Federal funding secured by Rep. Chris Smith puts 3Strands Global Foundation’s PROTECT curriculum in the hands of New Jersey providers
NEWARK, N.J., October 29- For six years, Covenant House New Jersey has been the organization the state calls when a young person needs help immediately. We run several programs that support and prevent youth from experiencing trafficking or homelessness. This month, nine school staff members spent three days learning how to bring prevention programming into schools and youth programs.
From October 21 to 23, leaders from our CHART team completed Train-the-Trainer certification in 3Strands Global Foundation’s PROTECT curriculum, an evidence-based human trafficking prevention education curriculum for students, parents and caregivers, and educators. The training was made possible by $247,000 in federal Community Project Funding secured by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) and administered through the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime.
Those nine trainers will now certify facilitators across New Jersey, who will in turn bring PROTECT into classrooms and youth programs. Covenant House New Jersey will certify 120 educators, staff, and youth-serving professionals to teach the curriculum and deliver it across the state. This program teaches critical prevention skills and bridges the gap from schools to homes, building a united front against human trafficking through safety planning.
A 2019 state law directed the Department of Education to issue child trafficking guidelines to districts, and those guidelines arrived in 2022. Districts have lacked a funded, evaluated curriculum to present to students. 3Strands Global Foundation’s PROTECT program solved the districts’ issue.
“The TVPA of 2000, a law I authored, names the critical, whole-of-government three ‘Ps’ framework in our fight against human trafficking: the protection of survivors, the prosecution of traffickers, and—most strategically—the prevention of human trafficking from occurring in the first place,” Rep. Chris Smith said.
“I fought to secure—through the appropriations process—$247,000 in federal funding for PROTECT, a NJ statewide human trafficking prevention initiative led in partnership by Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) and 3Strands Global Foundation. Prevention, protection, and prosecution must work together, and this partnership between CHNJ, 3Strands, and the federal government represents an important step towards ending the scourge of human trafficking.”
Rep. Smith authored the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the foundation of U.S. anti-trafficking law, and serves as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Human Trafficking Issues.
“Every day our team works with young people who have experienced harm. Having this curriculum in New Jersey means more young people will recognize what is happening before harm takes hold,” Rolidel Czekajlo, Sr. Director of Prevention, Advocacy & Child Protection, Covenant House New Jersey said.
Covenant House New Jersey has served as the state’s designated provider of Human Trafficking Victim Services since 2020, offering a 24/7 referral line, case management, legal support, and safe shelter placement for young people and families. CHART, the Covenant House Action & Research Tank, leads its prevention, research, and training work.
“When people have knowledge and options, traffickers have none. Covenant House New Jersey sees this work from every angle, and they chose to invest in prevention. PROTECT will now reach New Jersey students, families, and communities, creating a strong barrier of protection and safety for all. We are grateful to link arms with the CHNJ team and our longtime partner, Rep. Smith, for opening a door for New Jersey students, families, and educators, “Ashlie Bryant, Co-Founder and CEO, 3Strands Global Foundation, said.
PROTECT is built on research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and earned an evidence-based designation in 2026. The curriculum is now in use in 17 states plus Washington, D.C.
You can bring PROTECT to your school or community. Learn more at 3sgf.org/protect
About 3Strands Global Foundation
3Strands Global Foundation, a nonprofit focused on prevention for 16 years, helps create a world free from human trafficking through prevention education and by supporting survivors with employment, healing, and sustainability. Prevent. Empower. Unite. Together, ending human trafficking. Learn more at 3sgf.org.
About Covenant House New Jersey
For 34 years, Covenant House New Jersey has provided shelter, housing, and wraparound services to youth facing homelessness, and since October 2020 has served as the point of entry to victim services for all human trafficking survivors of any age and any housing status throughout NJ. CHNJ created the first validated brief screening tool for human trafficking – Quick Youth Indicators for Trafficking (QYIT) – and has been using QYIT followed by an assessment to identify survivors of human trafficking since 2016.
Media contacts
Brittany Gryder, Marketing Manager, 3Strands Global Foundation, brittanyg@3sgf.org, 903.407.6418
Covenant House Action & Research Tank (CHART), CHART@covenanthouse.org
