Behind the Screen: Free Summer Webinar for Teens

Behind the Screen: What Teens Need to Know in a Webinar Series on Human Trafficking, Exploitation & Online Protection

June 23rd- 27th, daily from 3:30-4:30pm EST

Facilitated by Freedom 4/24: Featuring the Human Trafficking Prevention Curriculum for Youth (2nd Edition). Recommended for Grades 5–10 | Free and Online

ABOUT THE COURSE:

Join our free, age-appropriate summer webinars designed to help students understand healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, stay safe online, and recognize the realities of human trafficking and exploitation in today’s world.

Each session includes live instruction, expert videos, and real-life scenarios to build confidence, awareness, and problem-solving skills. Lessons are aligned with Virginia Family Life Standards. Parents are encouraged to attend alongside their students!

Facilitated by Jill Budimir, MA, Licensed Teacher & Curriculum Developer with Freedom 4/24, with expertise in student wellness and human trafficking prevention

*Unidentifiable pretests and post-test data is collected in the webinars to support the development of prevention curriculum development by Freedom 4/24.

SCHEDULE & COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Webinar: Healthy Relationships: Boundaries & Consent

June 23rd, 3:30- 4:30pm EST

Recommended for 5th grade and above: Virginia SOL: 4.7, 5.11, 5.12

Class Description

This lesson introduces students to key social-emotional concepts of healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, boundaries, consent, different types of abuse, safe adults and safe places, and online safety. Through a short video, guided note-taking, and an interactive scenario-based activity, students build self-awareness and assertiveness skills to recognize and communicate personal boundaries in safe and respectful ways.

Webinar: Human Trafficking and Exploitation

June 24th, 3:30- 4:30pm EST

Recommended for 6th grade and above: Virginia SOL: 6.12

Class Description

In this lesson students will learn about the topic of human trafficking by building on the earlier lesson about healthy relationships and exploitation, using a vignette, and a video to explore grooming tactics, characteristics of traffickers and victims, and strategies for online safety. Through guided discussion, expert insights, and an interactive role-playing activity, students learn how to recognize red flags and practice appropriate responses to potentially dangerous or exploitative situations.

Webinar: Grooming & Online Safety

June 25th, 3:30- 4:30pm EST

Recommended for 7th grade and above: Virginia SOL: 7.6, 7.11

Class Description

This lesson teaches students how to prevent and report online exploitation by recognizing grooming tactics used by traffickers and predators on social media and gaming platforms. Students will learn strategies to stay safe online, protect personal information, and respond to unsafe people and situations in both digital and real-world environments. The lesson emphasizes awareness for the digital footprint, assertive communication, identifying trusted adults, and knowing where to turn for help.

Webinar: Sextortion & Artificial Intelligence

June 26th, 3:30- 4:30pm EST

Recommended for 8th grade and above: Virginia SOL: 8.13

Class Description

This lesson focuses on sextortion, online grooming, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in human trafficking, emphasizing how traffickers gain power and control through manipulation and blackmail. Students explore misconceptions about trafficking, review signs of grooming, and learn how sextortion occurs through digital platforms. The Power and Control Wheel is introduced to help students understand how traffickers maintain control over victims across different types of relationships. Through survivor stories, video content, and social media analysis, students learn how to recognize unsafe behavior, protect themselves online, and respond to exploitation.

Webinar: The Supply and Demand of Human Trafficking

July 27th, 3:30-4:30pm EST

Recommended for 9th grade and above: Virginia SOL: 10.2, 10.3, 10.7

Class Description

This lesson explores the concept of supply and demand in relation to human trafficking, with a focus on sextortion, pornography, and their role in exploitation. Students will examine the impact of pornography on the developing brain, online safety, and the importance of consent, respect, and recognizing abuse in both virtual and real-life relationships. The lesson includes identifying the characteristics of dating violence, abusive relationships, and human trafficking, and reviews laws related to consent, sextortion, and exploitation. Protective factors and community resources for preventing sexual violence and trafficking will also be shared.