Press

PROJECT LIBERATION INFORMS NAPERVILLE PUBLIC ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

By Amy Elisabeth Olson

Staff writer

Monday, Feb. 27, 2011—Project Liberation, which is sponsored by North Central’s Blue Key Society, Leadership Ethics and Values program, and the International Justice Mission, seeks to raise awareness about human trafficking, specifically concerning child soldiers, forced domestic labor and sexual trafficking.  According to their website(www. nccliberationforce.blogspot.com), Project Liberation  intends “to raise awareness on [North Central’s] campus and the surrounding areas,” by creating “three buttons with provocative words associated with these three areas of slavery: VIOLATED (human trafficking) CHAINED (forced labor) ABDUCTED (child soldiers).”  The buttons, which resemble old-school campaign buttons, are handed out to students and worn with hopes that passersby will ask questions about the evocative, eye-catching white-on-black words.   North Central College Senior, Grant Swanson, English major and co-founder of Project Liberation, explains his intentions for the buttons, stating “Human slavery is prevalent in the world today unlike ever before.  With over 27 million slaves around the globe today, how can we consider ourselves an increasingly civic-minded world? Very little is being done to end this atrocity of human slavery. And by raising awareness about the realities of child soldiers, forced domestic labor and sex-trafficking, Project Liberation hopes to inform people and encourage them to unite as one voice against this great tyranny of mankind.” 

Students and citizens sporting buttons are also provided with corresponding business cards featuring facts about each child soldiers, forced domestic labor and sexual trafficking.  Project Liberation intends the hard facts to spark further concern and conversation about these under-discussed  issues.

For some North Central College students and Naperville citizens, the issues child soldiers, forced domestic labor and sexual trafficking seem like far away, almost unreal concerns.   When asked about the importance of this project to the Naperville area, Swanson states, “People just don’t know about the realities of human-slavery, today. And if people do realize, they typically don’t grasp the enormity of the issues. 27 million people! That is horrific! Once people know about this issue and its terrifying prevalence, they want to know how they can help. And the biggest way we can work together to end human slavery is by uniting as one voice and telling our government to do something. Through these buttons and the conversations they spark, people get a sense of what it is like to come together for a common-cause. And the beauty of this project is that the buttons spark conversations both on-and-off campus. This is not just a College-campus issue. This is a global issue. Let’s start to make a difference from right here. ”

Erica McCauley, also a North Central college senior majoring in Global studies and French, has been a key coordinator of Project Liberation, assisting Swanson with button production and distribution. 
“It is so important to spread awareness about the unjust world of human trafficking, especially the child who suffer through such tragedies. I love seeing the campus fired up about something so powerful.” 

This week, Project Liberation will unveil their second button, featuring the word ”CHAINED,” which references the prevalence of forced labor in today’s world.  The buttons will be available Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the White Activities Center, located at 325 E. Benton Ave., and from 12 to 2 on Tuesday and Thursday at Kaufman Dining Hall, located on the South side of campus on Brainard St.   For more information, visit www. nccliberationforce.blogspot.com, or search Facebook for the self titled and frequently updated group. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Project Liberation: Raising Awareness of Human Slavery through Provocative Buttons

Naperville, IL – 05 February 2011

Human slavery, contrary to popular perception, is not a terror belonging to the past.

Project Liberation responds to the realities of human slavery in the world today. This global atrocity is rampant unlike ever before in our world's history.

Project Liberation focuses on three specific issues: human trafficking, forced labor and child soldiers.

In an effort to raise awareness on our campus (North Central College in Naperville, IL) and the surrounding areas, we created three buttons with corresponding business cards that have provocative words associated with the three areas of slavery:

VIOLATED (human trafficking)

CHAINED (forced labor)

ABDUCTED (child soldiers)

We will focus on a different issue every 3-4 weeks by passing out one topical button every week. This will hopefully elicit conversations between friends and fellow students. In turn, this will generate awareness and bring the campus/community together in a unified voice against the allowance of human slavery.

We will also have many events during these weeks that relate to the issues of human slavery. Some examples include: ‘The Dark Side of Chocolate’ viewing with petition and fair-trade valentines, ‘Invisible Children,’ other documentaries and raising awareness about community events.

We will pass out the ‘violated’ (sex-trafficking) button the week of April 11- 15.

We hope to culminate the project with a speaking engagement the weekend of May 6-8.  

All donations gathered throughout the year will be presented to the International Justice Mission and Invisible Children.

Grant Swanson is the founder of Project Liberation and the founder of NCC’s campus chapter of the International Justice Mission. He is a senior English major at North Central College. He can be contacted at North Central College, student mailbox number 2542.

Project Liberation is able to exist through the combined efforts of the International Justice Mission, Leadership, Ethics and Values Program and Blue Key.

Contact:
Grant Swanson
grant.swanson88@gmail.com
North Central College, CM # 2542
30 N Brainard St
Naperville, IL 60540
cell: 402-699-3799      

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PSA:

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

LENGTH: 0:10

SUBJECT: Project Liberation focuses on forced labor with provocative button: ‘CHAINED.’

DATE FOR USE: Monday, February 28 through Saturday, March 05.

VOICE: JOIN FORCES WITH NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE’S PROJECT LIBERATION IN ADVOCATING FOR THE END OF FORCED LABOR BY PICKING UP A BUTTON WITH THE EMBLEMATIC WORD ‘CHAINED’ AT NCC’S DINNING HALLS THIS WEEK!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

LENGTH: 0:20

SUBJECT: Project Liberation focuses on forced labor with provocative button: ‘CHAINED.’

DATE FOR USE: Monday, February 28 through Saturday, March 05.

VOICE: JOIN FORCES WITH NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE’S PROJECT LIBERATION IN ADVOCATING FOR THE END OF GLOBAL FORCED LABOR BY PICKING UP A BUTTON WITH THE EMBLEMATIC WORD ‘CHAINED’ AT NCC’S DINNING HALLS THIS WEEK FROM TWELVE TO TWO! SPARK CONVERSATIONS AND ELICIT AWARENESS!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

LENGTH: 0:30

SUBJECT: Project Liberation focuses on forced labor with provocative button: ‘CHAINED.’

DATE FOR USE: Monday, February 28 through Saturday, March 05.

VOICE: JOIN FORCES WITH NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE’S PROJECT LIBERATION IN ADVOCATING FOR THE END OF GLOBAL FORCED LABOR BY PICKING UP A BUTTON WITH THE EMBLEMATIC WORD ‘CHAINED’ AT NCC’S DINNING HALLS, KAUFMAN AND THE CAGE, THE ENTIRETY OF THIS WEEK FROM TWELVE TO TWO! WEAR THESE BUTTONS WITH PRIDE AND SEE WHAT CONVERSATIONS ARE SPARKED! AWARENESS IS THE FIRST STEP TO FREEDOM FOR ALL OF MANKIND.

Project Liberation is an organization eager to bring about the end of rampant human slavery in the world today. In an effort to raise awareness on North Central College’s campus and the surrounding areas, we have created three buttons with provocative words associated with three slavery issues: child soldiers (abducted), forced labor (chained) and sex trafficking (violated).

Project Liberation is brought to you by Blue Key, Leadership Ethics and Values program and the International Justice Mission.