AnnieCannons

AnnieCannons’ mission is to train, prepare, and connect individuals who have experienced human trafficking to sustainable careers in tech. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 27.6 million victims of human trafficking worldwide. According to the US Department of State, around 500,000 people are trafficked in the United States each year. Due to the lack of long term career options, many survivors are caught in a loop of accessing services followed by re-exploitation. Financial independence is one of the most critical factors in a survivor’s healing journey. In many instances, a job training program that centers survivors’ unique needs and leads to high-wage career opportunities can mean the difference between re-exploitation and economic stability.

AnnieCannons offers a free, trauma-informed training program that brings survivors of trafficking into STEM fields and links them to high-paying, highly skilled careers. The Coding Training Program incorporates technical training, career development, and experiential learning into one cohesive program. The program incorporates trauma-informed activities that are mindful of the unique learning and support needs of people who have experienced human trafficking, women, and BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. 

Technical Training: Students have the agency to journey through the fully remote training program, which consists of four separate learning modules. In Tech Career Foundations, students gain increased skills, understanding and confidence in securing employment in tech industry jobs. This module solidifies critical 21st century digital workplace skills and bridges the gap in understanding the tech industry, the software lifecycle, and the foundations for programming. In Introduction to Programming, students build a foundation of knowledge to be successful in software development and programming. Students have increased skills, understanding and confidence in algorithmic thinking, web principles, and problem solving. In Advanced Learning Modules, students learn advanced topics in frontend and backend development. These modules incorporate project-based learning which allows students to apply skills in active client products where they can grapple with coding challenges, discover and test solutions, and interact with structured teams. Students contribute code, attend technical meetings such as standups, sprint reviews, and retrospective meetings, and write technical documentation. By working on real projects in the structure of real tech companies, students are better prepared for future roles as well as job interviews. 

Personal and Career Development: AnnieCannons delivers comprehensive, trauma-informed supports to ensure participants have the confidence, persistence, and professional assets needed to be job-ready through 100+ hours of weekly workshops and one-on-one career readiness coaching. Students have access to coaching from guest speakers, mentors, a Student Success Coordinator, and a Career Development Manager. This creates the space needed to focus on building personal skills and confidence for the workplace by enhancing communication, time and project management, and self-directed learning. Attention is also given to the creation of a professional portfolio, resume development, and technical interviewing preparation. Additionally, students will prepare themselves for a successful career through interactions and workshops with role models, tech industry professionals, and wellness experts.

Career Connection: Program staff build partnerships with technology companies to create a reporting mechanism for hiring managers to update status on needed skills for new hires, update curriculum materials, create new assessment protocols, and build new learning pathways that increase student hireability. By investing in our mentorship programs, alumni network, and career development activities, we are able to ensure that individuals continue to grow and learn even once placed at tech companies. 

Our program is working to bring more diverse voices, experiences, and backgrounds into the field of technology. The solution utilizes new training and curriculum methodologies, technologies, as well as direct partnership with technology companies to ensure survivors have the best opportunities available to make an impact in the tech field. Our team is trained on ethical data and security practices regarding student data, and we also follow ethical storytelling guidelines for how we share information about our students' success.

Once participants have acquired core technical skills in the first two modules, they enter into advanced modules and engage in experiential learning coursework. This model uses project-based learning techniques which allows participants to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in a real world setting where they grapple with real-world coding challenges, discover and test solutions, and interact with structured teams. These projects help participants learn about version control, the software lifecycle, code collaboration, and how to work with product teams. Participants are expected to contribute code, attend technical meetings such as standups, sprint reviews, and retrospective meetings, and write technical documentation. By working on real projects in the structure of real tech companies, participants are better prepared for future roles as well as job interviews. Survivors have earned more than $2 million working on software projects within AnnieCannons training program.

One of these software products is ResourceFull, an AnnieCannons-led initiative to help connect survivors to service providers and resources more safely and efficiently. ResourceFull is a tool that gives power to survivors looking to connect to the right resources the first time they search and prevent hundreds of wasted hours searching, contacting and connecting with resources only to find out that they are not eligible for care at that organization. ResourceFull is the first application of its kind that gives survivors the ability to control, remove, and update their data provided to service organizations. The product is optimized for not requiring individuals to have to re-answer intake questions over and over again, while giving them the option to completely remove their data from the platform. We work with partners such as Data Theorem and Tech Safety Net to ensure that our technology is secure and our data governance principles reflect the needs of our users.

In order to ensure a broad base of diverse students, AnnieCannons engages in outreach and partnerships to intentionally prioritize space and participation for BIPOC and other underserved individuals. With over 45 service provider partners, AnnieCannons has an ecosystem that spans geographic regions to support survivors across the country. The program serves survivors of human trafficking over the age of 18. AnnieCannons’ curriculum and program design focuses on the needs of students who have experienced various forms of trauma and exploitation. 

