“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
–Nelson Mandela
At Catalyst Ministries, there is a steadfast belief that education is an empowering and positive tool in peoples’ lives. For women who are survivors of human trafficking, education may not be something they have been able to experience or access in a long time. A forefront component of our residential program at Catalyst Farms is creating doors that women can step through to learn and grow in different forms of education. Paul shares in Romans 12:2,
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The renewal of the mind is beneficial for any person, but for a trafficking survivor, education can have profound effects that bring freedom and empowerment. At Catalyst Farms, we incorporate several elements of education and learning for our residents. Our most recent addition to the program is the creation of the Training Center at Catalyst Farms, which will provide a welcoming space for our residents to learn applicable skills and knowledge that can serve them in many ways.
Read our previous blog post here: Freedom for the Captives
The Training Center at Catalyst Farms is an in-person opportunity for women in our residential program to receive training in life skills, vocational skills, and education so that they can make significant strides towards gaining more knowledge and acquiring important skills they will need when they graduate from our program and enter back into society as free women.
Unfortunately, the Training Center saw some delays in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the inability to have volunteers work on indoor projects. Recently, however, we have been able to bring volunteers to the Training Center to help complete renovations. Installations, technology, and decor have been projects throughout the summer at the Training Center, and we look forward to its completion so that our residents can begin to utilize it and access educational opportunities for themselves.
The Training Center will serve as a special place for both our residents and various teams within Catalyst Ministries. The training program focuses on providing a comfortable place for the residents outside of the family room at the Farms where women can work through the Christ-centered program, which supports healing and restoration for the survivors. It also equips them with tools to support their journeys towards lives that are free of prior strongholds. The new skills that the women learn nurture the development of healthy relationships, setting boundaries, and other life skills such as cooking, gardening, budgeting, and wellness. The residents also have opportunities to explore new hobbies, which often is a therapeutic outlet in their journeys of healing. The educational and vocational skills these women learn support future employment and financial independence for them and their families.
Education should be accessible and possible for every individual. It is an enabling opportunity for people to grow and learn. Trafficking survivors deserve welcoming outreach and a safe, empowering learning environment to build skills and tools to help them succeed during their time in both the residential program and beyond graduation. Catalyst Ministries offers education for these women through the Training Center, and the prioritization of a Christ-centered program allows for a spiritual component to residents’ educations. Think of God’s declaration below:
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Above all, Catalyst Ministries prioritizes the freedom, rehabilitation, health, and education of survivors of human trafficking. We reflect on what the Lord declares for us, and work hard to give women opportunities to realize the plans that God has for each of them. By educating ourselves alongside the women we serve, we also allow for God to work through us to inspire positive strides in the fight against human trafficking within our community. We invite you to further your education of human trafficking by attending our Be A Catalyst Dinner on Thursday, September 9th at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloomington, IL. Learn more and buy tickets here.
— Deanna
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9