Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

We can be radically present in our work by practicing consent and maintaining boundaries.

It is National Human Trafficking Awareness and National Mentoring Month, a month we’ve often used in both fields to kick-off the momentum for the work in the year ahead. In addition to our daily work, many of us are planning and attending mentoring events, broadcasting the realities of the impact of human trafficking on children and youth, attending training to keep up with trends in our field, and attempting to stay connected to peers. And still, this year feels different.

Doing person-centered work has always had its challenges, but they have usually been challenges we can anticipate.  As we adjust to uncertainty in our respective youth-serving areas, exploiters are adjusting their tactics as well, and daily we are navigating new disheartening realities. 

We could share statistics and paint a grim picture of how an increase in vulnerabilities among youth and families increases risk of trafficking and homelessness in youth, but my sense is if you’re reading this you already know that. You are likely already engaged in work to help build protective factors, and support youth navigating extreme circumstances.  

My invitation during this season is to encourage us as a youth services field to be in the practice of being (radically) present with one another, so that we can do the most important work of all in 2026. Keep the main thing, the main thing.

From doing to being

As I was thinking about my “why” for this year, I noticed that it can be easy to keep a full list of tasks, complete them, and still drift from the purpose. The question became, How can we expand our doing to being in practice? 

What came up immediately was relationships. We have long known that a key part of trafficking prevention lies in the network surrounding an individual. I have heard stories of people who were trafficked as teenagers whose teachers, coaches, and neighbors had no idea. But that does not necessarily mean there weren’t signs.

To fully notice what young people are saying or communicating through their actions, we have to be in the practice of being present with everyone, every day. A mentor once reminded me: “You cannot turn it on and off.” 

Practice asking for consent 

Beyond consent education, we get to be in the practice of establishing boundaries, and modeling ways to navigate healthy relationships. 

With adult peers: 

• Asking “May I give you a hug?” or “May I take a picture of you?”
• Creating pauses in decision-making conversations to allow for processing and response time. 

With youth: 

• All of the above, plus requesting consent from a young person before using their story or likeness in forward-facing media and materials, and providing an option for withdrawal of consent in the consent agreement.
• Encouraging youth to make the final decision in selecting their mentor and being a part of the selection process. 
• Transparency about program capacity, expectations, and organizational values being communicated clearly with participants prior to the start of care.

Activating and maintaining boundaries

There is much to do, and giving to the point of exhaustion can lead to personal health challenges, burnout, and staff turnover. Consistently pushing through exhaustion can lead to compassion fatigue and unintentionally contribute to harmful environments for young people and normalize grind culture for new professionals.

In your organization:

• Schedule extended rotating rest blocks where possible (2hrs +).
• Consider holding a semi-annual or quarterly quiet week with no meetings.
• Survey staff to learn more about the types of support that would be useful to them.

For yourself: 

• Set an alarm reminder to eat or drink water.
• Schedule walk or movement breaks if movement is available to you.
• Take 5 minutes to request a music swap with a friend and listen to something new. Make a list of the types of support that benefit you. 

Our job duties, titles, and even fields may be different. Ultimately, I’m hopeful that our main thing is the same: that children and youth are supported and protected from avoidable harm. When the work we do is in sync with how we show up in practice, we can keep the main thing the main thing.