Social Justice & Advocacy at Fuller: Rachel Goble from Fuller Theological Seminary on Vimeo.

SOLD at the United Nations

Hi Everyone,

My name is Drew Persons and I've been working for The SOLD Project for the past year and a half as their Thai language interpreter/Cultural Consultant/Project Manager.

A couple of months ago, a representative from Rotary International approached us with an invitation to participate in their UN Youth Day, held in New York City at the United Nations building. This annual event was created to inspire high school students to make positive changes in the world by connecting them with proactive organizations (like SOLD) that they can partner with and support.

I flew to New York earlier on this month and made a presentation about SOLD's education scholarship program on November 8th to an audience of 700 people. After I spoke, I was approached by many young people in the metropolitan area, all of whom were interested in joining The SOLD Project.
Overall, the trip was a huge success. Being invited to talk about ANYTHING at the United Nations when your non profit has only been around for a year is pretty incredible.

On a more personal note, the trip was significant for me because my #1 life goal, my loftiest dream, the most unreachable and unlikely honor I could think of, was to speak at the UN. It encapsulates everything that I stand for in terms of foreign diplomacy and effectively making changes. I still can not believe that SOLD made it possible.

It was SO rainy and cold.

The audience that I spoke to.

So don't EVER tell yourself that the #1 thing on your "things to do before you die" list is unattainable . I crossed mine off on the evening of September 8th and I'm only 22.

SOLD's First Film Festival!

We just got back from our first film festival experience with SOLD... and it blew us away. SOLD: Cat is a 15 minute piece that shows our hearts for prevention for at-risk children...

"The SOLD Project: Cat" is 6th out of 26 shorts as the audience award!

And this is just the beginning...



We also spent time with a couple of really amazing schools, IUPUI and the University of Indianapolis. It was a great sneak peak for the endless creative possibilities for the 2009 tour... spoken word artists, visual artists, and great bands. As you're thinking about how to pull together your own SOLD event in your community, we encourage you to be creative and involve local artists!

Keep Moving...

“If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means keep moving.” Dr. Martin Luther King

As The SOLD Project continues to move forward in our mission to create awareness about and ignite a response to child prostitution and sex trafficking, we must keep Dr. King’s quote in mind. It is never a full-on sprint, but often baby steps towards our end goals and desires.

Most recently, we are revamping our web-site… it will be new and improved in a few short weeks!
The organization is moving along beautifully… establishing our “Write to Freedom” campaign to keep children in school and out of prostitution, and setting up our Spring Tour!
The film has hired a new Story Producer to complete SOLD: Thailand and tell the stories of these children.

Thank you for being part of this journey as we keep moving…. whether running, walking, or crawling.

Back to Brokenness

Arriving in Thailand… a bittersweet feeling sets in. A country that has stolen my heart due to its beauty and culture, yet a country that breaks my heart due to the extreme injustice that occurs here. Round two of filming begins in one short week and there is much to do to prepare for the crew to arrive. I have mixed emotions as I prepare to enter back into the world of child prostitution and exploitation. Am I ready to enter into a place of brokenness again? As I sit and ponder this question only one answer rings true… I must. I must not be afraid of having my eyes opened, my heart left broken, and my head spinning with questions. I must. I must return home with stories that will tell the truth of these children’s struggles and with answers to help end it. I must. I must remain hopeful.

I will be broken and I will be inspired. I know no other way…