Upcoming Events & Announcements
If you’d like us to present on behalf of your community, please contact us at 303-253-4204 or mitch.peritz@yrui.org.
Community Events
☀️ YRUI Lunch & Learn — Protecting Our Youth
📅 Monday, October 26, 2026
📍 Broomfield Chamber of Commerce-26 Garden Center #4, Broomfield
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
A community awareness presentation designed to help parents, caregivers, and community members become informed and empowered—not alarmed.
* 🔎 Understand Human Trafficking — What it is, what it isn’t, and the vulnerabilities that can increase risk
* ⚠️ Recognize the Warning Signs — Red flags and signs that a young person may be experiencing exploitation
* 📱 Navigate the Digital Landscape — How traffickers use social media, gaming, and online spaces to target youth
* 🛡️ Protect Your Kids Online — Practical strategies for creating a digital family safety plan and household guidelines
* 💬 Open the Conversation — Tools for talking with young people about online safety and exploitation
* 📞 Know Where to Turn — Resources, hotlines, and reporting options
Our goal is not to create fear. It is to build awareness, confidence, and practical tools—so adults leave informed and empowered to help protect the young people in their lives.
#BroomfieldCommunity #YouthRising-UpInitiative #HumanTraffickingPrevention #YouthEmpowerment
🌙 YRUI Lunch & Learn @ Night — Protecting Our Youth
📅 November 5, 2026 | 5:30 PM
📍 The Winners Circle, Longmont, Colorado
A community awareness presentation designed to help parents, caregivers, and community members become informed and empowered—not alarmed.
* 🔎 Understand Human Trafficking — What it is, what it isn’t, and the vulnerabilities that can increase risk
* ⚠️ Recognize the Warning Signs — Red flags and signs that a young person may be experiencing exploitation
* 📱 Navigate the Digital Landscape — How traffickers use social media, gaming, and online spaces to target youth
* 🛡️ Protect Your Kids Online — Practical strategies for creating a digital family safety plan and household guidelines
* 💬 Open the Conversation — Tools for talking with young people about online safety and exploitation
* 📞 Know Where to Turn — Resources, hotlines, and reporting options
Our goal is not to create fear. It is to build awareness, confidence, and practical tools—so adults leave informed and empowered to help protect the young people in their lives.
#WinnersCircle#YouthRising-UpInitiative #HumanTraffickingPrevention #YouthEmpowerment
🎤 emPWR Conference — Behind the Screen
📅 November 12, 2026
📍 Glenwood Springs, Colorado
YRUI is proud to present “Behind the Screen: Recognizing Grooming Tactics and Protecting Kids in the Digital Landscape.”
Through live scenario read-throughs based on simulated trafficker transcripts, participants will identify grooming red flags in real time and explore the five stages of a groomer’s strategy. The session will also examine how traffickers and predators exploit AI and social media to target youth.
Participants will leave with practical tools—including family digital rules, conversation starters, and a community-based digital safety model—to help recognize grooming patterns and protect the young people and families they serve.
#EMPWRConference#OnlineGrooming#HumanTraffickingPrevention#YouthSafety
🎤 TEDx Boulder — Roots & Wings
Traffickers Depend on Our Silence: Not Tonight
📅 November 14, 2026
📍 eTown, Boulder, Colorado
YRUI is proud to have been selected to present at TEDx Boulder. Founder and Executive Director Dr. Mitch Peritz will share YRUI’s message that human trafficking and exploitation can be prevented when communities get involved.
The talk will explore the vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit—and why breaking the silence and embracing collective responsibility can become a powerful force for prevention.
#YRUI #TEDxBoulder #BreakTheSilence #HumanTraffickingPrevention
🎙️ OnlyFounders Podcast-December 11, 2026
What does it take to prevent human trafficking before it happens?
On Friday, December 11, YRUI Founder and Executive Director Dr. Mitch Peritz joins Anne Gillespie on the OnlyFounders podcast to explore the uncomfortable realities of human trafficking, the vulnerabilities that can place young people at risk, and the responsibility we all share in prevention.
💜 Through Youth Rising-Up Initiative (YRUI) and its Say Y.E.S. (Youth Empowerment Strategies) program, Mitch champions a trauma-informed, creative arts approach that empowers young people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate relationships, recognize risks, and make informed decisions.
Prevention begins when we move beyond discomfort and silence toward awareness, connection, and action.
This conversation reflects YRUI’s central belief: protecting young people is a shared responsibility. By confronting difficult realities and equipping our communities with knowledge, we can move beyond awareness and toward meaningful prevention.
Tune in Friday, December 11, to hear the conversation.
🎧 How to Listen: Visit the OnlyFounders podcast website to find the episode. You can listen on your preferred platform, including Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube.
#YRUI #HumanTraffickingPrevention #YouthEmpowerment #OnlyFounders
📚 Lunch & Learn @ Night– The Crescent Grange
Join Youth Rising-Up Initiative for a Lunch & Learn presentation at the Longmont Chamber of Commerce. We'll cover what human trafficking is (and isn't), risk factors and red flags to watch for, how to move forward if you sense something may be happening, and how to help keep your kid safe in today's digital landscape.
📆 Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2027
🕔 Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Location: 7901 W 120th Ave, Broomfield,
ℹ️ Open to parents, educators, and community members. Come learn how to help keep young people safe.
#CrescentGrange#HumanTraffickingPrevention #YouthRising-UpInitiative #YouthEmpowerment