The Jewish Coalition Against Sex Trafficking (JCAST) Chicago works to eradicate sex trafficking in the Chicagoland area through public awareness, community engagement, and advocacy. Our mission is to educate lay leaders on sex trafficking in their community and empower them to expand their family, neighbors and friends understanding; advocate for its elimination; and support survivors. Inspired by Jewish values, JCAST Chicago partners with interfaith and human rights groups, nonprofit organizations, government officials, and law enforcement agencies.  In 2016, we reached over 2000 people in Chicagoland with information, policy advocacy and educational presentations. Click here for our website.

Topics:

Sex Trafficking: What is it and Why should I care

Sex Trafficking: Where does it occur in my community and how it is connected to my life.

How Sex Trafficking is flourishing in the Digital Age

Combating Sex Trafficking by attacking the Demand for Paid Sex.

Our programs build on Lake County’s Call to Action teaching and empowering residents to become more aware of sex trafficking in their community; eradicating misperceptions; connecting sex trafficking to porn, the internet, and local legal businesses including massage parlors;  building awareness and advocating for new laws; supporting survivors; and  abolishing the demand for paid sex.

Topics in collaboration with JCFS:

*Let’s Talk about Boys, Sexuality and Consent in the Internet and #MeToo Age

*Let’s Talk about Girls, Sexuality and Consent in the Internet and #MeToo Age

Additionally, we are currently partnering with Jewish Children and Family Services (JCFS) to develop two programs for parents on how to talk to sons and daughters about pornography and other unhealthy material on the internet, strengthen understanding of consent, and support their healthy sexual development.

Audience: Our presentations are intended for lay leaders. We also connect audiences interested in speakers with specific expertise to other nonprofit organizations with that knowledge.

Contact:

Gayle Nelson

JCAST Chicago Engagement and Development Director

5 Revere Dr #200,

Northbrook, IL 60062

gayle@jcastchicago.org

Donna Fishman, MPH currently serves as Co-Chair of The Jewish Coalition Against Sex Trafficking (JCAST) Chicago and is a founding member of the Coalition.  Ms. Fishman has over 30 years of experience in public health specifically maternal and child health.  She worked as a consultant to non-profit organizations specializing in program development and evaluation, school health policy and grant writing.  Her specialty areas are adolescent pregnancy prevention and childhood obesity prevention.   She is now a Senior Planning Associate at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

Gayle Nelson, Esq is an attorney and consultant partnering with diverse non-for-profit organizations. As their Engagement and Development Director, she speaks to diverse audiences on sex trafficking in the Chicagoland area. Over Gayle’s twenty year career, she has advocated and advanced diverse causes particularly those supporting women and girls. Her passion for survivors of sex trafficking sprang from her work as Executive Director of a legal service organization serving incarcerated mothers and Development Director of a nonprofit providing comprehensive services supporting men and women’s reentry into society.