Burlington Miss World Canada contestant launches special initiative

Read The Original Article Here | By: THE BURLINGTON POST

In April, Burlington’s Sarah Cestnick was selected to represent the city in the Miss World Canada Nationals competition taking place Nov. 7 to 13 in Toronto.

Through the competition, she launched The Omega Project, an antisex trafficking initiative with the mission to educate and equip communities with the necessary resources to combat this issue.

“I believe we should know how to respond to this issue as naturally as we are taught to look both ways before we cross the street or recite ‘stop, drop, and roll’ in case of a fire,” said Sarah. “We need to educate parents, teachers, and older youth on the statistics and dangerous reality of trafficking, and help youth set social media boundaries.”

In a recent meeting with Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward to discuss her anti-trafficking initiative, Sarah explained one of her strategies.

“I knew we needed something easy to remember, so I came up with P.T.A. — Past, Task, Ask. Past prompts the person to ask “Who is this person to me? How well do I know them? How long have I known them? Task asks, What is this person asking from me? Am I comfortable with these tasks? Are they getting bigger over time? And finally, Ask. Ask questions about the person, ask yourself if you’re comfortable, ask others around you for their advice and opinions on the person in question.”

“I am so impressed with Sarah for starting this initiative and opening conversations on this important topic with the goal of protecting women and girls from becoming potential victims,” said Meed Ward.

“I’m proud to represent our amazing community, knowing that we can work together to keep Burlington strong. Omega means the ‘end’ and it ends with us,” said Sarah.

To learn more or to connect with Sarah, email omegaproject.ca@gmail.com. To support her on the national stage you can vote for “Sarah C” at www.catchthecrown.com. Every vote is a donation to the Make A Wish Foundation.