Workshop Name Description Presenter Presenter Bio Presenter Email Co Presenter Name Co Presenter Bio Co Presenter 2 Name Co Presenter 2 Bio Co Presenter 3 Name Co Presenter 3 Bio Date / Time Room Name
Welcome & Opening Remarks with Sarah Will (Salon E & F) Break Break Break Break@break.com 8:15AM - 8:45AM
Using Empowerment Evaluation Approach: What are we learning from Domestic Violence Organizations – Part 1 Empowerment Evaluation is an approach that aligns strongly with the underlying principles and practices of the domestic violence and sexual assault service agencies. This workshop will walk participants through the work several Colorado agencies have undertaken and the practical/tangible evaluation learnings that may benefit other programs. Empowerment Evaluation approach intends to increase program capacity internally and allows programs to inform/create their own evaluation pathways. Ashley Wilson Ashley Wilson has a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from CSU. She has rural Colorado experience in community health integration, advocacy, outreach, and program development and evaluation in early childhood, domestic violence, youth prevention, child welfare. When engaging in programming and evaluation work, she strives to understand the perspective of the participants and program challenges (staffing, time and financial resources). akwilsonconsulting@gmail.com Mozhdeh Bruss Mozhdeh Bruss has a Ph.D. in Evaluation, Measurement and Research, M.P.H. in Nutrition and is a registered dietitian with more than 30 years of experience in areas of programming, policy development, monitoring, and evaluation. She works closely with community-based organizations to identify and develop systematic and systemic strategies that target prevention efforts that are science-based, culturally relevant and sustainable. She seeks to enhance the capacity of organizations through participatory learning. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
The Care and Feeding of Law Enforcement (LE) for Advocates What do cats and dogs have in common? Seemingly nothing. Cats and dogs have historically been seen as rivals and even mortal enemies! Cats and dogs actually have a great deal more in common than we may think. What do advocates and LE have in common? Both are integral to ensuring justice and responsible for caring for victims. We have common ground and solutions towards making our working relationships better – for the benefit of everyone. Russell Strand Senior Special Agent (Retired) Russell W. Strand, is the owner of Russell Strand Consulting LLC. He provides consultation, systems auditing, training, education and assistance to agencies and service providers around the world. As a career law enforcement professional, trainer, educator and consultant with 45 years of experience, Russ has distinguished himself as an integral member of the criminal justice community. He is unconditionally dedicated to ensuring professionals are properly educated and thrive in all do. russellstrand@russellstrand.com Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Bringing Men into the Movement Men have a vital role to play in preventing SV and DV. By investigating social influences that largely define modern masculinity (stereotyping, gender policing and bullying, faulty cultural narratives advanced through all forms of media) we can better understand how boys and men are compelled to behave and plot a different course. With adequate education men can acknowledge and promote the value of gender equity throughout our culture. Graham Hackett Graham Hackett is the Social Change Program Manager for Advocates of Routt County. He is a veteran educator, program coordinator, and public speaker who’s worked for over two decades to advance free speech, juvenile justice, and prevention of interpersonal violence. In 2005, Graham partnered with a psychotherapy agency to launch an innovative communication skills program for serving juvenile inmates as a component of regional gang violence prevention efforts for several years. In 2014, he created and leads the #WhatNow touring program serving colleges across the U.S. and just completed a year and a half as Director of Prevention Programs for the rape crisis center on Buncombe County, NC. Graham@advocatesrc.org Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Building Capacity for Response to Intimate Partner Violence in K-12 Schools Schools benefit from having internal capacity to respond to students that have been exposed to or experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Although Colorado does not have laws that mandate districts or schools to develop practices and policies that specifically address youth relationship abuse, other states have mandated and developed best-practice models from which we can learn. The Center on Domestic Violence, through our END Violence Project is implementing school level strategies that focus on sustained access to a continuum of services in the areas of prevention, intervention, and response in K-12 schools in Denver. This workshop will be an interactive conversation about how to engage districts and schools in committing to promoting safe relationships and providing trauma informed response to students that disclose harm. Rebecca Tiell-Krekeler Rebecca Tiell-Krekeler has a Master of Social Work from the University of Denver and is a Licensed Social Worker. Throughout her career she has worked with survivors of rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse, and intimate partner violence. She worked as an advocate and then as a Case Manager for The Blue Bench- Denver’s only comprehensive rape crisis center. At The Blue Bench, Rebecca worked with survivors of sexual assault providing crisis intervention and long term support and advocacy through the criminal justice system. She has also worked for the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) as the Action Plan Team Lead. At LCHT, she helped to train and educate professionals and community members across the state of Colorado and assist communities in implementing effective strategies for combatting human trafficking. As the END Violence School Specialist, Rebecca provides direct services for survivors and supports schools to build responses to issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and intimate partner violence. Rebecca is passionate about social justice advocacy, education, and creating a safer, more equal world for all. In her spare time, she loves being with her family, hanging out with friends, hiking, yoga, and reading. REBECCA.TIELL-KREKELER@UCDENVER.EDU Monica Bies Monica Bies is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 20+ years of experience working in Boston, MA and now Denver, CO in partnership with public school systems. In her role at the Center on Domestic Violence, Monica oversees the END Violence Project in K12 schools, provides training and technical assistance to youth providers, and supervises Master’s of Social Work Interns as they develop in their careers. Her previous work as the Assistant Director of Wediko Children’s Services in partnership with Boston Public Schools focused on school-based mental health work including the development, implementation and provision of services and leading initiatives to create positive and trauma-informed school environments. Monica is committed to collaborative work with school systems, students, families, community providers, and legislative entities to make prevention, intervention, treatment, and advocacy services accessible to students affected by interpersonal violence and mental health challenges. Monica serves as Affiliate Faculty in Metropolitan State University Masters of Social Work Program. As a promoter of the statewide Stand-Up Colorado Campaign to end domestic violence, Monica participates on a committee that is developing guidelines for the treatment of youth offenders. Nature, gardening, friends, pets, hiking, kayaking, and crafting are treasured activities that provide just the right balance in life. