Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Bowden.
Ty, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I joined the anti-trafficking movement after a couple of summers in Cambodia. During my time there, I witnessed a level of darkness I didn’t think existed. There were ten and 12-year-old girls being sold out of bars and brothels in broad daylight. After being exposed to that, I felt passionately about working towards a world without exploitation. Originally I was convinced I needed to move to SE Asia full time to pursue this call, but after returning to Fort Worth, I was introduced to The Net. During that time, The Net was already working to free women from exploitation in Fort Worth. Once I realized this was an issue in my own city, I knew that this was where I was supposed to be.
I specifically felt called to engage the men responsible for perpetuating this problem. The men who buy sex are the primary drivers of the commercial sex industry, and so through The Net, we set out to address this demand through our Men Against Sexual Exploitation (MASE) program. That has been my primary initiative at The Net since 2014. My time abroad also gave me a heart for people from different cultures and backgrounds. My other role at The Net is overseeing ours after school program for refugee kiddos.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely not! Haha. When fighting to change the culture surrounding sexual exploitation and the objectification of women, there are going to be huge obstacles on getting buy-in from men because they inherently, if not intentionally, benefit from the cultural status quo. It took years to gain enough momentum from Fort Worth men to create a sustainable program in MASE. We are asking men to intentionally sacrifice time, effort, and money to change a system that they benefit from. It takes a special man to do that, and it took a couple years to find enough men like that to make a difference.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Net story. Tell us more about your organization.
The Net is a nonprofit in Fort Worth that exists to empower the city to restore dignity to those in poverty through community & relationships. Our goal is to see the people we serve walk in freedom and joy as whole individuals.
We are known for building community among traditionally marginalized people! Our hope is that everyone who walks through the doors at one of our events feels seen, known, and loved. We have worked hard to create this culture, and we are very proud of it. That intentional. relational care is what sets us apart from others. We are in it with the people we serve for the long haul. We realize there is no “one size fits all” solution to poverty and exploitation. So we address it holistically and individually, with each person who shows up to a Net event.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheNetFW.com
- Phone: 682-233-4283
- Email: serve@thenetfw.com
- Instagram: @TheNetFW
Image Credit:
Bethany Sellers
Eva Walker
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