Alliance Announces Human Trafficking Teen Video Contest Winners
May 12, 2025FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: May 9, 2025
CONTACT: Christine Commerce, Program Director
Alliance Announces Human Trafficking Teen Video Contest Winners
Brighton MI — Students around the United States had a chance to display their talent, earn cash prizes and educate teens about human trafficking in a video contest, “What Would You Do?”
The Alliance To End Human Trafficking sponsored the contest to raise awareness, educate and empower students on how to identify and prevent human trafficking.
St. Raymond High School for Boys in Bronx, New York won first place in the video contest for its video focusing on the issue of catfishing and human trafficking. Catfishing is creating a false online identity, often using stolen images and information to deceive others into a relationship or other interactions.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children saw a 98 percent increase in online exploitation in 2020 and estimates 800,000 youth are trafficked every year. The Alliance hopes to prevent these children from falling prey to predators and plans to have other teens empower and educate other youth by delivering that message themselves.
Second place went to the Catholic High School of Baltimore by Luisa Martinez Beltran for her video on labor trafficking and “fast fashion.” Aiden Luke, a high school student in Columbia, MD, won third place for his video addressing online safety awareness & exploitation.
Honorable Mentions went to Fond du Lac High School in Wisconsin and Uprising – a group of teens in Sheridan, Wyoming whose video educated youth on sextortion – the practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity.
Videos showed ways students could take action and included the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888.
A panel of four judges reviewed video submissions to vote on the winners. The Alliance awarded the following schools cash prizes, which included $1,000 for first prize, $750 for second prize, and $500 for third prize:
Alliance Executive Director Katie Boller Gosewisch said the youth who took part in this contest wowed us with their creative and thoughtful approach to the crime of human trafficking and this project.
“They amazed us with their sensitivity, care, and concern for those who have been affected by this crime,” Boller Gosewisch said. “We are so grateful to those who participated.”
For more information, contact Christine Commerce at Christine@AllianceToEndHumanTrafficking.org or call 321-750-4996.
Sponsors: Dominican Sisters of Peace and Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
In-kind Sponsor: beachtek
The Alliance To End Human Trafficking is a collaborative, faith-based national network that offers education, supports access to survivor services, and engages in advocacy to eradicate human trafficking.
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Category: Press Release