Ricky Martin Foundation Corp

THE RICKY MARTIN FOUNDATION ADVOCATES FOR DENOUNCE HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND EDUCATE ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE THROUGH RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES, ANCHORED IN THE DEFENSE OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH RIGHTS.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT & PREVENTION CENTER (CENTRO TAU)- GERMANY'S RTL FOUNDATION SELECTED THE RICKY MARTIN FOUNDATION'S CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND PREVENTION CENTER IN LOIZA, PR, AS THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECT AMONG OTHER FOUR PROJECTS TO BE RECIPIENTS OF DONATIONS RECEIVED DURING THEIR RENOWNED RTL SPENDENMARATHON. CENTRO TAU IS A PREVENTION STRATEGY BASED ON A PARTNERSHIP MODEL TO EMPOWER PARTICIPANTS AND PREVENT VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN AREAS SUCH AS STREET VIOLENCE, DRUG USE, AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING, AMONG OTHERS. OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE IN CHARGE OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL PLANS SO THEY CAN CREATE THE WORLD THEY ASPIRE TO LIVE IN.OUR MISSION IS TO PROMOTE THE INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO BUILD THE SOCIETY OF THEIR DREAMS WITH OPTIMISM.OUR VISION IS A COMMITTED COMMUNITY WHERE CHILDREN AND YOUTH REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY TO SOCIETY, LIVING IN PEACE, LOVE, AND JOY.A FRIENDLY AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE AND PERSONALIZED EDUCATION BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT EVERYONE CAN DEVELOP THEIR NATURAL ABILITIES IF THEY ARE GIVEN REAL OPPORTUNITIES FOUNDED ON LOVE AND RESPECT. LAST YEAR 147 PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A HOLISTIC EDUCATION.

