Our Media Literacy & Storytelling Training teaches professionals, educators, advocates, community members, and media outlets how to critically analyze narratives and create stories that uplift overlooked voices.
Because boys and men impacted by trafficking are often invisible in public conversations, this training helps participants and media organizations recognize narrative gaps, understand how coverage shapes public perception, and practice ethical storytelling that restores dignity and agency.
Blending research-based media literacy with hands-on storytelling workshops and media-outlet trainings, this program strengthens awareness, compassion, accuracy, and advocacy impact.
Media Literacy Foundations
How news, entertainment, and social media shape public understanding of human trafficking
Identifying bias, stereotypes, and narrative gaps
Analyzing how gender norms and masculinity influence which survivor stories are amplified
Understanding agenda-setting, framing, and the power behind who controls the narrative
Realities of Male Trafficking
Why boys and men are often invisible in media and advocacy
How harmful myths (e.g., “men can’t be victims”) prevent disclosure and support
What advocates, educators, and communities must know to better identify, support, and communicate about male survivors
Human-Centered Storytelling
Centering dignity, resilience, and agency
Balancing transparency with privacy and safety
Ethical considerations when interviewing, writing, or speaking about survivors
How to shift narratives from “what happened to them” to “who they are and who they are becoming”
Who This Training Is For
Educators & school staff
Nonprofit organizations
Advocacy groups
Media outlets & journalists
Social workers & mental health professionals
Youth workers & community leaders
Anyone passionate about shifting culture through storytelling
Narrative Strategy for Advocacy & Awareness
How news, entertainment, and social media shape public understanding of human trafficking
Identifying bias, stereotypes, and narrative gaps
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Practical Story-Building Workshops
Participants engage in hands-on activities such as:
Story mapping
Rewriting harmful or misleading media headlines
Crafting more inclusive narratives
Why It Matters
Media shapes what the world believes about trafficking, and whose stories matter. When the stories of boys and men are overlooked, so are their needs. This training helps communities recognize the narrative blind spots that lead to invisibility and equips them with tools to create more accurate, compassionate, and effective public understanding.
Better narratives lead to:
Stronger identification of survivors
Reduced stigma and shame
More inclusive policies
Greater community responsibility
Increased empathy and awareness
Better support for marginalized survivors
What Sets Us Apart
The Overlook Initiative is founded on a simple belief: Stories create change.
Our work is rooted in:
Research-backed methods in strategic communication, narrative theory, and media studies
Lived experience and advocacy for overlooked survivor populations
Culturally-informed, trauma-aware approaches
Decades of communication and storytelling expertise
Commitment to equity, inclusion, and dignity-centered narratives
We don’t just teach people to analyze media. We equip them to transform it.
