Tara Teng wins Miss Canada 2012

“She’s the most inspiring person I believe I’ve ever met,” said Miss BC producer, Darren Storsley. The Miss Canada judges clearly agreed when, on may 19, 2012, at a ceremony in Montreal, they crowned the TWU third-year education student Miss Canada 2012.

Back in July,Teng had just won the Miss BC titleand was racking up speaking engagements across the city. Since then, she has become the president of TWU’s International Social Justice Club (ISJC), founded Freedom Week to bring awareness to modern-day slavery—a series of events across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley happening March 6 to 13, 2011—and met with the Prime Minister to discuss human trafficking.

Of the win, Teng said to press, "I am so excited for this new opportunity ahead of me. Not only do I have the honour and privilege of representing my beautiful home of Canada to the world, I now have a larger platform to speak from. My goal as Miss Canada is unchanging from my mission as Miss British Columbia."

Follow news about Freedom Week on Twitter @FreedomWeek2012

Read about past ISJC president and TWU alumnus, Brian Bevilacqua, as he travelled through Mumbai documenting the work of the human rights agency International Justice Mission to rescue women form the sex trade.

Tara Teng Wins Title of Miss World Canada 2012!

Hope for the Sold sends out a HUGE congratulations to Tara Teng for winning the title of Miss World Canada 2012!  Tara has worked so hard for this – and not because she seeks glory for herself but because she believes that this platform can empower her to empower others.  Tara, thank you for your heart for justice, for your never ending energy to fight on behalf of human trafficking victims, for your willingness to declare war on exploitation, for your convictions about true beauty, and for yourhumility.  Your joy bursts out of you on that stage and we celebrate with you!

As Miss World Canada, Tara will be representing Canada at the Miss World Pageant in Inner Mongolia this summer.  I will be sure to post updates.  For those of you who have not been acquainted with this beautiful friend of mine, you can read my interview with Tara Teng (when she held the title of Miss BC) and learn about her journey with Miss World Canada here.

There are many of you who reinforced Tara through your ballots and by assisting her increase resources for Wide range Can suffer Charitable organisation, and a BIG thank you goes out to all of you as well!  She could not have done this without you.  I know Tara will not spend this chance to do some serious excellent on the globe, and it is so interesting for us to take a position behind her as a group of really like and assistance.

Miss canada 2012

Excellent job to all the women who ran in this contest – I wish that you will proceed the excellent achievements you are doing on the globe to help others!

Tara Teng on a dinner

Tara Teng with media

A special companion, Tara Teng, is a screaming abolitionist who is using her speech to kindle a interest for rights all all over the community.  I have described her in several of my content because I am motivated by her activism and truly endowed by her relationship.  When I first met Tara in English The philipines over a season ago, she was about to contend in the Forget North america contest.  But this young lady is way more than a elegance king.  She won the name for 2011, and has not thrown away that foundation for a second.  Never believe me?  These are just some of the elements Tara has been up to this previous year:

Worked for the Dalit Independence System, a  North america company dedicated to the oppressed Dalits of Indian and their kids, who are at danger for trafficking and exploitation.

Organized Independence Weeks time in English The philipines to increase attention about individual trafficking.

Visited Thailand and Cambodia, linking with anti-trafficking companies on the top side collections, displaying really like to kids and poor family members, and seeing first side how sufferers of sex trafficking end up in Oriental karaoke cafes.

Spoke at various schools and churches, catalyzing students to take action.

Completed an internship with MP Joy Smith on Parliament Hill, learning and taking part in the fight against human trafficking on the political front.

Got nominated for Chatelaine Magazine’s Women of the Year Award.

Travelled to South Korea to speak with David Batstone at the Not for Sale Conference.

And trust me, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  But it is Tara’s character that I love more than anything that she has accomplished.  She is a woman of integrity.  She loves people, genuinely.

More Than a Beauty Queen: Meet Miss BC Tara Teng

This weeks time I had to be able to go to a displaying of our movie at Trinity European School, where my partner Jay and I did Q & A with the learners afterwards.  The occurrence was organised by Tara Teng, a wonderful and vivid student who is enthusiastic to end contemporary captivity and exploitation.  Moreover to being a student, she is the chief executive of the public rights team and has two tasks.  Did I discuss she also happens to be Forget BC?

My appointment with Tara was wonderful – her interest to combat individual trafficking is contagious!  This young lady is established, inspired, and active, but she is also respectful, thoughtful, and others-focused.  I wish this appointment is able to catch some of that!

How did you get engaged in the combat against individual trafficking?

When I was youthful, around 10 decades of age, I was interested with the subterranean railway and the transatlantic servant business.  In my beginning teenagers I kept operating into the subject of individual trafficking…documentaries, content etc.  I got to the factor where I began to actually look for it instead of just arriving across it.  Tho whole factor reluctant me. It’s risky, and we will be sincere, I’m not the hardest individual out there!  It got to the factor where I thought: I am sick and exhausted with being too reluctant to to be the individual I was blessed to be.  I cannot keep this to myself.  Now you cannot have a discussion with me without discussing this.

What are you currently learning and how do you see that enjoying out in the future?

I’m learning Understanding, with an British and Terminology concentrate. I want to use education as a recovery and avoidance device for individual trafficking.   Understanding is energy. Understanding provides sources for individuals to traffic-proof their life, especially those residing in hardship. Whether I actually end up being a instructor or not – who knows where daily challenge golf paintballs will take me! But I know that my profession will in some way be linked with abolition.  It is to be established how that performs out!

How have you been engaged in the combat against trafficking so far?