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Mental Health in Immigrants and Experiences of Oppression: A Contemplative and Social Justice Approach In this workshop we will explore the complexities and impact of power, privilege, and oppression dynamics on immigrants’ mental health. Considering that many people have a different relation to immigration, through experientials, this workshop will give participants the opportunity to explore what that means for them personally and professionally. Angie Lorena Alvarado Caro Angie Lorena Alvarado Caro nació y creció en el complejo y mágico país de Colombia. Es magíster en Psicoterapia Contemplativa y Psicología Budista de Naropa University. Trabaja como psicoterapeuta y asesora comunitaria bilingüe (inglés y español) en Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence. Sus áreas de experiencia e interés incluyen la psicología de la liberación, estudios de paz y resolución de conflictos, la promoción de los derechos humanos, la epistemología e historia de la psicología, y las prácticas de atención plena como herramientas para cultivar una relación más amorosa, amigable y compasiva con sí mismes. Su experiencia como inmigrante le ha permitido ofrecer apoyo y atención a sobrevivientes de la violencia desde un enfoque contemplativo, multicultural, histórico, y psicosocial. Considera que es posible tener una experiencia de inmigración exitosa cuando las personas logran integrar la cultura que les vio nacer con la cultura que hoy les acobija. Calidad de vida, sentido de vida, sentido de pertenencia, y resiliencia son elementos claves en su trabajo como psicoterapeuta y facilitadora de grupos psicoeducativos para la comunidad latinoamericana en el condado de Boulder. angie@safehousealliance.org Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 9:00Am - 10:30AM
Understanding Dynamics of Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQIA+ Community Both historically and currently, LGBTQIA+ survivors have experienced uniquely challenging barriers in accessing adequate, inclusive services. This workshop invites participants into an in-depth exploration of the complexity of these barriers and a rich examination of the roots of intimate partner violence. Through developing an understanding of how privilege and oppression impact both relationship dynamics and access to resources, service providers are better equipped to navigate the work of building authentically inclusive services Shen Hollcraft Shen Hollcraft is a graduate of Naropa University, holding an MA in Mental Health Counseling. As a student, Shen completed her practicum as a peer mentor with Queer Asterisk and internship with Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN). She is the Tri-City Counselor and Advocate with SPAN, where she provides counseling services for survivors of domestic violence. Shen is currently training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and interweaves this trauma-informed modality with social justice approaches to counseling. shen@safehousealliance.org N/A Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
The Power of Collaboration – How Survivors Benefit When Advocacy & Law Enforcement Work Together! Survivors are better served when advocacy and law enforcement work together and have a cooperative relationship. Participants will learn to better understand the roles and responsibilities of each organization and how to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships. This session will assist the participant in a better understanding of how cooperative approaches can be successful and meet the needs of the survivor and support the accountability of offenders. Marnie Christensene Marnie Christensen spent 27 years as a police officer with Fort Collins Police. During this time she was appointed to Colorado's Domestic Violence Offender Management Board and became a state-level Crisis Intervention Trainer. Now as the Program Director for Advocates of Routt County, Marnie continues her passion to serve and uses all of the experience gained over 30 years working with victims and survivors of crime to better help those in her community. marnie@advocatesrc.org Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Using Empowerment Evaluation Approach: What are we learning from Domestic Violence Organizations – Part 2 Empowerment Evaluation is an approach that aligns strongly with the underlying principles and practices of the domestic violence and sexual assault service agencies. This workshop will walk participants through the work several Colorado agencies have undertaken and the practical/tangible evaluation learnings that may benefit other programs. Empowerment Evaluation approach intends to increase program capacity internally and allows programs to inform/create their own evaluation pathways. Ashley Wilson Ashley Wilson has a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from CSU. She has rural Colorado experience in community health integration, advocacy, outreach, and program development and evaluation in early childhood, domestic violence, youth prevention, child welfare. When engaging in programming and evaluation work, she strives to understand the perspective of the participants and program challenges (staffing, time and financial resources). akwilsonconsulting@gmail.com Mozhdeh Bruss Mozhdeh Bruss has a Ph.D. in Evaluation, Measurement and Research, M.P.H. in Nutrition and is a registered dietitian with more than 30 years of experience in areas of programming, policy development, monitoring, and evaluation. She works closely with community-based organizations to identify and develop systematic and systemic strategies that target prevention efforts that are science-based, culturally relevant and sustainable. She seeks to enhance the capacity of organizations through participatory learning. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Advancing QTBIPOC/LGBTQI Survivor Support in our Movements This workshop will address best practices in supporting Queer/Trans survivors of violence. Specific focus will be given to the experiences of QTBIPOC (Queer Trans Black Indigenous People of Color) individuals who have often been poorly served by mainstream DV/SA and LGBTQI organizations. The workshop includes interactive discussion about the state of current resources available for QTBIPOC/LGBTQI survivors of violence, strategies toward Queer/Trans inclusive services, and support for the development of grassroots QTBIPOC-led survivor initiatives. Anne Tapp Anne Tapp, SPAN Executive Director, has a 30-year history of working in social justice and anti-violence movements as an advocate, trainer, organizer, leader and administrator. She has served as an expert on national, statewide and local task forces and initiatives addressing domestic violence and social justice initiatives. Anne has worked in partnership with Youth Seen and local QTBIPOC/LGBTQI advocates to address gaps in equitable resources and support for Queer/Trans survivors of violence, which became particularly urgent following the close of SOL in June 2019. anne@safehousealliance.org Sequoya Hayes Sequoya Hayes, LSW, Youth Seen clinician, has over 15 years’ experience working as a social worker, professor, international experience in service advocacy, writer, researcher, non-profit manager, and anti-violence organizer. Sequoya specializes in supporting children, youth, adults of all ages, and families who are navigating ethnic identity, life transitions, anxiety and mood disorders, grief and loss, gender and sexual orientation (LGBTQ), court and system-involvement, abuse of power in juvenile facilities, stalking, and interpersonal violence. Roshan Kalantar Roshan Kalantar, SPAN Shelter Program Director, has 15+ years’ providing counseling, support and advocacy for survivors of individual and institutional violence. She describes her work “grounded in feminist, Womanist, queer and critical race theories”. Roshan has taught Undergraduate courses in psychology at Metro State University in Denver, and Masters courses in Queer Theory and Spiritually Integrated Care at Illiff School of Theology. Roshan’s has worked to integrate QTBIPOC/LGBTQI best practices into the SPAN Shelter Program. