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Social political activist Gloria Steinem said, “The final stage of healing is using what happens to you to help other people,” and this is exactly what Kristal Klear, an entrepreneur, certified trauma coach, and published author, felt when she founded Rock Paper Scissors Foundation, an organization that provides support to victims of human trafficking and physical, mental, sexual, and emotional abuse. Through education, intervention, and social advocacy, Kristal empowers survivors of such cases to heal and get back on their feet.
Trained thoroughly in trauma care, sexual abuse, child abuse, and human trafficking, the mental health visionary is relentless in exhausting all her platforms to raise awareness on the dark practice of exploitation within communities through education. Kristal has appeared on numerous television and radio programs as a national speaker, addressing the serious concerns that certain communities face. She has also written a curriculum entitled, “Healing Beyond Sexual Misconduct.” The piece tackled proper handling of sexual misconduct from a leadership position in any environment. Kristal also has a successful podcast where she openly talks about her own experiences with abuse. Through this, Kristal encourages her audience to be resilient on their own journey towards healing.
One of the reasons why she spearheaded the Rock Paper Scissors Foundation is that Kristal knows how hard it is to fight your battles alone.”What motivated us to build our brand is during our own personal healing journey, when we weren’t able to find a community or support system that broke the stigma off of hard issues”, Kristal confessed. Through her foundation, Kristal wants to give victims refuge wherein they feel safe enough to heal and regain their strength and power back.
The Rock Paper Scissors Foundation is dedicated to give a voice to those who have been silenced. Aside from using social media and various community events to spread awareness, the inspirational champion for mental health awareness helps victims and survivors move forward by offering healing programs to survivors of abuse. The Foundation also offers intervention programs for young people in need through the school system. To help victims get back on their feet, The Foundation connects them to resources, referrals, and other opportunities for development. In human trafficking cases, Kristal also teams up with law enforcement agencies in targeting the root cause as a prevention measure.
The Rock Paper Scissors Foundation believes that the support they provide knows no gender, race, religion, or color. “We are able to connect with the general community—men, women, boys, and girls who have experienced mental health challenges. We connect with people who have overcome all forms of abuse,” she said.
With each experience varying from one individual to another, Kristal recognizes that the journey to healing is different for everyone. The Rock Paper Scissors Foundation is able to personalize their services to the needs of their community.
“We have an organic sense of providing community awareness. We do not move within the box,” she said.
Kristal is certain that her movement will make great ripples in the coming future. “We want a bill passed for human trafficking. We want to give them the protection and the voice they need.” The Rock Paper Scissors Foundation’s vision is crystal-clear and driven by Kristal’s heart and passion to nurture and help, you will never have to walk alone. v
