Real Life Stories: People Trafficking in the U.S. (Shyne)
Cynthia Luvlee is the President and Chief Visionary Officer of Shyne. This nonprofit organization supports survivors of sex trafficking as well as exploited and abused women in their personal and professional growth. She was interviewed by Liluye staff writer Sylvia Nalubega who also writes a blog, Sanyu Centre for Arts and Rights. Sylvia’s personal message to everyone is, ‘We live beyond ourselves by sharing our story to hopefully impact a person.’
Watch Cynthia’s short, inspirational video:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7pUxkFIJIo[/embedyt]
This is the Liluye interview of Cynthia:
How did you first get involved in being part of this work? In other words, what motivated you, or still drives you, to work on the issue of trafficking? What is your story in addressing the issue of trafficking?
As a survivor of intimate partner violence, rape, and a first-hand witness of sexual assault of a close loved one, I felt that I could do something to address violence and reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities women faced. From my six months of research, I discovered that sex trafficking was directly linked to violence. The majority of survivors had no place to go because of the lack of provision in the system. Due to frustration, some even went back into the sex trade just to survive. Therefore, I used over 20 years of my own experience in building nonprofits from start to finish, to start an initiative (Shyne) to support survivors through entrepreneurship. Our focus is on helping survivor’s gain financial independence through entrepreneurship. We aim at building wealth within their communities to avoid the possibility of them having to return to their old life of abuse and exploitation.
What is the specific mission and the goals of your organization?
At Shyne, we dream of a better world and then we build it. Our mission is to serve and lift survivors into economic independence. Through our core programs, Shyne fights the underlying causes of exploitation and provides survivors with connection to an uplifting community of fellow survivors and caring leaders. We offer free year-round professional development services designed to build business acumen to improve access to income, and a signature incubator that facilitates turning survivors’ entrepreneurial dreams into reality. Through this model, Shyne unveils the resilient spirit that exists within every survivor of human trafficking. We build on the strengths, skills, and intuition of survivors that they used to stay alive. We focus on social intelligence, bravery, and creativity which are all great entrepreneurial skills.
“I pledged to do something to raise the voices of survivors and to help end violence.”
Share with us some of the things you are doing to support survivors of trafficking, or to prevent those who are vulnerable from going through it?
Shyne’s model is survivor-informed from its inception because we work together with our survivor advisors. We provide a nine-month incubator from early stage business concept, to its launching. We equip survivors with skills in finance, marketing, and legal for business formation, in addition to accessing startup capital. We also provide graduates with computers, printers, and office supplies. Our community of professional volunteers give their time for one-on-one business coaching starting at one hour a week for projects survivor entrepreneurs may be working on. At the end of the incubator, survivors are given an opportunity to pitch their business to potential investors.
All the programs are provided virtually which makes it more convenient, inclusive and gender responsive and it also allows us to reach global audiences. We do, however, have an annual, Holistic wellness and leadership retreat in August. It’s a four-day private retreat that brings the cohort together to unlock the power within and prepare them to launch their dreams. We provide activities that promote wellness including yoga, belly dancing, catered food, and facilitated workshops. Everyone receives spa gifts from our partners, such as facial, skin, and hair care products.
Furthermore, we have a Survivor Business Network™ that all graduates of the program become a part of. They provide peer-to-peer support, partnership with each other and shared resources all in a safe private space. Our goal is to have a thriving network of survivor-owned businesses so that victims willing to leave the sex industry can access immediate support and job opportunities. We believe in self-determination and big dreams!
What kind of change do you want to see as a result of your work among the survivors of sex trafficking, or those who are most vulnerable to it?
My desire is to see survivors financially independent and treated as active contributors to the economy. Shyne works to shift the stigma placed upon survivors from broken to brilliant, needy to capable, traumatized to resilient. I believe a solution for helping to end exploitation resides within each survivor. With access to business knowledge, professional coaching, startup funds and a place to belong, survivor entrepreneurs are creating innovative solutions. Every survivor-owned business I have worked with at Shyne has built into their business model a way of giving back to help other survivors. The change we are seeking is the recognition that sex trafficking is at it’s core an economic issue, and when survivors have access to income they are no longer vulnerable to further abuse or exploitation.
What kind of support do you need for your work and where are you located?
We are looking for help with creating “Business Startup Packages” where Corporate Sponsors provide web hosting services, printing for marketing materials and free membership access to networking groups like the The Women’s Network, National Association of Women Business Owners, and local Chamber of Commerce.
If anyone wants to donate, learn more, or see our annual report:
Visit Shyne on the web: https://www.shynesd.org/
Visit Shyne on LinkedIn: Shyne San Diego
Visit Shyne on Facebook: ShyneSD
Visit Shyne on Instagram: ShyneSanDiego
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