New school in Clark County helps rebuild lives of trafficked teens
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A first-of-its-kind school for children who've been sex trafficked will start welcoming students in the next few weeks. It's a project that took years to build, with the goal of improving the lives of teen girls and boys, for years to come. Located in Boulder City on the campus of St. Jude's Ranch for Children, the school will be part of the Clark County School District. Dr. Christine Vela of St Jude's Ranch told 8 News Now they hope to enroll at least 45 students.
The goal is to have the students who had their power and childhoods taken away regain them. "Sex trafficking is a hidden form of sexual violence. It's rape, it's things that are really hard to talk about," Dr. Vela, the chief executive officer of St. Jude's Ranch, said. Dr. Vela helped oversee the development of the 10-acre healing center. At its center is the CCSD facility which will offer victims a pathway to graduating with a high school diploma and the skills to pursue a college education. "Creating a safe place to dream is really what this school is all about," Vela said. "It's about saying I see you, and you are enough, and the things that happened to you are not okay." The school has open spaces and large windows to let in natural light. It has decorations that Vela says evoke peace and tranquility. There are also four classrooms and they hope to welcome the 45 students by mid-November. "Education is power," Rebecca Balistere, one of the counselors, said. "If we have an education, we have opportunity." Balistere added, "If they're not going to school, which typically these young people are not in school, they're losing their power. They've lost their power to their trafficker." Balistere, as well as the principal Amy Manning, became yoga certified to teach students the importance of the mind-body connection.
The school's curriculum will be specialized to each student's needs. "Right now in Las Vegas, there are victims of sex trafficking on our high school and junior high school campuses. But the teachers don't know," Balistere said. Each of the 45 students attending the school has to live on campus as part of a well-rounded intervention program. St. Jude's Ranch for Children will host a ribbon cutting for the school and the 10-acre healing center on Oct. 30.
