Preventing the Trafficking of Youth: A Retrospective Evaluation of kNow MORE! An Educational Program in San Diego, California

Author: Richie-Zavaleta, Arduizur Carli; Berry Jones, Kimberley; Aramburo, Luz & Kinzle, Kyla Grace

Abstract: In 2017, California enacted the Human Trafficking (HT) Prevention Education and Training Act, requiring HT prevention curricula in middle and high schools. Prevention efforts to combat trafficking among vulnerable groups are scarce. Additionally, implemented educational programs tend to lack evaluation. In 2016, in San Diego, California, kNOw MORE! (kM!), a drama-based and student-centered HT prevention curriculum, was developed. It aims to provide education among youth about awareness of HT, traffickers’ strategies of recruitment, identification of victims, and advocacy strategies. This analysis begins to address the current evaluation gap of implemented preventive educational programs. A mixed-method retrospective single-group design was applied. Pre- and post-assessment tools were utilized to collect data throughout a five-year period (2016–2021). Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses of association were performed. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to triangulate key findings. The sample comprised predominantly Latinx and Non-Hispanic white students from middle and high schools throughout San Diego, California. The results demonstrated that kM! has proven to increase the knowledge of its participants about HT victimization and how to advocate for themselves and others. The findings of this study provide significant implications for preventive educational efforts locally and nationwide. Future research should include a rigorous evaluation when such preventive educational curriculum is replicated.

Keywords: policy, California, preventive efforts, social justice, community, collaboration