ESCUELAS DE LUZ / "SCHOOLS OF LIGHT" - THIS MONTH-LONG PROJECT'S MISSION IS TO INTEGRATE PUERTO RICO'S HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH (FEBRUARY) WITHIN HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUMS, AND AIMS TO PROVIDE WORKSHOPS TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND HOW TO PREVENT IT. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS FOR STUDENTS TO BECOME AGENTS OF CHANGE BY CREATING AWARENESS AND PREVENTION PROJECTS IN THEIR SCHOOL CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY. DURING 2016 AND 2017, WE HAVE TURNED 16 SCHOOLS IN SCHOOLS OF LIGHT AND HAVE TRAINED 220 ADOLESCENTS ON THE SUBJECT OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. PROVOCANDO CAMBIO: UNIVERSITARIOS CONTRA LA TRATA HUMANA / "PROVOKINGCHANGE: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ORGANIZING TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING" -A TWO-DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP THAT SERVES AS A TRAINING PROGRAM, INSPIRED BY THE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS ORGANIZED BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT. WE STRIVE TO DEVELOP UNIVERSITY LEADERS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING TO PROMOTE COLLECTIVE ACTION AND BRING ABOUT SOCIAL CHANGE. THIS IS CARRIED OUT IN ALLIANCE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING INSTITUTE FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS. WE WERE ABLE TO TRAIN 26 COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM 9 DIFFERENT UNIVERSITIES IN PUERTO RICO. CONFERENCIAS EDUCATIVAS / "EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCES" - THESE ARE LECTURES ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ARE OFFERED TO ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE THIRTEEN YEARS OLD AND/OR OLDER. THEY ARE UNIQUE BECAUSE THEY ARE BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF RMF'S PIONEER RESEARCH. THEY BEGIN WITH THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AROUND THE WORLD, THEN PORTRAYS HOW THIS CRIME IS DRAWN IN PUERTO RICO AND HOW WE CAN ALL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE TO PREVENT IT. IT CONCLUDES BY MAPPING OUT PUBLIC POLICY AND COMMUNITY ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED IN PUERTO RICO. PABELLÓN EN PLAZA LAS AMÉRICAS / "PAVILION IN PLAZA LAS AMÉRICAS" - AN INTERACTIVE, EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITION PRODUCED BY RMF, BASED ON ITS LOCAL RESEARCH AND INTERNATIONAL DATA, WHICH OPENS ONLY FOR TWO MONTHS AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. ITS CONTENT CHANGES ANNUALLY AND PORTRAYS THE MOST RECENT FINDINGS ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING FROM THE LAST THREE YEARS. SINCE 2012, OVER 300,000 VISITORS HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE CRIME, AND OVER 2,000 VOLUNTEER HOURS HAVE BEEN WORKED. VOLUNTEER PROGRAM - RMF VOLUNTEERS WORK IN OUR FUND-RAISING EVENTS AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES TO SOLIDIFY OUR FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING. APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR ALL THOSE OVER 15 YEARS OF AGE. VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS GIVEN AN INTRODUCTORY TRAINING ON WHAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS. WITHIN THIS PROGRAM, WE INCLUDE THE ABOLITIONISTS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, AS WELL AS OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. ABOLICIONISTAS DEL SIGLO XXI / "ABOLITIONISTS OF THE 21ST CENTURY" - THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO EMPOWER AND CONNECT IMPRESSIVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE GREATEST COMMITMENT TO RMF AND SHARE ITS VISION OF ACHIEVING A WORLD FREE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING THROUGH EDUCATION. THESE SPECIFIC VOLUNTEERS ARE TRAINED IN THE SUBJECT TO BE LEADERS IN RMF'S EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES, SUCH AS "SCHOOLS OF LIGHT" (EVERY FEBRUARY) AND THE PAVILION IN PLAZA LAS AMERICAS (EVERY NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER), AMONG OTHERS. THESE ARE A TEAM OF EFFICIENT LECTURERS AND SPOKESPEOPLE FOR THE CAUSE, AND PARTICIPATE IN BI-MONTHLY MEETINGS TO DISCUSS BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND NEWS ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING, IN ORDER TO KEEP CURRENT FACTS. INTERNSHIP PROGRAM - THIS PROGRAM WAS CREATED TO PROMOTE VOLUNTEER EMPOWERMENT THROUGH TEMPORARY POSITIONS WITH SPECIFIC JOB FUNCTIONS THAT FULFILL THE ORGANIZATION'S NEEDS. WE WORK IN ALLIANCE WITH OTHER NON FOR PROFITS TO FURTHER SOLIDIFY OUR MODEL OF COLLABORATION AMONG NEW GENERATIONS.

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF PROJECT - OTHER

OTHER SERVICE PROGRAMS INCLUDING A RESEARCH PROGRAM - THROUGH OUR RESEARCH WE VALIDATE OUR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUSLY CONTRIBUTE AND ENRICH THE PUBLIC'S KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. THROUGH DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, WE ARE ABLE TO DELVE DEEPER INTO THE SCOPE AND NATURE OF THIS CRIME. ALSO, IT ALLOWS US TO CREATE PROACTIVE ACTIONS BASED ON THE EVIDENCE AND DATA. THIS SERVES AS THE ROOT FOR THE CREATION OF OUR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS, AND PUBLIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. TO UNDERSTAND THE PATTERN OF THIS CRIME, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ANALYZE THE LOCAL CONTEXT WITHIN A GLOBAL SCOPE. THE RESULTS ENABLE US TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONSULTANTS FROM DIFFERENT SECTORS TO CURB CHILD TRAFFICKING AT A NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. THREE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY THE RICKY MARTIN FOUNDATION - HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN PUERTO RICO: AN INVISIBLE CHALLENGE (2010), HUMAN TRAFFICKING: A MODERN FORM OF SLAVERY (2014) AND VIOLENCE: GENDER & TRAFFICKING (2017). AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THESE PIONEER INVESTIGATIONS HUMAN TRAFFICKING WAS INCLUDE IN OUR STATE PENAL CODE AND FEBRUARY WAS DUBBED AS HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH, AMONG OTHER IMPORTANT CHANGES IN PUBLIC POLICY REGARDING THIS MODERN SCOURGE. RMF WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO (SCHOOL OF LAW) AND THE PROTECTION PROJECT, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.