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Meeting the needs of people living with HIV and violence People living with HIV are at increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV). This workshop describes the collaborative efforts of our team to create a trauma-informed IPV protocol for the Children’s Hospital Colorado Immunodeficiency Program (CHIP), which provides care to underserved youth and pregnant women living with HIV, including racial/ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ community. We will discuss three essential activities: creating a multi-disciplinary leadership working group; strengthening referral networks/partnerships; and adopting a clinic-wide evidence-based protocol. Karen Hampanda Karen Hampanda, PhD, MPH, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Colorado School of Public Health. Karen is a social and behavioral health researcher with a focus on the intersection of HIV and gender power dynamics. She has led numerous projects focused on assessing and addressing IPV among people living with HIV, particularly around the time of pregnancy. In addition to research, Karen has taught numerous courses at the university, including a course on IPV. karen.hampanda@cuanschutz.edu Megan Dinnebeil Ashley Baugh, MSW, MPH, LMT, is the Linkage, Retention and Health Access Coordinator at the Children’s Hospital Immunodeficiency Program (CHiP) at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver. She focuses on linking people to care in the pediatric, pregnancy and young adult HIV programs; offering introductory case management, patient support and insurance navigation; and building relationships with community partners. Additionally, Ashley is a Licensed Massage Therapist and trained SA-IPV Victim Advocate. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Intersections in Human Trafficking: How to work with the anti-violence and anti-oppression communities to end human trafficking in Colorado This workshop will explore the root causes of human trafficking and the myriad of intersecting identities, vulnerabilities, experiences and systemic inequalities that can lead to trafficking. Trafficking survivors may be victims of child abuse or domestic violence, they may be experiencing homelessness, or they may have mental illness or substance dependency. This workshop will equip service providers with tools to effectively provide survivor-centered care with a focus on strengthening community partnerships to meet individualized needs. Kara Napolitano Kara spent ten years in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, working with education-based NGOs in post-conflict areas. It was during this time that she was introduced to the crime of human trafficking. Upon returning to the US six years ago, she began to explore domestic trafficking through Community-based Participatory Research Model. She has worked for Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking for four years and has trained over 8,000 individuals across Colorado in anti-trafficking efforts. kara@combathumantrafficking.org Erin Atencio Erin Atencio is the Physical and Mental Health Program Manager at The Gathering Place where she has been for four years. Previously she worked in behavioral health settings primarily serving youth. Erin has a Bachelors in Social Work from the University of St. Thomas and a Masters Certificate in Culturally Responsive Teaching from St. Mary’s University. In her work at The Gathering Place she has developed programing for vulnerable populations experiencing exploitation and trafficking. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Starting the Conversation: Officer Involved Domestic Violence Officer Involved Domestic Violence is rarely discussed in advocacy circles, within the law enforcement community and is a topic rarely explored with the general public. It is estimated that 20 - 40% of intimate relationships involving a law enforcement officer involve a form(s) of abuse. The International Association of Chiefs of Police have created a model policy that is merely a recommendation for departments to utilize and use as a guideline. Some departments have internal policies to deal with OIDV and many do not, surprisingly. It is vitally important that departments create policy and even more important for states to mandate a policy and have regular training required via POST. It is critical that departments clearly communicate zero tolerance within their ranks and within the public eye that OIDV will not be tolerated. I will discuss my story, barriers faced by victims reporting their law enforcement perpetrator, how advocates can help OIDV victims in their communities, what law enforcement can do to help and how survivors can use their voices to educate in their communities and how rural advocates can help them achieve this. Nanette Chezum A survivor of a verbally and psychologically abusive relationship with a law enforcement officer, Nanette’s passion is educating the public about intimate partner abuse via her personal story. Additionally, Nanette speaks about all forms of domestic abuse and the early warning signals that manifest in a new relationship. An avid writer, she writes blogs on her website and she writes a Facebook community page, “The Courage Corner – Domestic Abuse Awareness”. She writes of verbal and psychological tactics utilized by abusive personalities, self-care tips, unhealthy behavior, empowerment, healing and speaking up about intimate partner abuse and shaming and blaming tactics used by society and offenders. Nanette is a nationally-recognized speaker and a volunteer with various Colorado-based and national non-profits that educate about domestic abuse, promote healthy relationships and empower survivors to heal, thrive and live their best lives. nchezum@hotmail.com Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Lunch: Grab lunch and join us for our 2020 Keynote Presentation (Salon E & F) Copy Break Break Break Break@break.com 12:15PM - 2:00PM
Culturally Specific Advocacy; Factors to Consider When Providing Services to AAPI Survivors of Crime – Part 1 This workshop will highlight how communities influence culturally & linguistically specific advocacy. It will consider root causes and traumas embedded in patriarchy and gender based violence over the life course. The objective of this workshop is, to have a better understanding of Asian cultural norms, discuss best practices to build trust and encourage a working relationship with the Asian communities, to be more aware of the challenges facing immigrant & refugee survivors and to explore language justice. Zonya Dawson Ms. Dawson is currently a Victim Advocate Coordinator at the Asian Pacific Development Center where she oversees advocates, interns and volunteers who work to connect immigrant and refugee survivors with culturally and linguistically appropriate whole health services. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from CSU and is fluent in Thai. Zonya provides educational awareness workshops to community members & service providers on topics such as Domestic Violence in AAPI communities, Healthy Relationship, and Teen Dating Violence Awareness. ZonyaDawson@apdc.org Nhu-Minh Le Ms. Le holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in gender-based and International studies from UC Denver. She has her certification for victim advocacy through the National Advocate Credentialing Program. She volunteers as a hotline advocate for the Colorado Network to End Human Trafficking for over nine years and is fluent in Vietnamese. She currently serves as council member for the Colorado Human Trafficking Council and commissioner on the Denver Immigrant & Refugee Commission. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 2:15PM - 3:45PM