Telling everybody I can. Social networking is awesome. Facebook or myspace, Tweets, my weblog. As Forget BC the opportunity to propagate the phrase has been amazing! Now I am doing presentation regularly, and they always start off with ‘why did you do the pageant’ and ‘what do you wish to do now as ruling Forget BC?’ Human trafficking is what I’m discussing. That is when the journal appointment really begins to go somewhere!  I’m doing about 4 interviews/speaking places a month.  I had never even done any presentation before summer time season and everything is accident course learning!


What is the reaction when you do these interviews?

At first they come in with their preconditioned concept that I am just going to be a ‘pageant young lady.’  They ask me all time if I want community serenity, and I say: “No, I’m here to announce war! War on disfavor, war on greed…!”  And they say…’okay that is very cool!’ I had never done a contest before.   Pageants are not my concentrate. I always say that I’m not a elegance king, I’m an abolitionist.  That is the center of it for me: public privileges, individual privileges, conclusion exploitation, discussing out for the oppressed and the marginalized, and increasing attention of conclusion contemporary captivity.  The name is just a foundation and road which to do it.


Our community gives us a very one-dimensional edition of elegance.  It is all about sex charm. What is your description of beauty?

I always say that the community needs to know that they were incorrect about elegance. And that is something that is really essential to me. Beauty is not a competition. Its not a epidermis color or a dimension or a design. Beauty is the history we keep behind, elegance is elegance, elegance is sympathy, elegance is rights. Beauty is in when doing what you know is right, elegance is effect.  ’Beautiful’ ladies are a penny a number of, and you will discover them all over the position. ‘Beauty’ tarnishes and facial lines and it’s epidermis deeply, but the factor that is really wonderful is the way that we really like one another and the way that we take a position up for one another…that is the factor that will really create an effect. Individuals forget that because they want to comform to the well-known concept of elegance.  But I never want to spend my some time to my lifestyle on that. I want to be courageous enough to be myself, because that is something that is wonderful.

What is the one concern you wish individuals requested you?

Any concern that causes rights. I dislike it when individuals evaluate me to Forget Teenager Southern region Carolina and that young lady who got that charts and Irak concern incorrect. I just think, “I’m so not like her!” This is my center. I wish individuals requested me where they can indication up, what they can do.  Because that is when we will really begin to see a modify.

What are your wants Forget Canada?

Of course everybody wants to win, but for me it’s about nationwide attention and to be able to create this concept worldwide. This is what I was blessed to do. Those are my wants Forget North america. I will know by Sunday what the result is, but going into it, I know what I take a position for, and if that is not what they are looking for that is okay.  Because another entrance is going to begin, and the concept will get out.  I’m not going to bargain or water it down, perform the overall activity so I win the name, because this is what I am known as to do. Those are my desires around it.

Tara Teng

Tara Teng

Student Tara Teng takes combat for rights across Canada

Tara Teng, Forget North america 2011, is taking the combat for rights on the street september in a cross-country trip that sneakers off Aug 15 in Calgary. Kindle the Way to The law will make its way eastern to 10 significant places across North america, with any stop in Greater, May. 1-4.
The fourth-year knowledge student will be signed up with by other abolitionist, and former Madam, Tania Fiolleau; producing specialist, Kevin Boese; and several human-trafficking informants. The group will associate with key companies in each group to carry actions that provide possibilities to inform and activate contribution to combat humantrafficking.

Its goal: "to ignite a highly effective, specific, grassroots activity that talks up for the oppressed."
In inclusion to a flutter summer time visiting through Florida, Thailand, and Cambodia to talk about public rights and in order to fulfill some of the women suffering from individual trafficking, the 22-year-old also talked regionally on part of the Dalit Independence System North america, to emphasize how insecure categories, such as the Dalits, are at dangerous of being utilized.
"I find when you listen to about public rights problems you instantly think, 'That's terrible,' but the more you understand about it the more you have to start asking yourself hard concerns like, 'How have I immediately or in a roundabout way provided to this injustice?'"

When Teng and her dad, Terry, went to Cambodia in collaboration with the loyality group Visitors Jam, they remained in some of the cities' red-light zones.

"I went to pay attention and to get a feeling of what's going on in order to come returning and discuss their testimonies," she says.

In May, she talked at the MTV Independence Show in Thailand, in assistance of the songs station's EXIT to end exploitation and trafficking promotion. The concert introduced together Teng's biggest viewers yet, a viewers of nearly 40,000 people. The following 30 days, she approved along her Forget B.C. title; her Forget North america rule will continue until Jan 2012.

"At the end of that phrase, I feel like that section in my life will come to a close, and I'll be able to concentrate more of my attention on the elements I'm really enthusiastic about," she says.

This drop, as an individual at TWU's Laurentian Authority Hub in Ottawa, Teng will intern with Participant of Parliament Joy Jackson. Jackson has obtained assistance for a new expenses that is designed to eliminate the sex business by focusing on its market.

"I believe in big elements," says Teng. "Last phrase, I added myself into the preparing of Independence Weeks time and talked at several attention places."

Since then, Teng has been able to look returning at the swell results due to her work. She has seen chapels announce themselves rights chapels, working on their own public rights tasks and events; learners at a Maple Grove school create and present characters to MP Level Warawa; and the starting of a frequent conversation for Langley stakeholders to deal with how to take realistic actions to traffic-proof the group.

To assistance Tara Teng and buddies on the nationwide Kindle the Way to The law Tour, check out ignitetheroadtojustice.com

The Kindle the Way to The law start occurrence will be organised at 7 p.m. on Aug. 15, at Seaside Chapel, 1160 Western Atlanta St., Calgary.

To find out more about Tara Teng's actions, study her weblog at effect.twu.ca