Combatting Human Trafficking: Hosting Strategic Conversations to Create Innovative Ideas

Human trafficking is a complex crime that requires the collective resources from law enforcement, industry, academia, and victim services providers in Government and the private sector to address. It is a national level problem but, unfortunately, it is often only addressed at the local level where it impacts communities. 

In November 2019, Arc Aspicio’s Strategy Innovation Lab (SILab) brought together a distinguished group of 30 professionals working on this important mission. The participants represented numerous law enforcement agencies, nonprofits, private sector organizations, and academic institutions. Participants had the opportunity to generate innovative approaches to reducing human trafficking through a ‘salon-style’ discussion. Rather than listening to talks or speeches, SILab facilitators guided participants through questions that spurred innovative ideas. Attendees were asked to think big and connect trends to potential new ways technology, data, or partnerships could curb the spread of human trafficking. 

Salon-style, facilitated events can be a powerful tool for decision-makers. These events replace speeches and lectures with facilitated discussion involving powerful questions prepared in advance. They also lead to a more strategic conversation that accelerates bold and innovative ideas. Attendees at the Salon had the opportunity to meet with people working to advance the same mission: combatting human trafficking. This diverse group shares one key thing – a passion for their mission. With so much experience among the attendees, participants could share and learn new ideas to help develop their ongoing solutions to this difficult issue. Many act on these ideas after returning to their roles in their respective organizations.

Salon events must include representatives from many different backgrounds and distinctive organizations. Having participants with diverse experience and expertise helps attendees view different perspectives of the challenge and create solutions that truly tackle the root cause of the problem. Numerous groups with varying responsibilities combat human trafficking, and this event brought new ideas to light by bringing people together that may not work with each other day-to-day, though their missions and goals may be similar. Preparing a diverse guest list is crucial to the success of an event like this, and it creates powerful conversations and innovative solutions. 

Prepared, knowledgeable facilitators with direct experience in the subject are essential to maintaining a free flowing, yet targeted, conversation. For the salon, we developed ground rules and sample questions to allow facilitators to maintain a powerful dialogue where participants listened to different perspectives and shared ideas that each could build on. This maximized interactions among participants, provided ample time to meet in advance, and prepared our facilitators to ask the right questions to get attendees comfortable with sharing ideas. 

Our attendees worked to develop more than 50 bold ideas to combat human trafficking. After our event, we developed a concise summary of those ideas for participants to apply back in their own Government and private sector organizations. We also nurtured new relationships and connections among participants, exchanged information and resources, planned future meetings, and inspired attendees to go back to their organizations with renewed vigor to end human trafficking with bolder, more national solutions in mind.

About Arc Aspicio

Arc Aspicio enhances the future of our nation by creating bold ideas and bringing them to life. A consulting and solutions company, Arc Aspicio solves problems by applying our integrated capabilities in strategy, design, data, human capital, behavioral science, and technology. The company passionately pursues our vision to be the hub of creativity where people take action to change the world. To do this, employees collaborate with clients and partners to create solutions using a human-centered approach. Innovation is not possible without action. The company focuses on strategy first, then takes a hands-on approach implementing ideas to achieve results. Join Arc Aspicio and our Strategy Innovation Lab (SILab) by creating and sharing ideas to inspire people to change the world. Follow us on Twitter @ArcAspicio @SILabDC and learn more at www.arcaspicio.com.