The majority of people AnnieCannons serves identify as women and non-binary (95%), and more than three-quarters are women of color. 76% of participants are US citizens, and all participants to date have experienced trafficking within the United States. Many participants have experienced homelessness and/or have been referred to AnnieCannons from shelters across the country. Among our recent class, approximately half of the participants enrolled in the program identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

This program assumes zero prior knowledge of technology for maximum accessibility. At AnnieCannons, Bloom's Taxonomy is used for training curriculum development and skills acquisition. This taxonomy focuses on helping individuals build analytical and cognitive skills to critically apply their new knowledge in new contexts, a critical skill in the ever-changing field of technology. 

Through training, coaching, and a community of care, survivors of trafficking can establish sustainable technology careers, break the cycle of exploitation, and achieve economic stability for themselves and their families.

Laura Hackney, AnnieCannons’ CEO, is a human rights advocate and full-stack software engineer, who previously managed the Program on Human Rights at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute. She analyzed the effects of governmental policy on lived experiences of members of different marginalized communities, particularly women. She previously lived in southwest China and supported local organizations dealing with human trafficking caused by the effects of the One Child Policy. Her work focused on the response from community based organizations, the impact of government policies, and the importance of survivor leadership. AnnieCannons was born out of a commitment to create trauma-informed and healing-centered pathways for individuals to build careers that could break cycles of exploitation in their communities. 

The AnnieCannons team consists of experts in the field of social work, technology, education, and product development and is supported by an ecosystem of external volunteers and mentors. Our team is unique because it is composed of individuals with lived human trafficking experiences as well as individuals with a history of serving marginalized groups, all informing strategic and programmatic initiatives to respond to the changing needs of fellow survivors. AnnieCannons values and integrates the voices of individuals with lived experiences in all parts of the organization, from program design and curriculum development to our hiring practices and staffing. 

Our Board is composed of diverse members of our community, including technologists, educators, nonprofit experts, philanthropists, and corporate leaders. A graduate of our program joined the AnnieCannons board to help inform and guide our strategic decision-making.

AnnieCannons began as a coding training program. We have been focused on training survivors in technical skills and working on real software projects in a trauma-responsive environment. Over our twelve cohorts, trainees were graduating at a 81% rate, with 94% completing our Digital Literacy and Introduction to Programming courses. In our software shop, we designed opportunities for graduates to build their portfolios and their incomes without having to confront many of the barriers to entrance at technology companies. 

We have worked with over 134 survivors, helping them build skills, careers, and professional networks. 

Until 2021, AnnieCannons focused on building our internal software shop and providing robust opportunities for graduates to work on building software directly after graduating. We faced constraints in expanding our software project portfolio while fulfilling our mission of serving more survivors. Consequently, we built an internship program aimed at integrating job readiness and mentorship into our software shop experience. This internship program, concluding in October 2022, effectively prepared interns for employment beyond AnnieCannons while offering survivors invaluable on-the-job training.

In 2023, we introduced modular courses featuring learning paths in frontend and backend development. This evolution granted students increased flexibility in crafting their career trajectories. We embedded job readiness and project-based learning directly into our learning modules. Advanced module participants receive compensation and benefits, and our client work focuses on larger software platforms, better preparing students for real-world job scenarios. Furthermore, we have been able to foster partnerships with hiring companies, leveraging our internal software shop experiences to deliver comprehensive technical training aligned with industry needs. This holistic approach to economic empowerment not only facilitates smoother career transitions for our trainees but also realigns our organization's focus on maximizing opportunities for our graduates.

Based on these successes, we are now ready to grow our model, our classes, and our learning pathways.

AnnieCannons is growing! We are looking for potential partnerships with leading institutions and investors to grow our solution to be able to deliver more impact. By engaging with Solve, AnnieCannons can reach a broader audience, ultimately advancing the careers of more survivors of trafficking. Additionally, participation in Solve offers access to resources, mentorship, and expertise from MIT and its network, enhancing our capacity to develop and learn from other organizations and experts. Furthermore, being part of Solve aligns with AnnieCannons’ commitment to leverage technology for social good, showcasing how coding skills can be transformative for survivors, empowering them with sustainable livelihoods and opportunities for long-term success. By being a part of this ecosystem, AnnieCannons can be a part of the systemic change in the anti-trafficking landscape while fostering innovation and collaboration through tech.

AnnieCannons is unique in its development of trauma-informed learning models for high-skilled technical careers. AnnieCannons uses a supportive framework to help survivors of trafficking build their technical skills, confidence, professional networks, and career skills to build pathways to economic independence to break the cycles of exploitation. 

