A 32 billion dollar global business is sure to draw some attention. It has captured the focus of a Girl Scout of Tropical Florida named Andrea Diaz-Ariza. “Teens Against Trafficking” is the Girl Scout Gold Award project for Andrea who is a member of Troop 532 and a 10th grader at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. Andrea is doing her part to stop the world-wide epidemic of human trafficking.
Andrea has developed a teen-friendly presentation that educates the next generation on the facts of human trafficking and how to help prevent it. “By teaching teens that they truly can make a difference and help fight human trafficking, I hope that together we can all help reduce the number of victims in our community and in the world,” states Andrea. Her hometown of Miami, Florida is one of the largest cities in the United States affected by this form of modern slavery. Andrea is in the process of producing her presentation in Spanish and Creole to reach a larger audience within the multi-cultural Miami.
Others have taken notice of Andrea’s efforts. Recently, she appeared on NBC 6 South Florida’s, 6 in the Mix with Roxanne Vargas to promote her cause. The video replay can be found here. Andrea is a national semi-finalist for the Peace First Prize. She is the inspiration for the first Florida statewide Girl Scout Advocacy Conference taking place Presidents’ Day weekend 2014, and is a valuable member of the Girls’ Advisory Board. “Teens Against Trafficking” has earned Andrea her Girl Scout Gold Award, which is the highest level of achievement in Scouting.
