During the next two weeks the city will be flooded with young abolitionists that desire to see the world changed. The Price of Life NYC desires to see freedom come to NYC! Check out the following press release to learn more!
‘PRICE OF LIFE’ NATIONAL ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING CAMPAIGN/ RALLY HITS NEW YORK CITY OCTOBER 1-12, 2013
Provocative Events to Feature Porn Star Ron Jeremy, YouTube Sensation Jennifer Chung, Super Bowl XLI Winner Ben Utecht, Author and Founder of Not For Sale David Batstone, NYC Native Rapper Andy Mineo, Run River North, and Human Trafficking Survivors.
New York, NY — The Price of Life, a twelve-day public program promoting awareness and action on human trafficking, comes to New York City from October 1-12.
Through over 100 dynamic and diverse events at 15+ college campuses in the NYC metro area over 12 days, Price of Life aims to educate and activate students, business leaders, scholars, churches and professionals alike, on the issue of human trafficking and its impact on our local and global communities, events presented in partnership with roughly 100 faith-based and secular organizations working together. Events range from concerts and films, to panels and debates, to thought-provoking human illustration and interaction stations. The campaign will also provide concrete opportunities for participants to fight human trafficking – modern day slavery. The campaign aims to develop 600 student leaders, mobilize 10,000 advocates, and inform 50,000 people with the awareness of the reality that slavery happens now, and happens here. Targeting this demographic recognizes that college students of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
At any given moment, more than 20 million human beings are enslaved worldwide. Human trafficking exists when a person’s freedoms have been removed through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of labor and/or sexual exploitation. The Price of Life believes that no one is truly free if even one is enslaved, and is forming a rising tide of modern-day abolitionists to stand against this scourge of our age.
“By educating 150,000 of tomorrow’s leaders about the problem of human trafficking, we are creating the largest human trafficking awareness campaign in the history of New York City. We are making college students aware that modern day slavery is real and it’s happening in New York City and around the world,” explains Price of Life Director Dave Ruark. “We are telling them that even small steps to fight trafficking are valuable – for example:
1. Ask your coffee shop if the coffee you are drinking is fair and slave free.
2. Ask about fair and slave free chocolate at your grocery store; let the manager know you would buy it if available.
3. Put the Human Trafficking Hotline number in your phone right now: 888-373-7888; if you see anything suspicious, just call! Every call is worth making, even if you’re not sure what you saw.”
Featured events include a frank men’s only discussion on the culture of prostitution and pornography, featuring NFL Alum Ben Utecht; “Free Porn? Porn Stars vs. Pastors,” a debate on the real cost of pornography, featuring adult film industry star Ron Jeremy; a panel on human trafficking in our own backyard, featuring author and historian Ron Soodalter and operators of NY’s only safehouse for survivors, Restore NYC; compelling testimony by survivors; concerts featuring rapper and NY native Andy Mineo, Run River North, and Propaganda; Bill Blaxton, founder of Truckers Against Trafficking; and several events featuring professor, author, and founder of Not For Sale, David Batstone. The full calendar of events can be found here. Price of Life Android app and iPhone apps with the entire up-to-date schedule and event details are also available.
From now through September 30th, the Price of Life is holding creative competitions in categories such as visual art and film. The focus of this competition is on creating works reflecting the truth of the horrific injustice of human trafficking, as well as the beauty of the hope of restoration. The competition is calling for works of art in any medium that engage this issue and show how a rising generation of artists stands for justice through their art. The 12-day calendar of events culminates on October 11th and 12th with a city-wide Freedom Festival at the historic City Center theater, featuring a concert, speakers, and a slave-free goods expo, as a celebration of unity in the fight.
“We’re engaging human trafficking on 3 levels awareness, activism, and asking deeper philosophical and spiritual questions,” explains Jeannie Rose Field, the campaign’s assistant director. “Price of Life aims to develop students into lifelong world changers and justice-seekers.” The campaign leaders have expertise in student development, helping today’s young people become leaders who will seek justice throughout their lives; this is not just a flash-in-the-pan approach, but rather a long-term vision.
In addition to the awareness events, students will “fund freedom” through the Price of Life Humanitas Fund, the philanthropy arm of the campaign, by raising money to support organizations aligned against trafficking on three basic levels: Prevention (World Vision), Rehabilitation and Recovery (Restore), and Skills Building for Independence (Nomi Network). Project Humanitas targets to raise $150,000 in support of these three abolitionist organizations.
ABOUT PRICE OF LIFE
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, the parent organization of the Price of Life, is moved by the plight of those enslaved, believes there is justice and redemption through Jesus Christ, and feels it impossible not to act. The Price of Life seeks to unite national and international non-governmental organizations together with campus and student leaders, business leaders, churches, scholars, and local non-profits to educate and mobilize the global community to fight human trafficking. InterVarsity is well-placed to gather experts and leverage its own depth of knowledge on this issue in an impactful and compelling way to create an army of modern-day abolitionists.
The Price of Life began in 2007 and has been hold on 6 colleges and universities in 4 states around the country; New York City is the next stop on this national campaign.
For a fact sheet on human trafficking, click here.
For media coverage and bios, click here.
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