The global problem of human trafficking is being addressed by virtually every major international law enforcement agency. Gone are the days when the problem appeared to solely be restricted to children. Every person regardless of age has the potential of being caught up in the human trafficking market as bad actors seek to profit from people looking for a new life and a way out of a bad situation. Project Runway has been using their model power to help some victims of human trafficking. Recently, they staged a competition to see who could make an accessory out of the items on a standard Southwest Airlines airplane. There were five finalists, and the winner was chosen to continue her work and three items were created using the same basic concept.
Where the help for survivors of human trafficking comes in is for its initial project, there were three victims chosen to make the designer accessories. This allowed them to learn and develop new skills, an opportunity that was absent as their lives had been turned upside down as victims of the trafficking trade. They learned to hand sew and use sewing machines to create the initial production of more than 100 individual accessories.
But this was just the start. Once the concept took hold, more people got involved, including the management of Southwest Airlines. After seeing the immense good that came from such a small initiative, the airline expanded the project and offered material from the entire inside of one of their planes, resulting in yards upon yards of leather that is used on seats covers, along with a wide variety of other clothing materials. The number of human trafficking victims they used to manufacture the accessories grew, and the evidence of the success of the program can be seen on the faces of the formerly helpless women.
But sewing and clothing manufacture are not the only skills learned. There is sales, marketing, accounting, and other soft skills that are laying a foundation for each woman to step up and out, and begin moving towards a better life and career. These are opportunities provided by the cooperation and collaboration of Project Runway models, Southwest Airlines, and a number of silent heroes who are making all of this possible.
Many of the heroes are the international community of law enforcement officials who are not only breaking the chain of human trafficking connections, but also rescuing the women and children from their despair. It is evidence of how when individual people work together, how large the potential is for doing good and Making the world a better place for thousands of people.
It is true that some models make a huge amount of money, but the Project Runway effort also shows these women are not self-centered people whose sole interest in becoming a model is self-serving. Recent history shows that more models are getting involved in humanitarian projects, and seek to make a difference using their star power and time. Project Runway is just one of many contributions being made to alleviate suffering in the world and making it safer for men, women, and children to live.
This effort is also a teachable moment to people in first world countries who often take their prosperity for granted. The insides of an airplane that has been used for years to provide comfort that we often complain of, and the materials generally considered to be scrap or waste material, has been used by creative models to create a useful product. But the product has not been the purpose. Instead, it is the people who are making the products that benefit the most from Project Runway’s efforts.
As the beneficiaries of the hard work and investment of thousands of other people, it would do all of us some good to step back and see what little things we can do to make the world a better place for all. Project Runway has clearly shown us that it only takes a certain amount of creativity and willingness to start a cause in a positive direction. This is not a political event by Project Runway, but a way to show the world that everyone can do a small thing to make a big difference.
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