January is a perfect opportunity to mobilize your friends, family, neighbors, classmates, clients, congregants, co-workers and everyone you know. Join us in January to raise the visibility of slavery as one of the world’s greatest human rights problems. It’s a problem we can solve, if everyone pushes together. Here are great ideas to get you started:
- Host a House Party. It’s a terrific way to raise awareness and raise funds for Free the Slaves. Play a Free the Slaves video at the event to get the discussion started. Our House Party Guide covers all the bases with tips that will make your event a success.
- Get Social. Change the cover photo on your Facebook page or header photo on your Twitter page for the month of January. We’ve created special banners you can download: Trafficking Month Facebook Cover | Trafficking Month Twitter Header. Change your profile picture to the Free the Slaves logo Monday, Jan. 11 – Trafficking Prevention Day, and let everyone know why you’ve done it: FTS Logo Facebook-Twitter Profile Pic. Use our hashtags in your anti-slavery social media messages all month: #freetheslaves, #humantrafficking and #endslavery.
- Engage the Faithful. People of faith created the abolition movement more than a century ago, and faith communities are a vital part of the movement today. Hold a candlelight vigil, or take up a special offering during January services, or adopt Free the Slaves as a designated charity for your congregation. Lay groundwork now for spring events around Passover and Easter. We have special handouts and resources on our Faith in Action webpage.
- Build Community. Organize a brownbag lunch talk at work, or print and distribute our Slavery and Trafficking Fact Sheet on campus, or pick a Free the Slaves book for your book group. Look for student resources on ourStudents Ending Slavery webpage. Create your own online campaign with our Razoo tools to inspire your community to donate to the cause.
- Spread the Word. Visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, then like us and share our posts. Stay in touch with the latest from the front lines by checking the FTS blog and sharing the news.
- Take Political Action. Visit the 50 for Freedom Campaign and sign the international petition to strengthen global trafficking laws. Or call your U.S.Senators or House Representative and ask them to pass the Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act, which will help get slavery out of products you buy.
- Buy Gifts that Spread Freedom. The Free the Slaves online store is now open! T-shirts, messenger bags, fine-art books – a portion of each sale directly benefits our anti-slavery programs around the world.
- Donate Today. Freedom isn’t free. Your ongoing contributions to Free the Slaves fuel our grassroots anti-trafficking programs and global advocacy work. And our programs deliver concrete results – we’ve freed more than 10,000 people and educated more than 100,000 more to prevent their enslavement. More than 200 traffickers have been brought to justice. Everyone who makes a one-time donation of $25 or more in January will receive a Free the Slaves sticker.
Of course, every day throughout the year is an opportunity to build a world without slavery. We hope you’ll stay active in any way that works for you.
Printable .pdf of these Take Action ideas here.
Official proclamation from the White House here.