Meaningful Community Engagement – Part 1 Public Will Building is the process of working within and alongside community to move people past awareness and into action. Public will building strategies can include messaging, storytelling, mythbusting, outreach and empowerment to meet community where they are and point them toward personal action in order to end homelessness. Learn more about how to engage community members – including those with lived experience of homelessness – to empower them to take meaningful actions in ending homelessness. Chance LeBeau Chance LeBeau is a Colorado native and the Housing Program Specialist at Violence Free Colorado. With a degree in Chicanx Studies from MSU Denver, Chance believes that all people hold knowledge and expertise in the experiences of their lives. For four years he has been a part of a public will building campaign to end homelessness in the Denver-metro area; engaging with community partners and experts with lived experience of homelessness to do so. clebeau@violencefreeco.org Lindsay Christopher Bilingual social change advocate with nine years in evaluation, community development, program strategy. I have worked with diverse communities locally and internationally on a variety of topics focusing on equity, participation and community change. Topical expertise in food systems, health equity and community development. Kristin Lacy Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 2:15PM - 3:45PM
Implicit Bias and Intersectionality: It’s a Human Condition The predisposition of bias creates a foundation from which we interpret experience to include the many scripts we use to manifest our views and judgements. The manner in which victims experience the criminal justice systems is often negatively impacted of bias. This presentation will go beyond the typical analysis of “Gender Bias” to assert that the gender experience is inherently intertwined with race, class, sexual orientation, nation status, geographic location, health status, religion, etc... Myra Strand Myra Strand, MA, is the president of Strand² Squared LLC where she provides training and education, and consultation support services both in person and online. Myra began working with people who live with trauma in 1995. She has experience with youth with complex trauma and serious mental illness, people with developmental disabilities, youth in competing war zones, offenders, in the area of death notification and with victims of all crime types. Her trainings are entertaining. myrastrand@strandsquared.com Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 2:15PM - 3:45PM
Provider Mental Readiness — Resiliency to Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout IS Possible – Part 1 Tired? Lacking motivation? Hating your job? Feeling isolated? You may be experiencing Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, and/or Compassion Fatigue. Within this session, you will learn why each of these conditions exist and the signs and symptoms to look for within yourself and others. You will then learn some basic resiliency skills to help become more "immune" to the work-related stress and trauma you may be experiencing. Daniel Crampton Dr. Daniel J. Crampton is a Psychologist and has served as a Paramedic with the Ute Pass Regional Ambulance District for over 25 years. He is the COO and founder of (SC4I), which is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides counseling, mental wellness education and resources to Colorado’s First Responders and family members. Daniel’s Doctoral Dissertation is titled, “Comparison of PTSD and Compassion Fatigue between Urban and Rural Paramedics.” djcrampton@sc4i.org Ann Rush Crampton Dr. Ann Rush Crampton holds a PhD in Education specializing in Training & Performance Improvement. She is a retired U.S. Air Force officer, and she has spent over 30 years performing duties as an adult educator, AF operator, and program manager. She has served on several Crisis Support Teams and provided Suicide Awareness Training. She is the co-founder of SC4i and manages its Family Support Programs and the Lifelines Documentary Series. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 2:15PM - 3:45PM
Building the Board You Need A strong nonprofit board can be a huge asset to an organization but a weak one can be a bring it down. Shannon has trained nonprofit boards all over the southwest and has seen the best and worst that a board can be. This workshop will give you concrete skills for developing your board into a powerhouse that helps your mission succeed from recruiting the right new members to training the board you have - and all the steps in between. Shannon Meyer Shannon Meyer joined Response, an Aspen-based domestic and sexual abuse prevention nonprofit, as Executive Director in November 2017. Prior to that, she spent the last two decades working with non-profits in the field of private land conservation both locally, regionally and nationally. She specializes in growing new programs and supporting nonprofits in fulfilling their potential. She has spoken at conferences in the U.S. and abroad on topics from wilderness preservation to private land conservation to nonprofit organizational management. shannon@responsehelps.org Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 2:15PM - 3:45PM
Post-Conviction Victim Advocacy Post-Conviction Victim Advocacy is an up and coming form of advocacy for sexual assault survivors whose offender has been sentenced to probation. The Colorado Sex Offender Management Board requires victim representation on teams who are supervising and treating the sex offender. This workshop will introduce Post-Conviction Victim Advocacy including how it was started in certain Colorado judicial districts and what it looks like on an ongoing basis. The workshop will discuss the impact and critical importance of this type of victim representation. Lindsay Klatt Lindsay Klatt is a Denver native and graduate of Metropolitan State University. She began her career in non-profit development and then found a passion for victim advocacy working directly with victims of all types of crimes and later specifically survivors of sexual assault. Lindsay hopes to elevate the voices of victims and survivors in a world that is continually offender focused. She serves as The Post-Conviction Victim Advocate for The Blue Bench in the First Judicial District. lklatt@thebluebench.org Casey Ballinger Casey Ballinger has been employed in the victim services field since 2014. Her experience ranges from legal advocacy for survivors of domestic violence to providing direct services in emergency shelter settings. She has worked for several domestic violence programs in the Denver-Metro area prior to beginning her work with The Blue Bench as the first Post-Conviction Victim Advocate in Denver. Her passion drives her to work toward systemic change in the way the criminal justice system treats survivors of crime and to provide a voice to vulnerable populations who are often silenced. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 2:15PM - 3:45PM
Culturally Specific Advocacy; Factors to Consider When Providing Services to AAPI Survivors of Crime – Part 2 This workshop will highlight how communities influence culturally & linguistically specific advocacy. It will consider root causes and traumas embedded in patriarchy and gender based violence over the life course. The objective of this workshop is, to have a better understanding of Asian cultural norms, discuss best practices to build trust and encourage a working relationship with the Asian communities, to be more aware of the challenges facing immigrant & refugee survivors and to explore language justice. Zonya Dawson Ms. Dawson is currently a Victim Advocate Coordinator at the Asian Pacific Development Center where she oversees advocates, interns and volunteers who work to connect immigrant and refugee survivors with culturally and linguistically appropriate whole health services. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from CSU and is fluent in Thai. Zonya provides educational awareness workshops to community members & service providers on topics such as Domestic Violence in AAPI communities, Healthy Relationship, and Teen Dating Violence Awareness. ZonyaDawson@apdc.org Nhu-Minh Le Ms. Le holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in gender-based and International studies from UC Denver. She has her certification for victim advocacy through the National Advocate Credentialing Program. She volunteers as a hotline advocate for the Colorado Network to End Human Trafficking for over nine years and is fluent in Vietnamese. She currently serves as council member for the Colorado Human Trafficking Council and commissioner on the Denver Immigrant & Refugee Commission. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 4:00PM - 5:30PM
