Two SCCPSS Students Help Underage Survivors of Human Trafficking as Members of Tharros Place Teen Board

The Tharros Place Teen Board is a group of dedicated teens from various high schools in the Savannah/Chatham County area who assist in the mission of cultivating a culture of courage for the residents of Tharros Place, a local nonprofit serving underage survivors of human trafficking.

“We started the Teen Board because we wanted input from Chatham County youth about what youth are interested in,” said Kate Templeton Edwards, Outreach Coordinator for Tharros Place. “It’s really inspirational to see Savannah-area teens working so hard to support others in their community.”

Teen Board members help out with social media and plan fun events for Tharros Place residents like the Sneaker Ball and Spring Formal. They’re also there to encourage students to get involved in their communities and to bring a sense of normalcy and camaraderie to the Tharros Place residents.

New Hampstead High Senior AJ Shively currently serves as Teen Board President and Savannah Arts Academy Junior Asa Clark serves as the Board’s Vice President. They share a bit about their experiences with the Tharros Place Teen Board here:

Q: How did you find out about Tharros Place?

AJ: I was told about it in my sophomore year of high school. A couple of my teachers recommended me and wanted some students to join the teen board to get involved with survivors of human trafficking. I got an email from Kate and came to the first meeting and thought it was a really good idea and I liked what they were about. I liked it so much I’m the president now! I’m all about helping out around the community and I have time.

Asa: I started around the beginning of sophomore year. Kate and I did a show at Savannah Children’s Theatre. I was homeschooled at the time and she asked if I would like to get involved. My father knew about Tharros Place because he’s a counselor at Savannah-Chatham E-Learning Academy (SCELA), so I was really excited. Being homeschooled, I wasn’t very involved in the community. I got really excited about it and my friend was invited as well. At the first meeting, all the members were talking with each other. It was fun and professional at the same time. I was very excited to be involved in this.

Q: What did you know about human trafficking before you got involved with the Tharros Place Teen Board?

AJ: I wouldn’t say I knew a whole lot, but I did know it was happening, since Savannah is one of the major ports. I was aware but I didn’t know all of the statistics and how common it is. And how easy it is to ignore and overlook it – it can happen in plain sight and you just wouldn’t know.

Asa: I didn’t know a lot about it, either. I knew it was happening and it was wrong and I didn’t realize how common it was. It was just something that isn’t talked about as much as it should be, and that’s essential.

Q: What kinds of things do you do on the teen board?

AJ: We do exercises, we learn about statistics, what it is, how to spot it, how common it is, how scary it is. We learned a lot about the girls and what they went through. We organize things for Instagram and Sneaker Ball – like a spring homecoming – and we did a prom. It was so fun. We had a Christmas party at the facility. It was nice seeing the girls. In a more casual setting, they’re more approachable. We help organize the dances, set up the food, the theme, and the music. We work with the girls and discuss ideas and playlists and Pinterest boards. We sit and talk and make bracelets and get to know each other.

Asa: I was here for the spring formal and prom. A dance instructor came and all the girls were laughing and having fun and I feel like we all connected. You know, first meetings can be a little awkward, but once you’re in a more casual setting, it just builds connection. We had a silent disco party, which was so much fun. The girls came and we had our headphones on and there was food and people brought cookies and it was just another connecting experience for all of us.

AJ: We make fun TikToks but also informative ones about the statistics related to human trafficking and what people should be on the lookout for if someone is being trafficked or in danger. But we also do fun ones about the teen board and dances. We helped make posters and banners.

Q: What surprised you as you worked? What did you learn?

AJ: The amount of girls here in the facility surprised me because that was only Tharros Place and that’s not all of the people impacted by human trafficking. And they’re all our age – that made me sad because I could have gone to school with all of these girls and not known what was going on in their lives.

Asa: For me, it was very surreal because when you think of human trafficking, you don’t think of where you are now. I went to SCELA at the time and that’s where these girls go. It was very hard to swallow when I realized that I could be in school with people and not know what they go through. Being a part of this really feels like you’re making a change.

Q: What would you tell people about Tharros Place?

AJ: Everyone that runs Tharros Place is so nice and welcoming and fun. It’s a dark topic, but as long as we take it seriously but have an air of lightness, we can make a change and impact people’s lives in a positive way. It’s sad that people have to go through something like that, but I’m glad we can do something that makes their lives a little bit easier.

Asa: It’s community, and that’s what I was really longing for. This really healed that longing. Even for the girls, it gives them that normal high school experience and we just feel like girls together. We’re just wanting to help.

AJ: When we’re hanging out at dances, you don’t really think about how they have suffered something really, really bad. This is just a normal teenage girl and we’re going to dance and eat food and laugh and make connections. They’re really nice girls. I love being around them, I love talking to them, and learning about them as people.

Q: What are your next steps?

AJ: I would like to become a teacher. I like educating people. I like seeing the look in people’s eyes when they learn something new; it makes me really happy. Education is not something we can have too much of. I would love it if we lived in a world where we could all have intelligent conversations with each other and understand each other.

Asa: I want to be a journalist and I also want to be in the film industry. Acting is my major at Savannah Arts. I want to sharpen my tools.

Q: Any final thoughts?

AJ: The girls at Tharros Place don’t even begin to encompass the amount of people that this truly happens to around the world. It’s sad this is a thing we have to address, but we can help them feel like they’re included. We don’t want them to feel outcast. We want them to know this is their community. We want them to feel safe here and we want them to feel happy.

For more information about Tharros Place and how to join the Teen Board, contact Kate Edwards at kate@tharrosplace.com.