Julie DeNicola- Owner Stepping Stones Advocacy, LLC

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In 2005 Julie was introduced to the Colorado Juvenile Justice System when one of her children was committed to a Division of Youth Services (DYS) Facility.  During this difficult time, she realized that there was very little in the way of parental supports to navigate a very complex system. This realization became the impetus for Stepping Stones Advocacy, llc. 

 

Making a career change, Julie went back to college and obtained degrees in criminology/ psychology and certifications in conflict management, the psychology of violence, and peace and social justice.   She is also trained in mediation, with an emphasis on parent/ teen relationships, restorative justice, and high risk victim offender dialogues.

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Julie works with families whose youth have been committed to the DYS, assisting them to appropriately advocate for their youth through classes and individual services. She also provides Conflict Management, Conflict Coaching, and Mediation Services to families who are not involved in the DYS system.

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Julie sits on, The Colorado state DYS Policy Review Committees, and the Colorado Family Engagement State Agency Coalition, The DYS Family Partner Program Committee. She served on the Collaborative Management Program for the 18th Judicial for three years.  

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Julie has presented at Colorado DYS conferences, Senate Bill 94 conferences, and DYS staff training, and has participated in a presentation for the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress Network.  In 2018 she was appointed to the Governor's IOYouth Statewide task force on juvenile justice. In 2022 she was appointed to the Governor's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Council (JJDP) for Colorado.