Survivor Voices Initiative (SVI)
Mission
The mission of the Survivor Voices Initiative is to elevate and amplify the voices of survivor leaders in the fight to end human trafficking.

This initiative recognizes that survivors provide vital insights, experiences, and leadership that can inform and transform anti-trafficking efforts. However, many face financial barriers that hinder their participation in events, training sessions, and consulting opportunities.

Survivor Voices seeks to eliminate these barriers by creating opportunities for survivors to be heard and compensated fairly, ensuring their participation is ethical, trauma-informed, and non-exploitative.
Track Record
1 survivor council
2 events a year
120 organizations and companies impacted through speaking
Problem We are Solving
This initiative aims to fill an important gap in anti-trafficking efforts: while the voices of survivors are incredibly valuable, many face financial barriers that prevent their participation. Traveling, speaking at events, and taking on advisory roles often come with personal costs that can be burdensome. Additionally, when survivors do participate, they sometimes find themselves being tokenized or pressured to share their painful stories without proper compensation, support, or consideration for their well-being.

This initiative addresses both the practical and ethical challenges involved, enabling survivors to engage in a meaningful and safe way while providing them with autonomy, support, and fair compensation.
Results
The Survivor Voices Initiative adopts a trauma-informed, survivor-centered approach to avoid exploitation and tokenism by:
Respecting Autonomy
Survivors decide when, where, and how to share their stories, if they choose to share them at all. There is no expectation or pressure to recount trauma narratives.
Recognizing Lived Expertise as Legitimate Knowledge
Survivors’ insights are critical, experiential knowledge essential for informing policies, practices, and system changes. This expertise is respected equally to academic or professional knowledge and is included in Eagle Venture’s survivor council work.
Providing Support
Survivors receive support, including training in public speaking and post-speech debriefing to help manage the potential emotional impact of their involvement.
Guaranteeing Compensation
All survivor contributions, whether through speaking, advising, or consulting, are compensated fairly and transparently.
Measuring Success
Typical
0-1 survivors get paid scholarships to events
Goal
3-10 survivors can attend each event
Currently
3
Typical
0-1 Survivors on a survivor council
Goal
3-7 Survivors can be on a survivor council that is paid
Currently
2
Typical
0-1 Companies with survivor feedback
Goal
5-10 companies get survivor feedback
Currently
1
Leader Profile
Elizabeth Bowman McLaughlin, PhD, LICSW, LCSW-C
Assistant Professor at Gallaudet University in the Department of Social Work
She holds clinical social work licensure in 4 states, is an Advanced Clinical Trauma practitioner, & utilizes expressive arts in a holistic approach to well-being & mental health in her clinical practice. She is a survivor of both CSEC & DMST, and founded a nonprofit to support survivors of sex trafficking, the Restoring Ivy Collective.
Org History
The SVI is a part of the Clapham Accelerator.

This organization was started as a partnership with Tim Tebow Group, Scott Donnell, and Eagle Venture Fund in fall of 2023 as a way to accelerate the best and newest technologies that were being created to fight human trafficking.

We have met spring and fall for the last 18 months to grow this mission and now have 120 to 150 people semi-annually attending our events and engaging in a mighty network online platform.  As a rule, we tend to overestimate what we can do in a year, but underestimate what we can do in a decade, so we plan with a 10+year horizon. Survivor voices are essential  to this initiative.
What to expect?
Apply to Join
Join a high-agency network of founders, investors, and survivor leaders accelerating solutions together.
Apply to Join
Annual Events
We convene every Spring and Fall to spark intros, pilots, and funding—built for action, not panels.
Request Event Info
Donate
Fuel Survivor Voices and the Solution Groups creating real-world wins against trafficking.
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