Oct. 10, 2019 – In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness month, Collin College’s The Dignity Initiative will offer two presentations and one film screening with a panel discussion in October. All events are free and open to the public and cosponsored by the college’s Student Engagement Office. This year The Dignity Initiative’s theme is “Global Impact of Oppression.”
“Going Undercover to Rescue Victims of Human Trafficking” will be offered from 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Living Legends Conference Center at the college’s Plano Campus (Spring Creek), 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway in Plano. This event will feature guest speaker Matt Osborne, vice president of Operation Underground Railroad, an organization founded by Tim Ballard to rescue children from sex trafficking. Employed for 12 years by the CIA and Department of State, Osborne is a former U.S. diplomat. Operation Underground Railroad has been involved in nearly 100 initiatives, and one of their rescues is featured in the documentary “Operation Toussaint” – a powerful look into human trafficking and the mission of the organization.
“The Cycle of Violence – Perpetrator Techniques” will be offered from 1-2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at the Frisco Campus (Preston Ridge) Conference Center, 9700 Wade Blvd. in Frisco. This interactive workshop will focus on bystander intervention and featureStephanie James, Collin College criminal justice professor and retired federal felony criminal investigator with 21 years of experience investigating domestic violence cases.
“Girl Rising: Educate Girls, Change the World Film Screening and Panel Discussion (Part One)” will be offered from 1-2:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 at the McKinney Campus (Central Park) Conference Center, 2400 Community Ave. in McKinney. Girl Rising is a global campaign to educate and empower girls. The organization uses storytelling through film, television, and social media to support its mission to foster education and affect the pressures that girls in many cultures face such as early marriage, domestic slavery, violence, and sex trafficking.Girl Rising, the film, tells the story of nine girls from around the world whose lives were changed through the power of education. Directed by Academy Award nominee Richard E. Robbins, the film was written by acclaimed female writers and includes the voices of actresses such as Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, and Anne Hathaway. The film has been translated into more than 30 languages and adapted in Hindi, Hausa, Lingala, Swahili, Congolese French, and Tshiluba.
The Dignity Initiative works to raise awareness and inspire action on issues of violence against and oppression of women. For more information about The Dignity Initiative and upcoming events, visit www.collin.edu/community/dignity/.
Collin College serves more than 59,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. In addition, the college operates the Collin Higher Education Center, which has an enrollment of 3,500 each year in partnership with The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Woman’s University, Texas A&M Commerce, Texas Tech and the University of North Texas. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.