The Enitan Story
Report date
October 2021
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
Workgroups: We have two workgroups set up to help us develop and build strategic plans to implement the project.
1. Providers Workgroup: This group is made up of existing, new partners, and state agencies who meet every five to six months to brainstorm, provide ideas and guidance on how to build upon existing work in the area of labor trafficking to expand Safe Harbor to include labor trafficking. Our provider workgroup included service providers within and outside of the Safe Harbor Network - StandPoint, International Institute of Minnesota (IIM), Restoration for All (REFA), Transformative Circle (TC), and state agencies - the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services, MN Department of Labor, MN Attorney General's Office, and MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
The group also helped to provide feedback to the outreach materials we developed to educate Minnesotans and the MN legislators, in addition to connecting The Enitan Story to other relevant partners such as the MN Department of Safety and legislators that can help build awareness on labor trafficking.
1. Providers Workgroup: This group is made up of existing, new partners, and state agencies who meet every five to six months to brainstorm, provide ideas and guidance on how to build upon existing work in the area of labor trafficking to expand Safe Harbor to include labor trafficking. Our provider workgroup included service providers within and outside of the Safe Harbor Network - StandPoint, International Institute of Minnesota (IIM), Restoration for All (REFA), Transformative Circle (TC), and state agencies - the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services, MN Department of Labor, MN Attorney General's Office, and MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
The group also helped to provide feedback to the outreach materials we developed to educate Minnesotans and the MN legislators, in addition to connecting The Enitan Story to other relevant partners such as the MN Department of Safety and legislators that can help build awareness on labor trafficking.
Workgroups: We have two workgroups set up to help us develop and build strategic plans to implement the project.
2. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) workgroup: This group is comprised of seven people with lived experience of labor trafficking who mirror the same activities from the providers' Workgroup but use the lens of survivors to guide and provide insight to help The Enitan Story successfully implement the project. The group meets every five to six months by reviewing our findings from the Providers' workgroup and providing feedback. The group also reviewed the public awareness materials that we developed by providing suggestions for revisions to ensure that Minnesotans and the Mn legislators can identify and understand labor trafficking in Minnesota.
2. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) workgroup: This group is comprised of seven people with lived experience of labor trafficking who mirror the same activities from the providers' Workgroup but use the lens of survivors to guide and provide insight to help The Enitan Story successfully implement the project. The group meets every five to six months by reviewing our findings from the Providers' workgroup and providing feedback. The group also reviewed the public awareness materials that we developed by providing suggestions for revisions to ensure that Minnesotans and the Mn legislators can identify and understand labor trafficking in Minnesota.
Community Conversation: This activity has also been very instrumental to the success that we are recording so far on the project. We have successfully completed the three Community Conversations that we proposed in the first year and have started other ways to conduct community conversations through tabling at community events. We participated in one of such in August 2021.
The Community Conversation along with the workgroups have made one other activity - Outreach - that we have proposed to be more feasible along the way. We have been connected with various new partners and collaborators on expanding Safe Harbor to include labor trafficking. In addition, the connections have shown interest in working together to amplify the identification of labor trafficking in Minnesota. In fact, we were able to identify a labor trafficking survivor through one of the Regional Navigators within the Safe Harbor Network who was able to learn how to identify labor trafficking during our meeting with the Regional Navigators as suggested by the Providers' Workgroup.
The Community Conversation along with the workgroups have made one other activity - Outreach - that we have proposed to be more feasible along the way. We have been connected with various new partners and collaborators on expanding Safe Harbor to include labor trafficking. In addition, the connections have shown interest in working together to amplify the identification of labor trafficking in Minnesota. In fact, we were able to identify a labor trafficking survivor through one of the Regional Navigators within the Safe Harbor Network who was able to learn how to identify labor trafficking during our meeting with the Regional Navigators as suggested by the Providers' Workgroup.
Key lessons learned
World pandemic is disruptive: The COVID-19 has been a disruptive factor as some of our partners have staff turnover. In addition, we changed to meeting online to enable the workgroup to meet safely. While it's been disruptive, it has also thought us how to implement the project in a way that includes partners and collaborators who may have not been able to work with us on the project.
TES has learned the importance of including key players such as government agency staff who have statistics that can help us make a strong argument for educating Minnesotans about labor trafficking and identifying victims to connect them to community service providers. In addition, the community partners and Subject Matter Experts' workgroups were pivotal to helping us successfully design products that will help with outreach and also educate the MN legislators.
TES has learned the importance of including key players such as government agency staff who have statistics that can help us make a strong argument for educating Minnesotans about labor trafficking and identifying victims to connect them to community service providers. In addition, the community partners and Subject Matter Experts' workgroups were pivotal to helping us successfully design products that will help with outreach and also educate the MN legislators.
