Member Mentorship
As part of our mission to move the knowledge base forward, GAHTS provides mentorship opportunities for our members. Our goal is to help you move through the levels of membership to be the next generation of leading scholars in the field of anti-trafficking research. Check out some of the stories below from current members who have received mentorship through GAHTS.
Mentorship Stories from GAHTS Members
“We received mentorship from [two GAHTS Scholars] during the startup phase of our organization…who came in when we reached to GAHTS for volunteers. The two brought with them expertise and talents which helped our organization to grow from the start up phase.”
- Patience Phiri; Malawi (Hope Risen Foundation)
“First of all, I would like to thanks GAHTS for providing me the opportunity for membership. It has been my dream for a decade to work and learn in the field of human trafficking. As a result, I am now doing research about resilience of post-trafficking survivors in Nepal. I would like to express thanks to all Senior and Research Scholars providing me these learning opportunities and to GAHTS for the support. Now special thanks to my mentors, [three GAHTS Scholars] and my professor at Tribhuvan University Nepal who supported me in many ways for my research. After completion of my PhD, it would be my pleasure to work with GAHTS to share knowledge with rural communities about human trafficking and how to build up resilience for survivors to sustain their lives. I am here to provide encouragement to do innovative work in this field. I want to work against human trafficking and establish an institute which we can directly work with survivors to help in building their futures. I want to continue my work in this field in Nepal in collaboration with and supervision from GATHS.”
- Bishnu Sapkota; Nepal (Tribhuvan University)
“I received mentorship from [a GAHTS Senior Research Scholar]. We had several meetings and she answered my questions about my research strategy, methodology, and structure, as well as questions about how to become a good and well known academician. She is my role model and I appreciate that she shared and continues to share her wisdom and expertise with young scholars. I frequently sought her advice, and each session with her provided me with new insights and different perspectives on my struggles. Without her mentorship, I wouldn't have been able to complete my thesis dissertation as successfully as I did in 2021. I think GAHTS is a great resource to improve yourself. I hope I can be a mentor in the future too. Thank you for establishing and coordinating this incredible structure!”
-Ezgi Yaman Kennedy; Turkey (Bilkent University & UNICEF)
“Multiway learning and mentorship is a critical component of conducting anti-oppressive, methodologically rigorous research that advances the field. I have had the privilege of meeting with multiple Research Scholars and Developing Scholars to help folks think through study ideas, grant proposals, and methodological challenges or questions. In turn, I have learned so much from their questions and insights and communities. I am honored to be a GAHTS mentor.”
- Lara Gerassi; Wisconsin, USA (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
“My favorite thing about GAHTS membership is that it brings me into contact with people from across the human trafficking sector working in spaces I don't often get to enter. Through GAHTS platforms, like the networking and mentoring spaces, I get to have conversations and learn from people doing parts of the work that are vastly different from my own. From experts in academic settings, to those doing on-the-ground research to survivors with lived experience, the GAHTS community represents a virtual global networking and research space that enhances my knowledge and provides invaluable enrichment to the work I do on human trafficking.”
- Rebekah Enoch; Georgia, USA (Freedom United)
“I am starting to receive mentorship. GAHTS has been very accommodating, acts as a sounding board, provides validation, and creates and maintains the community. GAHTS has been patient and comprehending of my work.”
- Soumyabrata Chakraborty; New Delhi, India (Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism)