NYU Bronfman and Restore NYC are excited to announce the launch of an entrepreneurship training program tailored for survivors of sex trafficking.

The two-week intensive course will introduce survivors to the world and language of entrepreneurship, taught by NYU faculty and members of the business community. A yearlong mentorship program will follow the classroom portion, which will take place July 11-23 at NYU. Survivors will be paired with a businessperson who can provide mentorship and guidance as graduates put their entrepreneurship training into practice. 

This collaboration between NYU Bronfman and Restore NYC seeks to neutralize one of traffickers’ greatest weapons, a woman’s financial vulnerability, by offering survivors an additional ladder in their climb to economic independence away from exploitative commercial sex work. According to data collected from Restore NYC’s Economic Empowerment program, an overwhelming 78% of participants indicated yes to interest in starting her own business. Upon exiting trafficking, survivors need financial security more than ever. This partnership will pilot a course to work with survivors of trafficking to effect their dreams of entrepreneurship.

After the July two-week pilot in New York City, NYU Bronfman and Restore NYC anticipate replicating the program at NYU’s Los Angeles and Washington, DC, campuses, eventually scaling to NYU’s global campus cities. While the unfortunate reality remains that there is no shortage of survivors to fill these classes around the world, this program aims to change the realities for these women, empowering them through entrepreneurship. This launch has potential to materially impact survivors’ lives in the long term, as well as the landscape of trafficking in New York and internationally.

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved in the ELab, please reach out to Elizabeth Kim at elizabeth@restorenyc.org.