Danville students (from left) Aaron Skwarcan, Amy Skwarcan, Grant Koenig and Tyler Yentes are promoting awareness of human trafficking through "Love Can't Be Baht." - Photo provided by Tyler YentesIndyStar.com
Danville teens launch group to help victims of trafficking
By Gretchen Becker
Posted: January 10, 2009
Last summer, best friends Tyler Yentes and Grant Koenig decided to put $1 in a pot every time they got together and donate it to a good cause at the end of the summer.
Saturday, the Danville Community High School seniors will launch what they hope to be their own nonprofit venture, called "Love Can't Be Baht."
During a church youth conference, Yentes and Koenig watched a documentary called "Baht" that brings awareness about women who are victims of human sex trafficking in Cambodia in Southeast Asia. Baht refers to a form of currency in Thailand.
"Our hearts were wanting to help a cause," Yentes said.
Instead of giving their small amount of money into one cause they might never see results from, Yentes and Koenig decided to form their own group with the help of the their church, Northview Christian Church in Danville. They are working toward gaining nonprofit status. Donations are currently going through the church.
"I'd never really heard much about human trafficking," Yentes said. "I like to consider myself pretty informed, and if I don't know about it, I don't think a lot of people my age know about it."
With the help of siblings Amy and Aaron Skwarcan, fellow classmates and church members, Yentes and Koenig have organized support for their cause. They've developed a My Space page, a group on Facebook, created T-shirts and have found a safe house to help that protects women in Cambodia, called Rapha House.
Northview loaned the teens money to get started, but they have already paid it back, and a donor gave funds to pay for Saturday's coffeehouse-style launch, which will feature acoustic sets from three local bands: The Holiday from Indianapolis; Ironsides Band from Noblesville; and News from Verona from Greenwood.
Melissa Jackson from Rapha House also will speak, and guests can watch a screening of "Baht."
Scott Ancarrow, Northview student minister, said the four students have really make the movement happen themselves, and they are also student leaders in the church.
"They watched the video, and we left them with the question, 'What are you going to do with this type of injustice?' " Ancarrow said. "Our staff has given them a facility and a place to throw out their ideas."
He hopes the kickoff event will spark dialogue among attendees about what they can do to help stop social injustices such as sex trafficking.
The students are hoping to raise $3,000 to send to Rapha House and help them afford to travel to concerts this summer to spread the word about Love Can't Be Baht.
"I think it's awesome when faith has feet," Ancarrow said. "It's not just talking a good game. It's using their own time and money that they don't have a lot of, in partner with God. It quickly became bigger than Northview and bigger than them."
Danville teens launch group to help victims of trafficking
By Gretchen Becker
Posted: January 10, 2009
Last summer, best friends Tyler Yentes and Grant Koenig decided to put $1 in a pot every time they got together and donate it to a good cause at the end of the summer.
Saturday, the Danville Community High School seniors will launch what they hope to be their own nonprofit venture, called "Love Can't Be Baht."
During a church youth conference, Yentes and Koenig watched a documentary called "Baht" that brings awareness about women who are victims of human sex trafficking in Cambodia in Southeast Asia. Baht refers to a form of currency in Thailand.
"Our hearts were wanting to help a cause," Yentes said.
Instead of giving their small amount of money into one cause they might never see results from, Yentes and Koenig decided to form their own group with the help of the their church, Northview Christian Church in Danville. They are working toward gaining nonprofit status. Donations are currently going through the church.
"I'd never really heard much about human trafficking," Yentes said. "I like to consider myself pretty informed, and if I don't know about it, I don't think a lot of people my age know about it."
With the help of siblings Amy and Aaron Skwarcan, fellow classmates and church members, Yentes and Koenig have organized support for their cause. They've developed a My Space page, a group on Facebook, created T-shirts and have found a safe house to help that protects women in Cambodia, called Rapha House.
Northview loaned the teens money to get started, but they have already paid it back, and a donor gave funds to pay for Saturday's coffeehouse-style launch, which will feature acoustic sets from three local bands: The Holiday from Indianapolis; Ironsides Band from Noblesville; and News from Verona from Greenwood.
Melissa Jackson from Rapha House also will speak, and guests can watch a screening of "Baht."
Scott Ancarrow, Northview student minister, said the four students have really make the movement happen themselves, and they are also student leaders in the church.
"They watched the video, and we left them with the question, 'What are you going to do with this type of injustice?' " Ancarrow said. "Our staff has given them a facility and a place to throw out their ideas."
He hopes the kickoff event will spark dialogue among attendees about what they can do to help stop social injustices such as sex trafficking.
The students are hoping to raise $3,000 to send to Rapha House and help them afford to travel to concerts this summer to spread the word about Love Can't Be Baht.
"I think it's awesome when faith has feet," Ancarrow said. "It's not just talking a good game. It's using their own time and money that they don't have a lot of, in partner with God. It quickly became bigger than Northview and bigger than them."
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