Special Guest Speaker: Mikayla Simeral, MSW | Shared Hope International

About the Speaker: Mikayla Simeral is currently a Training Program Manager at Shared Hope International. She comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience from her previous position as Victim Services Supervisor with More Too Life operating out of the Suncoast region of Florida, one of the hot spots for domestic minor sex trafficking. Mikayla now resides in San Diego, California and continues to work remotely for Shared Hope International, developing trainings and tools to support parents, guardians, youth, and professionals in the field of anti‐human trafficking.

This workshop aims to equip resource parents, professionals within child welfare, and any stakeholder involved with youth who are dependent with the knowledge and skills to identify commercial sexual exploitation of children as well as trauma‐informed responses to this very specific and complex traumatic experience. We will review the current state of domestic minor sex trafficking, both nationally and locally. We will cover the realities of online sexual exploitation and cultural norms for youth who are “digital natives.” Participants will understand the red flags and signs that indicate a youth may be involved in commercial sexual exploitation as well as receive practical tips on how to respond to these youth, both in the community and in the home. The main objective of this training is to understand how to create a safe environment for children who have been through this unique traumatic experience and help to meet them where they are at during every phase of their recovery and healing process.