Meaningful Community Engagement – Part 2 Public Will Building is the process of working within and alongside community to move people past awareness and into action. Public will building strategies can include messaging, storytelling, mythbusting, outreach and empowerment to meet community where they are and point them toward personal action in order to end homelessness. Learn more about how to engage community members – including those with lived experience of homelessness – to empower them to take meaningful actions in ending homelessness. Chance LeBeau Chance LeBeau is a Colorado native and the Housing Program Specialist at Violence Free Colorado. With a degree in Chicanx Studies from MSU Denver, Chance believes that all people hold knowledge and expertise in the experiences of their lives. For four years he has been a part of a public will building campaign to end homelessness in the Denver-metro area; engaging with community partners and experts with lived experience of homelessness to do so. clebeau@violencefreeco.org Lindsay Christopher Bilingual social change advocate with nine years in evaluation, community development, program strategy. I have worked with diverse communities locally and internationally on a variety of topics focusing on equity, participation and community change. Topical expertise in food systems, health equity and community development. Kristin Lacy Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 4:00PM - 5:30PM
Provider Mental Readiness — Resiliency to Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout IS Possible – Part 2 Tired? Lacking motivation? Hating your job? Feeling isolated? You may be experiencing Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, and/or Compassion Fatigue. Within this session, you will learn why each of these conditions exist and the signs and symptoms to look for within yourself and others. You will then learn some basic resiliency skills to help become more "immune" to the work-related stress and trauma you may be experiencing. Daniel Crampton Dr. Daniel J. Crampton is a Psychologist and has served as a Paramedic with the Ute Pass Regional Ambulance District for over 25 years. He is the COO and founder of (SC4I), which is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides counseling, mental wellness education and resources to Colorado’s First Responders and family members. Daniel’s Doctoral Dissertation is titled, “Comparison of PTSD and Compassion Fatigue between Urban and Rural Paramedics.” djcrampton@sc4i.org Ann Rush Crampton Dr. Ann Rush Crampton holds a PhD in Education specializing in Training & Performance Improvement. She is a retired U.S. Air Force officer, and she has spent over 30 years performing duties as an adult educator, AF operator, and program manager. She has served on several Crisis Support Teams and provided Suicide Awareness Training. She is the co-founder of SC4i and manages its Family Support Programs and the Lifelines Documentary Series. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 4:00PM - 5:30PM
The Ties That Bind: Investigating Sexual Abuse Allegations in a Rural Community An investigation is an investigation is an investigation, right? Except in a small, tightly-knit, rural community where everyone’s lives are inter-connected and interdependent. When there are allegations of child abuse, sexual violence and bullying that run generations deep, how can investigators build trust with the victims? What resources can they use to assist with their investigations? Just as importantly, in the aftermath of the investigation, what is our role in helping the community to heal? Lisa Cesario Lisa Cesario joined the SungateKids team in 2006, and brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge. Lisa has experience working with children who have been victims of neglect, emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Prior to joining SungateKids, Lisa worked as a caseworker on the Sexual Abuse Recovery Team for Arapahoe County DHS, where she worked with clients, families, law enforcement, medical and treatment staff, the court system and other collateral agencies. lisa.cesario@sungatekids.org Russell Lengel Russell Lengel joined the Limon Police Department in 1992, and brings with him a great deal of knowledge and experience. Russell has many years of experience working with victims of child abuse and sexual abuse. Prior to coming to the Limon Police Department, Russell worked as the Chief Investigator at the Elbert County Sheriff's Office and as a Detentions Deputy in Lincoln County. Russell is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 4:00PM - 5:30PM
Male Victimization: Strategies for Building Trust and Normalizing the Conversation Less than 15% of men will report they have experienced sexual abuse/violence. Law enforcement and sexual assault advocates are not always prepared to address the barriers men face when considering reporting assault or seeking advocacy. This workshop will encourage participants to identify their personal biases, explore barriers for male reporting and provide strategies for how to build trust with men so we can increase support to this underserved population. Bernie McFarling Bernie McFarling serves as the Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Program Manager for Ellsworth AFB, SD. She is the consultant to the installation commander on effective prevention and response strategies that address sexual violence. Bernie manages a team of 40 victim advocates and a theater group that conducts interactive, scenario-based training. She obtained her Bachelors in Sociology from St Edward’s University, Austin, TX and her Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. eunice.mcfarling@us.af.mil Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 4:00PM - 5:30PM
Embedding Anti-Oppression into Organizational Practices – Part 1 Developing anti-oppressive organizations able to serve marginalized populations and communities requires more than just saying you care. It requires an organization to enact a methodology for examining everything from budgetary decisions to vendor relationships to communication skills. It requires a commitment to understanding theory and bringing theory to practice. This session will empower participants to dissect their organizations internal policies and external programming through an anti-oppression lens, and will offer tools for successful implementation. Regan Byrd Regan Byrd is an award-winning anti-oppression activist, speaker, and trainer. She has trained dozens of organizations on anti-oppression, including the Colorado Democratic Party, Denver Public Schools, and Urban Peak. She participated in various expert panels on topics ranging from the history of police to housing justice. Regan has a deep commitment to justice, institutional systems change, and collective liberation. She believes this is achieved through self-reflexivity, allyship, inclusivity, coalition building, and dismantling systems of oppression. regan@reganbyrdconsulting.com Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Adapting sexual violence prevention programs for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities In this workshop, participants will learn about sexual violence prevention programs and programming for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) developed and implemented by the SAVA Center and Poudre School District. Participants will learn about the process used to develop, modify, and implement these programs. Lastly, through interactive activities, participants will learn concrete strategies and techniques to adapt sexual violence prevention curriculum to make the information accessible to students and adults with varying abilities and needs. Abbey Collins, MPH Abbey Collins is the program coordinator for the SART Peers program in Weld County, CO. Abbey is an employee of the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate (SAVA) Center. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska. She earned her Master’s degree in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education, focusing primarily on interpersonal violence prevention education. abbey@savacenter.org Hope Cornelis is the program coordinator for the SART Peers program in Poudre School District. Hope is a shared employee with the SAVA Center and Poudre School District. Hope attended DePaul University in Chicago where she studied Psychology with a concentration in Human Services. Hope received a Master’s degree from Colorado State University in Human Development & Family Studies with a specialization in Prevention Science, focusing her studies on the prevention of sexual violence. Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 4:00PM - 5:30PM
