios involving strangers. In reality, exploitation is far more nuanced and far more common than most people realize. It frequently involves grooming, emotional manipulation, coercion, online relationships, or someone the youth already knows and trusts. Many young people do not initially identify themselves as victims (nor do they want to be referred to as such) because the dynamics can be confusing, normalized, or intertwined with survival needs and attachment.”

The work doesn’t just stop at mentoring for Allies, Inc. They are working to educate the community – parents, caregivers, corporations – about what exploitation and trafficking and how they can help prevent it. They are also launching their RISE (Resources, Independence, Development & Empowerment) Program this year, which seeks to build resources and support into adulthood, such as workforce development and financial literacy.

And Sparks leaves us with this knowledge, “People sometimes assume the solution is simply rescue. Rescue matters, but healing and long-term support matter just as much. Mentees who are hurt through relationships need to be healed through relationships.” Young people need consistent relationships, safety, mentorship, community, and opportunities to rebuild trust in themselves and others. That’s why relational, trauma-informed support is so important in the work we do.”