Students preview March ‘Leaders in Life’ conference; local anti‑trafficking groups urge schools to expand prevention training

Student organizers and adult advisors for Leaders in Life described the March 13, 2025, youth conference planned for Mechanics Bank Arena and asked the board to note the program’s countywide student leadership and career-exploration goals.

Nourdes Butcher, an adult advisor for the Leaders in Life program, said more than 100 middle- and high-school students work monthly on planning, logistics, fundraising and workshops. Student executive board members Alyssa Paredes and Thomas Foote described the conference format: a nationally recognized keynote speaker, three workshop sessions students choose, an interactive resource fair with colleges and service providers, and a closing speaker. Paredes said this year’s planning group had raised about $96,000 in funding and expected the event to host students and advisors from across California.

After the student presentation, Kern County anti‑trafficking volunteers and survivors delivered a separate briefing about local trends in human trafficking and how schools can respond. Sergeant Dustin Contreras of the Kern County Coalition Against Trafficking (KCAT) summarized regional patterns: he said California continues to register a high volume of trafficking reports and emphasized that trafficking occurs locally, not only in large coastal cities. Odessa Perkins, a high school counselor and survivor, described individual cases she has seen at school and said educators should not assume trafficking only affects particular neighborhoods. Dr. Angela Look, a Cal State Bakersfield professor and KCAT steering committee member, presented statistics — including age-of-entry data — and said trafficking often begins with online contact and grooming; she and Perkins urged earlier, school‑based prevention education for middle-school students.

Board members and staff discussed existing efforts and next steps. Desiree (last name in transcript) and Steve Sanders of the Kern County Network for Children described training opportunities and an upcoming regional Zoom/in-person training on Feb. 18 for service providers. Superintendent Mindebrough and other board members said the county office will coordinate with partners and consider how to support expanded school-based student programming and parent outreach. The FBI’s local victim services representative also offered to present a sextortion training to schools in March.

Presenters distributed handouts and asked the board to support broader youth-focused prevention programs and community awareness. No formal board vote was taken; presenters requested follow-up discussions with county education staff about pilot programs and parent/community events.