Networking Mixer 2020 Break Break Break Break@break.com 5:30PM - 7:00PM
Restoring Connections: Rebuilding Relationships with Restorative Justice – Part 1 Many survivors experience victim blaming, minimization, and invalidation upon disclosing their trauma to loved ones, often resulting in isolation. This workshop will explore how restorative processes can be used as a tool to support survivors in addressing harmful, unsupportive ways in which loved ones responded to their disclosures of trauma and work to repair those relationships if that is what the survivor desires. Participants will learn about the restorative paradigm, experience a simulated restorative process, and consider how this service could support survivors we work with. Deb Witzel Deb Witzel, M.A., comes to 20th JD Probation with an extensive history. She has been a restorative justice practitioner, trainer and consultant since 2004, facilitating hundreds of successful restorative processes and trainings in the justice system, schools and communities. She served as the Colorado Coordinating Council on Restorative Justice, became the first Colorado Coordinator for Restorative Justice in the State Court Administrator’s Office and was the Executive Director of the Longmont Community Justice Partnership (LCJP). deb.witzel@judicial.state.co.us Elizabeth Porter-Merrill Liz Porter-Merrill grew up on Colorado’s Western Slope and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 2006. After two years clerking for judges, Liz became a public defender. In 2018, Liz transitioned into a new position focusing on restorative justice. As a facilitator trained in connection and conflict circles, as well as Victim Offender Dialogues, Liz is honored to serve both victims/survivors and responsible parties in their healing processes. Lynn Lee Lynn Lee has successfully completed over 400 Restorative Justice conferences and is currently the Chair of the Pikes Peak Restorative Justice Council. She has been the co-chair for the Manitou Springs Restorative Justice Project since its inception. Lynn co-facilitated the first Restorative Justice conference for the Colorado Department of Corrections and continues to work in facilitating conferences for felony offenses. She began volunteering in the first local restorative justice program in Colorado Springs in 2001. Danielle Fagan Danielle Fagan is the Victim Assistant Coordinator for the Boulder County Probation department. She has been serving victims as an advocate for almost 20 years and is passionately committed to integrating victim centered restorative justice practices into her work. Currently, she is responsible for providing victim notification, support and resources to victims of crime, facilitating restorative justice panels and high risk victim offender dialogues. Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Expanding services to all victims: Language Access Planning and Implementation Language is a crucial component of any agency's effort seeking to improve the life, safety, and well-being of domestic violence and sexual assault victims/survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This two-part workshop seeks to create awareness and provide basic information about the support that victims and communities who are considered Limited English proficient (LEP) or Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HoH) need in order to access the legal system and life-saving services, as well as participate in their individual and collective healing. We will explore the language access landscape in Colorado, highlight language access legal obligations for all recipients of federal funding, and offer variety of tools and resources to facilitate meaningful access and effective communication with victims from diverse linguistic communities, including setting up language access protocols and policies, working with interpreters and translators and creating multilingual spaces. Ana Paula Noguez Mercado Ana Paula joined API-GBV in Feb 2018. She is responsible for coordinating, designing and facilitating trainings, as well as providing technical assistance on language access for domestic violence and sexual assault (dv/sa) programs, as well as on interpreting skills building, and interpreting for dv/sa. Ana Paula has worked in the field to eradicate gender-based violence since 2003. Prior to joining API-GBV, Ana Paula worked at the National Women’s Institute (Mexico City), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund- MALDEF (Los Angeles), among other organizations. She cofounded Antena Los Ángeles, a collective dedicated to language justice advocacy, training and consulting, as well as coordinating volunteer interpreters/translators for diverse social justice settings in the Los Angeles area. Ana Paula received her law degree from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City), a master’s degree in Gender and the Law from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona/CIESAS, and received her LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Critical Legal Studies and International Human Rights Law from UCLA School of Law in Los Angeles, CA. anoguez@api-gbv.org Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Using Social Media to End Rape Culture With hashtags from #BlackLivesMatter to #Metoo, social media's role in disrupting the status quo is indisputable. Yet platforms have also brought in a new era of online misogyny and rape culture, making engagement difficult for anti-rape initiatives—but not impossible. Learn about best practices for different platforms, the current digital landscape for anti-rape discourse, and how to create a plan that fits your needs and personal boundaries that will help you navigate the digital landscape with confidence. Wagatwe Wanjuki Wagatwe Wanjuki is a writer, educator, and digital strategist who empowers survivors and their communities to better understand and prevent gender-based violence. An award-winning activist, she uses storytelling, cultural criticism, and analysis at the intersections of race, class, and gender to urge for better community prevention and response. wagatwe@wagatwe.com Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
The Crossroads of Immigration, Violence, and Survivorship: A Map for Advocates Noncitizens who experience violence face an additional consideration on their journey from victim to survivor: immigration status. Presenters will share case examples highlighting the relationship between immigration status and vulnerability to abuse or exploitation, review the immigration benefits meant to protect victims, discuss the impacts of recent changes in immigration enforcement and benefits processing on crime victims, and provide practical advice for advocates regarding immigration issue spotting and appropriate referrals. Patricia Medige Patricia Medige, Esq., has represented low wage workers and crime victims at Colorado nonprofits since 1995. She co-founded and is President of the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN). Ms. Medige received the Freedom Network (USA) Paul and Sheila Wellstone Award in 2009. She has served on Colorado’s gubernatorial Human Trafficking Council since 2014, and received the Outstanding Member award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Colorado Chapter, in 2016. pmedige@colegalserv.org Karina Arreola Karina Arreola, Esq., is among Colorado’s leading practitioners in the field of humanitarian immigration visas. Since starting at Colorado Legal Services in 2009, she has represented hundreds of survivors of violent crimes and mentored numerous advocates, teaching the intricacies of immigration legal work and promoting the use of trauma-informed care to better serve clients. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and co-founded the AILA Colorado Chapter’s U Visa Working Group. Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 8:30AM - 11:45AM
