Riverside, Calif. (Oct. 21, 2016)—“Honor God, yourself and the world by knowing who you are, what makes your heart sink and break. That fertile soil where your passions combine can lead to beautiful things for you and the world,” Curtis Romjue told an audience at California Baptist University.

Romjue is president and co-founder of First Aid Arts, an organization that trains others to use the arts to help trauma survivors begin the process of recovering from experiences such as abuse, violence or natural disaster. He spoke on Oct. 20 as part of the School of Behavioral Sciences’ Culture and Justice Lecture Series.

There are currently 30 million people around the world who are victims of modern-day slavery, Romjue said. First Aid Arts offers training and materials to equip professional and volunteer care providers to help those who are rescued. Trauma survivors are encouraged to use various art forms such as drawing or dancing as an escape and to help in their healing.

Romjue encouraged the students to discover what their passions are and also what makes their hearts break. That will help them determine how to use their passions to make a positive impact on the world.

While in college, Romjue heard Gary Haugen, president of International Justice Mission, speak on rescuing children as young as 4- and 5-year-olds from brothels. That spurred in him a desire to create a solution to such a problem.

“For me, coming out with that new knowledge that slavery still exists … prompted me to ask, what can I do about it?” Romjue said.

He developed First Aid Arts in response to the needs of social workers serving survivors of sex trafficking and slave labor.