Soundings Connect, an innovative network of freelance meetings and events talent, announced its partnership with ECPAT-USA, a trailblazing organization committed to raising awareness, advocating for policy and providing community education about human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children around the world.
ECPAT-USA recently launched 20BY20, a campaign to educate 20,000 business event professionals by 2020 about how human trafficking intersects with the meetings and events industry. Industries that buy and sell travel are optimal partners for ECPAT-USA. Through an e-learning course specially designed for business event professionals, ECPAT-USA is attempting to educate a large segment of the travel industry about how to combat human trafficking.
The Soundings Connect network is comprised of freelance meetings and events professionals who travel frequently for business and pleasure.
Tracy Judge, Soundings Connect founder and chief connector, signed “The Code,” which represents the commitment that her company will do whatever it can to help end the commercial sexual exploitation of children, including implementing the business principles set forth by ECPAT-USA.
“Freelance meeting and event professionals make up a large and important population of the events industry,” says Michelle Guelbart, director of private sector engagement at ECPAT-USA. “By signing The Code, Soundings Connect has the opportunity to create awareness in a segment of the industry that is not being educated by employers on how they can join the fight to end the sexual exploitation of children around the world.”
As a startup, Soundings Connect is promoting social responsibility as a core value. Freelancers do not have the same financial bandwidth as larger organizations that support CSR initiatives. However, freelancers can take advantage of initiatives like the 20BY20 campaign, which require education, awareness and advocacy at a low cost to them.
“We are already in airports and hotels around the globe. By closely observing our surroundings as we travel, we can support the end of human trafficking and make an impact, even without a significant financial investment,” says Judge.
As an incentive to complete the online e-learning course, Soundings Connect will donate $10 to Refuge for Women in the freelancer’s name or send the freelancer a $10 Amazon gift card. ECPAT-USA’s e-learning course provides credit toward the Certified Meeting Professional credential.
Established in 2018 and based in San Diego, Calif., Soundings Connect specializes in strategically matching organizations with freelance talent to maximize opportunities and elevate the value of events. An entrepreneur herself, Soundings Connect Founder and Chief Connector Tracy Judge is a building an infrastructure to support the growth of small businesses in the meetings & events industry. For more info, visit www.soundingsconnect.com.
ECPAT-USA is the leading anti-child trafficking organization in the United States seeking to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. ECPAT-USA is a member of ECPAT International, a network of organizations in more than 95 countries with one common mission: to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children around the world. For more info, visit www.ecpatusa.org.