Considerations for Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect Reporting suspected abuse or neglect of a child is the only circumstance when a Colorado advocate must break client confidentiality. But how do advocates, and their supervisors, determine what needs to be reported? How do we engage in survivor-defined advocacy even when a mandated report must occur? What might a strengths-based report look like? How can we work with child welfare-involved parents to advocate for better outcomes? Come explore the grey areas of mandatory reporting and advocacy. Beth Collins Beth Collins works as the Domestic Violence Program Specialist at the Colorado Department of Human Services. Prior to joining DVP, Beth worked providing training and technical assistance to advocates, and before that she had the privilege of working directly with survivors of domestic abuse for 7 years in shelter and community settings. Beth has particular interest in empowerment-based advocacy, trauma-informed services, and addressing the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment. beth.collins@state.co.us Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Embedding Anti-Oppression into Organizational Practices – Part 2 Developing anti-oppressive organizations able to serve marginalized populations and communities requires more than just saying you care. It requires an organization to enact a methodology for examining everything from budgetary decisions to vendor relationships to communication skills. It requires a commitment to understanding theory and bringing theory to practice. This session will empower participants to dissect their organizations internal policies and external programming through an anti-oppression lens, and will offer tools for successful implementation. Regan Byrd Regan Byrd is an award-winning anti-oppression activist, speaker, and trainer. She has trained dozens of organizations on anti-oppression, including the Colorado Democratic Party, Denver Public Schools, and Urban Peak. She participated in various expert panels on topics ranging from the history of police to housing justice. Regan has a deep commitment to justice, institutional systems change, and collective liberation. She believes this is achieved through self-reflexivity, allyship, inclusivity, coalition building, and dismantling systems of oppression. regan@reganbyrdconsulting.com Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Restoring Connections: Rebuilding Relationships with Restorative Justice – Part 2 Many survivors experience victim blaming, minimization, and invalidation upon disclosing their trauma to loved ones, often resulting in isolation. This workshop will explore how restorative processes can be used as a tool to support survivors in addressing harmful, unsupportive ways in which loved ones responded to their disclosures of trauma and work to repair those relationships if that is what the survivor desires. Participants will learn about the restorative paradigm, experience a simulated restorative process, and consider how this service could support survivors we work with. Deb Witzel Deb Witzel, M.A., comes to 20th JD Probation with an extensive history. She has been a restorative justice practitioner, trainer and consultant since 2004, facilitating hundreds of successful restorative processes and trainings in the justice system, schools and communities. She served as the Colorado Coordinating Council on Restorative Justice, became the first Colorado Coordinator for Restorative Justice in the State Court Administrator’s Office and was the Executive Director of the Longmont Community Justice Partnership (LCJP). deb.witzel@judicial.state.co.us Elizabeth Porter-Merrill Liz Porter-Merrill grew up on Colorado’s Western Slope and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 2006. After two years clerking for judges, Liz became a public defender. In 2018, Liz transitioned into a new position focusing on restorative justice. As a facilitator trained in connection and conflict circles, as well as Victim Offender Dialogues, Liz is honored to serve both victims/survivors and responsible parties in their healing processes. Lynn Lee Lynn Lee has successfully completed over 400 Restorative Justice conferences and is currently the Chair of the Pikes Peak Restorative Justice Council. She has been the co-chair for the Manitou Springs Restorative Justice Project since its inception. Lynn co-facilitated the first Restorative Justice conference for the Colorado Department of Corrections and continues to work in facilitating conferences for felony offenses. She began volunteering in the first local restorative justice program in Colorado Springs in 2001. Danielle Fagan Danielle Fagan is the Victim Assistant Coordinator for the Boulder County Probation department. She has been serving victims as an advocate for almost 20 years and is passionately committed to integrating victim centered restorative justice practices into her work. Currently, she is responsible for providing victim notification, support and resources to victims of crime, facilitating restorative justice panels and high risk victim offender dialogues. Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
How Burnout Led Me to Trauma Informed Representation Do you know what burnout looks like? Do you know what to do about it? Do you know why it happens? This workshop is about burnout and secondary trauma, told through the story of my own path through burnout to trauma-informed representation and a realistic understanding of self-care. It is meant for lawyers, social workers, psychologists, and care givers who work with victims and survivors. The workshop will not only focus on work burnout, but discuss how societal structures, especially in underserved and marginalized communities, increases the likelihood of burnout in providers. This workshop will be interactive and use technology to get active participation from the audience. Maria-Vittoria Carminati Maria-Vittoria "Giugi" Carminati is a trauma-informed attorney, a women's advocate, and a registered psychotherapist. She founded The Woman's Lawyer, a trauma-informed law firm focused on representing victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She is now Managing Attorney for the W and SW of the United States for NDH, LLC, a social justice and civil rights law firm. At NDH, LLC, Giugi works on high impact litigation, including sexual assault cases against perpetrators. Giugi experienced sexual harassment and physical assault as a teenager and uses those experiences to inform her work. She also has a blog, Argue Like a Girl, where she discusses current events through an anti-oppression and feminist lens. Giugi speaks four languages, including Spanish. She has four children and lives in Aurora, CO. mvcarminati@ndh-law.com Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Goal Centered Advocacy: Ensuring Long-Term Success for Short-Term Clients As Crisis Advocates, our overall goal is to enable clients to take control of their lives and future and move from “victim” to “survivor.” In this line of work, advocates and clients face a unique challenge of a short timeframe to address long-term needs. Goal-Centered Advocacy is an outcome-based empowerment advocacy tool for survivors of crime and trauma specifically geared towards their time-limited work with advocates. Focusing on 8 long term goals for success that have been identified by analyzing data and feedback of our clients served; Safety, Support, Housing, Financial, Dependent Needs, Legal, Transportation, Medical Resources. Clients personalize their objective and measurable goals which are pertinent to their