WEModel USA sends eight models to Sicily for fashion and anti-trafficking advocacy

WEModel USA and WEModel USA NWECare will take eight U.S. models to Sicily International Fashion Week from Aug. 20-23, 2026, pairing runway work with youth-led messaging on child-trafficking prevention. The delegation will first stop in Rome to create content aimed at safety awareness and community responsibility.

Why it matters: - WEModel USA is using an international fashion platform to push a prevention-first message about human and child trafficking. - The trip blends career development, cultural exposure and public-facing advocacy for young models from across the U.S. - The delegation’s social media and video content is designed to reach youth audiences with safety and awareness messaging.

What happened: - WEModel USA LLC and WEModel USA NWECare will send eight models to Sicilia International Fashion Week in Italy from Aug. 20-23, 2026. - The delegation leaves Aug. 19 and will spend time in Rome before heading to Sicily. - In Rome, the models will produce photographs, short-form videos and social media reels focused on child-trafficking prevention, personal safety, awareness and community responsibility. - The participating models are Dakarai Antonieo Curry, 20, of Beaufort County, South Carolina; Madalyn Rose Mika, 21, of Bay City, Michigan; Malia Karin Fortmann, 13, of Massachusetts; Jasmine Emily Hague, 15, of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Annabella Sofia Steininger, 16, of Bethesda, Maryland; Amaya Michelle Perez, 10, of Loxahatchee, Florida; Guadalupe “Lupita” Anez-Justiniano, 48, of McLean, Virginia; and Jaiden Nicole Summers, 16, of Lewis Center, Ohio.

The details: - Curry attends the University of South Carolina Beaufort. - Mika attends Delta College. - Fortmann attends Dighton Middle School. - Hague attends Acellus Academy, an online high school. - Steininger attends Walter Johnson High School. - Perez attends Wellington Collegiate Academy. - Anez-Justiniano is a flight attendant, model and pageantry professional. - Summers attends Olentangy Berlin High School. - Each participant will serve as a runway model and as an ambassador for WEModel USA NWECare. - The models will use age-appropriate messages and media content to encourage young audiences to recognize their value, protect their futures and understand trafficking prevention. - Dr. Patricia A. Watts, founder and owner of WEModel USA, said the trip is meant to show that talent can carry purpose and to bring an urgent prevention message to an international audience. - Sicilia International Fashion Week is produced by Tonino Galli. - Galli is bringing 15 designers from around the world to Sicily. - The fashion program will feature international designers, models and creative professionals across eastern Sicily. - A featured evening is set for Aug. 22 at 8:30 p.m. at Palazzo Ardizzone Gioeni in Catania. - The Aug. 23 program will be held at Arena Lido Naxos in Giardini Naxos, near Taormina. - WEModel USA thanked Barbizon Modeling and Acting for inviting Dr. Watts to its annual Passport to Discovery event. - After that early-August scouting event, Mika and Summers were selected for the Italy expedition.

Between the lines: - The project positions fashion as a vehicle for youth leadership and social messaging, not just entertainment. - The organization is also building a talent pipeline by linking local scouting events with international opportunities. - The request for mayors, county leaders and school officials to recognize the participants suggests WEModel USA wants the trip framed as a community achievement as well as a brand event.

What's next: - The models will travel to Italy on Aug. 19, then participate in Fashion Week programming Aug. 20-23. - WEModel USA is asking local officials and community representatives connected to the models to recognize their participation. - The organization is also inviting local businesses to book WEModel USA models and youth for age-appropriate advertising, promotional campaigns, community events and creative media projects. - More information is available at WEModel USA.

The bottom line: - WEModel USA is turning a runway trip to Sicily into an international youth advocacy campaign centered on trafficking prevention.