IYK (If You Know)* is at its heart a narrative practice, penning preferred stories with student survivors of trafficking. At scale, IYK an initiative to raise awareness of trafficking risks among students, including outreach on college campuses (now a state policy).

Research led by Dr. Lianne Urada, professor at San Diego State University (SDSU) School of Social Work, shows sexual exploitation on campus is more common than many assume. Nearly 1 in 5 students in one regional study report being coerced. The quieter truth: If someone is being exploited, they might not know. That’s because it all starts with the people they see every day.

Together with survivors and the guidance of Prof. Urada, survivor stories emerged through narrative work. Ebony, mystiika, Xio Loa, E., and Marie shared how they first ‘met trafficking’ and how they got out.

Their stories and metaphors informed the zines we created, with creative direction by Maja Blazejewska. Each folds out to a select chapter with a list of resources at the center, to be made available in print and online.

*IYK grew out of a campaign (It’s not what you think) to make trafficking on college campuses visible.