Protecting Vulnerable Youth: Recognizing and Preventing Exploitation
Includes a Live Web Event on 04/29/2026 at 12:30 PM (MDT)
-
Register
- Foster Parent (Colorado) - Free!
- Project 1.27 Referral - Free!
- Certified Kin Parent (Outside Colorado) - Free!
- Guest - Equine Program - Free!
- Foster Parent (New Mexico) - Free!
- New Mexico Misc. - Free!
- Non-certified Kin Parent (Outside Colorado) - Free!
- Non-certified Kin Parent (Colorado) - Free!
- Certified Kin Parent (Colorado) - Free!
- Foster Parent (Outside Colorado) - Free!
- Speaker - Free!
- Teacher - Free!
- Foster Source Staff - Free!
- Former FP/Adoptive Parent/Not currently fostering - Free!
- County/CPA Worker - Free!
- CASA - Free!
The Youth Rising-Up Initiative (YRUI) lunch-and-learn equips parents with a clear,
practical understanding of how human trafficking and exploitation impact
vulnerable youth, with a particular focus on the risk factors common in foster care
such as instability, past trauma, and emotional vulnerability. The presentation
explores how grooming occurs—both in-person and online—highlighting current
risks across social media, gaming platforms, and emerging AI technologies, while
also identifying key behavioral and situational red flags. Just as importantly, it
provides concrete tools parents can use to protect youth, including establishing
digital boundaries, fostering open and judgment-free communication, and
recognizing the limits of monitoring technology. Grounded in a trauma-informed
and relationship-centered approach, YRUI emphasizes that the most effective
prevention comes through trust, awareness, and connection, empowering
caregivers to create safer environments where youth feel seen, supported, and
less vulnerable to exploitation.
Mitch Peritz
Dr.
Yrui
Dr. Mitch Peritz, a recipient of the Mayor’s Certificate of Recognition in New York
City for his dedicated work with adolescents, has recently returned to his passion
for youth engagement.
He graduated from the Master of Social Work program at Colorado State
University, focusing on combatting human trafficking where he developed an
innovative trafficking prevention program for youth, grounded in experiential
learning through the creative arts.
He is the founder of the Youth Rising-Up Initiative (YRUI), a nonprofit dedicated to
preventing the exploitation and trafficking of youth by addressing the underlying
vulnerabilities that place them at risk. Drawing on over 40 years of experience as
a practitioner supporting individuals in healing and resilience, Dr. Peritz brings a
trauma-informed, relationship-centered approach that equips caregivers and
communities with practical tools to recognize warning signs, understand
grooming dynamics, and foster resilience in the youth they support—helping
young people rediscover their sense of worth, connection, and the possibility of a
future free from exploitation.
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