Kristy Norbert is the co-founder and executive director of Empowered Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that partners with survivors of human trafficking to achieve economic independence.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience, Kristy didn't set out to work in anti-trafficking. After moving to Connecticut, she met Abby Fabiaschi, the board chair of an anti-trafficking organization operating in Southeast Asia, and once she saw exploitation up close, she couldn't walk away.
The two co-founded Empowered Network to address the gap that exists after crisis services end, partnering with survivors who have reached stability to build a 12-month empowerment plan covering housing, education, and employment. The organization serves around 200 survivors per year, with fewer than 2% of graduates returning to exploitation after completing the program.
Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Who keeps going back?
[00:00:33] What is Empowered Network?
[00:01:04] Why did Kristy end up here?
[00:03:25] What does trafficking look like in the U.S.?
[00:06:09] How does Empowered Network define trafficking?
[00:06:48] What is familial trafficking?
[00:07:58] What long-term impacts does nobody talk about?
[00:08:36] What gap did Empowered Network exist to fill?
[00:10:24] What is the re-trafficking rate?
[00:11:31] When does a survivor enter the program?
[00:13:46] What are the two program pathways?
[00:15:06] What careers and wage gains are survivors seeing?
[00:16:42] How did Empowered Network change how it measures impact?
[00:18:46] Why does this data matter to survivors too?
[00:20:34] What do survivor stories from the program look like?
[00:24:43] What keeps Kristy going?
[00:26:08] How does she stay grounded doing this work?
[00:27:52] How has this work changed how she parents?
[00:31:40] Where is Empowered Network headed?
[00:33:50] How can someone get involved?
[00:36:04] What does Kristy want people to know?
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