AnnieCannons utilizes survivor-centric and healing-centric methodologies to deliver its program activities, train its staff, and enforce protocols and procedures to protect survivor confidentiality. AnnieCannons partners with Survivor Alliance, a survivor-led advocacy organization, for on-going staff and instructor training. Transitioning to a classroom of vulnerability and acceptance, meeting the challenges of a demanding new curriculum, while dealing with personal challenges outside of work, requires emotional adjustment and support. Staff members are trained in trauma education that lessens students’ stress in the program, enabling them to provide more energy and enthusiasm to coding, and less time in worry and self-doubt. This project will help to expand offerings of workshops, personal goals coaching and individualized care plans, as well as regular check-ins to establish healthy routines, confidence, and wellness. Due to the high percentage of survivors on staff, personnel engage in workshops on their own triggers, and develop skills to manage personal boundaries while offering professional support to students.

This program assumes zero prior knowledge of technology for maximum accessibility. At AnnieCannons, we implement Bloom's Taxonomy for curriculum development and skills acquisition. This taxonomy focuses on helping individuals build analytical and cognitive skills to critically apply their new knowledge in new contexts, a critical skill in the ever-changing field of technology. The program model is optimized for a student to custom build their own career path, with as many resources as possible. Students learn about dozens of available career options through the introductory class, and then can customize their advanced learning pathway. This program prioritizes student safety, stability, support, identity, and agency.

AnnieCannons’ curriculum and program design focuses on the needs of students who have experienced various forms of trauma and exploitation. In previous projects, we have served survivors of sex trafficking, labor trafficking, intimate partner violence, and other forms of gender-based violence. The program’s network of referral partners includes organizations that serve survivors of labor trafficking, and the program relies on those partnerships to strengthen the support that is provided to students. 

To ensure the success of the students in the program, AnnieCannons work closely with these organizations for referrals and care coordination. Through the work of the Student Success Manager, AnnieCannons students are referred to programs and resources in their area, as needed. To date, AnnieCannons partners with over 45 service providers around the country, and has made over 100 referrals for students for long-term housing, counseling, legal aid, case management, child care, financial literacy resources, and life coaching. 

AnnieCannons also works with companies for the direct hiring of graduates, employment engagement opportunities such as mentorship and guest speaking, curriculum development, and learning software. To date, we have worked with Accenture, Slack, Github, Google, Motorola, eBay, Salesforce, Frontend Masters, Pluralsight, and Udemy. 

AnnieCannons' Theory of Change
Challenge: Human trafficking is an enormous and pernicious challenge: more than 500,000 people per year experience labor and sexual exploitation in the US alone. Financial independence is one of the most critical factors in a survivor’s healing journey. In many instances, a job training program that centers survivors’ unique needs and leads to high-wage career opportunities can mean the difference between re-exploitation and economic stability. That’s where AnnieCannons comes in.

Target Population: Sourced through partner nonprofit referrals, AnnieCannons virtually engages cohorts of participants from across the US who have experienced trafficking and…

• Are 18 years or older (median age 33)
• Are living in the US and fluent in English
• Have basic needs met (housing, food, and support for physical / mental health)
• Historically, participants have been 90% female, 75% BIPOC, and 47% parents. 

Program: Technical Training

Participants virtually enroll in two core modules focused on software development:

• Tech Career Foundations (4 weeks / 100 h)
• Intro to Programming (16 weeks / 400 h)

To deepen their skillsets, participants take 1-3 advanced modules (16 weeks / 400 h each) featuring topics in software development, cloud computing, and database management.  

Each advanced module incorporates 100+ hours of hands-on experience on contracted client projects. Beyond cutting-edge learning and resume building, participants become paid PT employees ($10k salary + benefits per module).

Program: Personal and Career Development
AnnieCannons delivers comprehensive, trauma-informed supports to ensure participants have the confidence, persistence, and professional assets needed to be job-ready through 100+ hours of weekly workshops and one-on-one career readiness coaching. 

Program: Network Connections
To facilitate job placement, participants meet weekly with a dedicated tech sector mentor. AC also connects graduates with paid apprenticeships and/or direct placements with partner employers.

Outcomes: AnnieCannons' leading indicators for career launch include:

• 90% of participants meet AnnieCannons pre-employment mindset & skillset growth goals.

• 85% of participants successfully complete the Coding Training Program 

• 80% of participants placed within 6 months in a full-time tech job earning $75,000 or more with benefits.

To break the cycle of exploitation, AnnieCannons works to ensure that 90% of placed participants remain employed for 12 months post-program.