Another lesson learned is that the fact that a partner worked successfully with us on other projects or past project - related or unrelated - does not mean that the partner may be willing to work with us on a new project.
As a result, TES has also understood the importance of keeping an open-mindedness approach to solving an issue that does not get the much-needed attention by working with partners who have received the project with open arms and looking for others who are willing to work together rather than worry over any partner not willing to work with us.
The ability to navigate this challenge has been very helpful to the success that we have recorded as new partners are willing to come on board to implement the project with us.
As a result, TES has also understood the importance of keeping an open-mindedness approach to solving an issue that does not get the much-needed attention by working with partners who have received the project with open arms and looking for others who are willing to work together rather than worry over any partner not willing to work with us.
The ability to navigate this challenge has been very helpful to the success that we have recorded as new partners are willing to come on board to implement the project with us.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
All of the three elements of the community innovation process - inclusive, collaborative, and resourceful have been very helpful in making progress on the project.
TES has made sure to include key players such as service providers, stage agencies, people with lived experience of labor trafficking, and stakeholders through community conversations and surveys to ensure that we develop and implement a project that is successful in helping Minnesotans identify labor trafficking.
So far, through such collaboration, TES has identified a victim within the Safe Harbor Network who would have otherwise not been identified because the provider did not know what to look for. TES outreach and training helped the provider to identify the victim and connected them to the appropriate services.
TES has made sure to include key players such as service providers, stage agencies, people with lived experience of labor trafficking, and stakeholders through community conversations and surveys to ensure that we develop and implement a project that is successful in helping Minnesotans identify labor trafficking.
So far, through such collaboration, TES has identified a victim within the Safe Harbor Network who would have otherwise not been identified because the provider did not know what to look for. TES outreach and training helped the provider to identify the victim and connected them to the appropriate services.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
A holistic approach has been helpful to the success of the work so far. In addition to the education and creating awareness through dialogues and collaboration, we have also been identifying victims and meeting their needs through comprehensive services with our collaborative partners.
We have also worked towards reducing racial disparities in both identifications of victims and in the provision of services to them. For example, the contributions from the Providers and Subject Matter Experts on our educational material to the legislators ensured that a diverse population was represented in other to effectively identify victims and meet their needs.
We have also worked towards reducing racial disparities in both identifications of victims and in the provision of services to them. For example, the contributions from the Providers and Subject Matter Experts on our educational material to the legislators ensured that a diverse population was represented in other to effectively identify victims and meet their needs.
Understanding the problem
There is no policy, system or environment conducive for the recognition of labor trafficking in Minnesota. For example, Safe Harbor has a 'No Wrong Door Model' to identify and serve sex trafficked victims. Consequently, there is a need to have a model developed around policy system and environment to identify and provide comprehensive services to labor trafficked victims.
TES work has led to more clarity that there is a need to develop a model similar to the Safe Harbor 'No Wrong Door Model' to address labor trafficking at the state level. Victims are within the system and are not being identified because the providers do not know what to look for. The project has helped TES to create an atmosphere that helped providers understand and identify victims among the population they serve to connect them to appropriate services.
It has also identified the potential of using social media and other outreach materials to amplify educating Minnesotans about labor trafficking for proper identification of victims to connect them to services.
TES work has led to more clarity that there is a need to develop a model similar to the Safe Harbor 'No Wrong Door Model' to address labor trafficking at the state level. Victims are within the system and are not being identified because the providers do not know what to look for. The project has helped TES to create an atmosphere that helped providers understand and identify victims among the population they serve to connect them to appropriate services.
It has also identified the potential of using social media and other outreach materials to amplify educating Minnesotans about labor trafficking for proper identification of victims to connect them to services.
If you could do it all over again...
Have a risk plan not only in terms of budgeting or internal risk but also risks that arise externally.
Be prepared to adjust or find other possible partners when a former collaborative partner decides not to work with you on a new project for reasons best known to them. This will be important because it is important to focus on the new project and how to make it successful rather than dwelling on the fact that a previous partner refuses to come on board.
Be open to opportunities and could make up for the challenges that may arise during the implementation of the project.
Be prepared to adjust or find other possible partners when a former collaborative partner decides not to work with you on a new project for reasons best known to them. This will be important because it is important to focus on the new project and how to make it successful rather than dwelling on the fact that a previous partner refuses to come on board.
Be open to opportunities and could make up for the challenges that may arise during the implementation of the project.
One last thought
An innovative project requires an innovative approach. Engaging with relevant stakeholders and people with lived experience and following through with their recommendations is impactful and powerful in creating and implementing meaningful projects that are sustainable.