Vision: Through training, coaching, and a community of care, survivors of trafficking can establish sustainable technology careers, break the cycle of exploitation, and achieve economic stability for themselves and their families.

Outcomes: AnnieCannons' leading indicators for career launch include:

• 90% of participants meet AnnieCannons pre-employment mindset & skillset growth goals.

• 85% of participants successfully complete the Coding Training Program 

• 80% of participants placed within 6 months in a full-time tech job earning $75,000 or more with benefits.

To break the cycle of exploitation, AnnieCannons works to ensure that 90% of placed participants remain employed for 12 months post-program.

AnnieCannons uses a dynamic blend of trauma-informed curricula, innovative on-the-job projects, and tailored learning resources. Utilizing interactive online coding courses and specialized software development tools, AnnieCannons ensures that survivors have access to high-quality technical training regardless of their background or prior experience. Moreover, the technology facilitates personalized learning pathways, allowing each participant to progress at their own pace and build proficiency in coding languages, libraries, and frameworks. Beyond technical skills, the organization integrates supportive features like mentorship programs, peer-to-peer support networks, and mental health resources into its technological infrastructure, fostering a holistic approach to empowerment and recovery. AnnieCannons equips survivors with the digital literacy and resilience needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving tech industry, while integrating the software development lifecycle through real-world projects. 

14 full-time staff

We began working on our training program, curriculum, and partnerships in 2015. We have been running active cohorts since November 2015, and our newest program design started with active cohorts in 2023. 

Our team is unique because it is comprised of individuals with lived human trafficking experiences informing strategic and programmatic initiatives to respond to the changing needs of fellow survivors. AnnieCannons values and integrates the voices of individuals with lived experiences in all parts of the organization, from program design and curriculum development to our hiring practices and staffing. Over 65% of our staff are people who have experienced human trafficking and gender-based violence, and are alumni of our Coding Training Program. The team consists of experts in the field of social work, technology, education, and product development and is supported by an ecosystem of external volunteers and mentors, who help participants prepare for jobs in the tech space.

Currently, 100% of our team identifies as female or non-binary, and over half of our team are people of color. We have team members from across the United States, and our technical staff have various experiences in different academic institutions, coding bootcamps, and in industry. 

As AnnieCannons works to support survivors of human trafficking, we are also working to end all forms of oppression. Our organization must work diligently to address all forms of oppression and recognize the inherent relationship between interlocking oppressions in our work and in our communities. This work includes critical self-reflection and assessment of the organization’s practices and policies. Systems of oppression and privilege are often hidden, especially the systems that influence hiring, supervision, and community partnerships. Our organization—with leadership from the board of directors--must be willing to question and challenge our current practices, policies, and procedures that marginalize, exclude, or dehumanize others, whether intentional or unintentional.

We engage in annual training on trauma-informed practices alongside trainings in wellness, support, and inclusion. 

AnnieCannons is dedicated to training survivors of human trafficking for sustainable careers in the tech industry, and the organization operates under a multifaceted business model that combines social impact with financial sustainability. The primary value proposition lies in the provision of comprehensive tech training programs tailored to the unique needs and experiences of survivors. These programs encompass a range of services including technical training, mentorship initiatives, job placement assistance, and ongoing career support. By delivering these services, the organization addresses the critical need for economic justice and professional development among survivors, equipping them with the skills and resources necessary to secure meaningful employment in the tech sector. The beneficiaries, primarily survivors of human trafficking, seek these programs to access pathways to economic independence, career stability, and personal empowerment. Key customers include corporate partners seeking to diversify their workforce and contribute to social impact, as well as philanthropic entities supporting initiatives aligned with their mission of combating human trafficking and promoting economic opportunity. AnnieCannons sustains its operations through a combination of earned revenue from paid client projects, corporate partnerships, grants, and individual donations. This diversified revenue stream enables AnnieCannons to both fulfill its social mission and maintain financial viability, ensuring long-term sustainability and continued impact in the fight against human trafficking.

AnnieCannons generates earned revenue through its technical training programs by building social impact software for external organizations. AnnieCannons also partners with corporations in the tech industry to provide job placement opportunities for program graduates, with several of these companies providing funding for our training program. Moreover, the organization actively pursues grant funding from philanthropic foundations and government agencies that support initiatives combating human trafficking and promoting economic justice. We have cultivated a strong and growing network of individual donors who are passionate about the AnnieCannons’ mission and impact. We track key financial metrics such as revenue growth, diversification of funding sources, and cost-efficiency in program delivery. Additionally, we monitor the long-term outcomes of program participants, including employment rates, career advancement, and income levels, to demonstrate the effectiveness of its training programs in achieving sustainable livelihoods for survivors.