situation to work towards autonomy and the identified outcome for each chosen goal. In Goal Centered Advocacy, Advocates provide options, referrals, and information, so a client can make informed and intentional decisions for themselves within our limited time frame of work together. This presentation will involve a “round table” discussion and hands-on resource sharing to learn about Goal Centered Advocacy and how to incorporate it into your organization's methods of advocacy as well as a practical application portion with mock clients using Goal Centered Advocacy in action. The Estes Valley Crisis Advocate team will bring their current forms and folders used in Goal Centered Advocacy to share with attendees. Cato Kraft Cato Kraft is the Program Director of Estes Valley Crisis Advocates (EVCA) in Estes Park, Colorado. Cato has dedicated her professional career to being a fierce advocate for creating community-based collaborative opportunities that bridge the gaps where services fall through. She brings an eclectic background in public sector work including non-profit management, teaching and youth program directing, as well as her unique experiences such as working with eco-feminist tourism in Hawaii. Cato currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center, is a Senior Partner with Partners Mentoring Youth, volunteers with Estes Valley Restorative Justice Program and serves as a Crisis Counselor with the Crisis Text Line. cato@crisisadvocates.org Rosemary Truman TBD Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
When Law Is, and When Law is Not, the Answer Recent increased funding for civil legal services is many advocates’ dream come true. But the law isn’t equipped to solve many of survivors’ problems, even when these appear legal at the outset. This workshop will help advocates increase their capacity to identify problems the law can solve, make good referrals to attorneys, manage client expectations and provide the best possible legal and non-legal advocacy in conjunction with attorney representation. Tammy Kuennen Tammy Kuennen is a tenured professor at Denver Law. Prior to joining the faculty, she taught for two years in the Domestic Violence Clinic at Georgetown Law, where she earned her LLM degree in trial advocacy. Before teaching, Tammy practiced at Legal Aid Services of Oregon for five years, representing survivors of domestic violence in a variety of civil cases, including protection orders, domestic relations, public benefits, immigration and civil rights litigation. tkuennen@law.du.edu Jennifer Eyl Jennifer Eyl is an Attorney and Licensed Professional Counselor who has worked in the fields of domestic and sexual violence since 1994. She is the Legal Director at Project Safeguard in Denver, Colorado. Jennifer is known statewide for her expertise in domestic violence and domestic relations law, and trains social work and law students, attorneys, judges, custody evaluators, victim advocates, law enforcement personnel, and others on these issues. Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Lunch: Grab Lunch and Join Us for 2020 Awards Presentation (Fajita Bar!) Break Break Break Break@break.com 11:45AM
Out of the Margins: Latinx Survivorship Latinx people have inhabited lands within US borders for a long time. Erasure of our history, historical violences, and present day invisibility lead to heightened marginalization. Past and present are connected to demonstrate realities today and how we can be better service providers to the community. Veronica Quinonez Veronica holds a Masters of Arts degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and a Bachelors in Psychology and International Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is currently working as a Program Coordinator for the CDC "DELTA" grant on violence prevention initiatives for the state of Tennessee. She previously worked as the Gender Violence Program Coordinator at Georgetown University. Veronica also has provided crisis counseling and served as a Safe Helpline Shift Manager for the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) in Washington, D.C. Her focus is on intersectional, social justice, and empowerment approaches to addressing interpersonal violence. She aims to create culture change via commitment to decolonizing and innovative approaches to education and training. quinonezvg@gmail.com Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Victims With Disabilities Matter: A Primer to Help Make Sure Serving victims with disabilities can seem intimidating; it doesn't have to be that way. This session focuses on understanding accommodations and when we need to provide them. Content includes a quick review of the Americans with Disabilities Act; the definition of disability according to ADA; and a review of best practices for interacting with someone who uses a wheelchair, who is blind, who uses a service animal, and who is deaf. Educational materials include short videos (you may also use with your staff) to remind attendees of some best practices in working with victims with disabilities to insure your agency show every victim s/he matters. Jean Solis Jean has worked at The Arc of Aurora with and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) for 27 years. For the past 18 years she has coordinated the organization’s work raising awareness about the incidence and prevalence of victimization of people with I/DD, as well as developing and implementing education opportunities for responders to those crimes. Jean currently manages the training and education work of the organization’s education program and social enterprise THINK+change. In 2015 Jean consulted for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) to help build capacity in its member agencies to better serve victims of sexual assault who have an intellectual and/or developmental disability. Jean’s Master’s work led her to the Alzheimer’s Association where she worked before coming to The Arc of Aurora. She headed its national office’s education department in Chicago, and first volunteered for and then worked for its Denver Chapter. Jean’s undergraduate degree is in education, and she’s taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Jean has been a local Volunteers of America Meals on Wheels volunteer for five years. jsolis@thearcofaurora.org Darla Stuart Darla Stuart, Executive Director, has been involved with The Arc for more than 27 years. Throughout Darla’s tenure at The Arc of Aurora she has led local, state, regional, and national projects improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities. Darla served as Project Supervisor for two successful DOJ/OVC Projects. Under Darla’s guidance, The Arc of Aurora has hosted multiple statewide trainings on the impact of violence against people with developmental disabilities focusing on creating understanding and collaboration among disability, law enforcement, and victim assistance organizations. Darla’s historical work supporting the passage of the mandatory reporting law for crimes committed against people with developmental disabilities has established her as a sought after content expert, as well as a support for local implementation and facilitator of relationships between local law enforcement and state policy leaders. Darla’s B.A. in Urban Planning and Non-Profit Administration has served The Arc of Aurora well. Darla supports the work of THINK+change, The Arc of Aurora’s solutions'-focused training and education social enterprise. Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Policy Updates (2020) CCASA/VFC Policy Director will discuss the impact and implementation needs of laws passed in the 2020 Legislative session. Each bill creates new advocacy opportunities and contains vital information for multidisciplinary responders working with sexual assault and domestic violence victims. The Presenters will provide an overview of each of these bills, and will help troubleshoot implementation challenges. The Presenters will also discuss ways to be involved with sexual assault and domestic violence policy advocacy, and lead audience discussion regarding upcoming national and local trends in sexual assault/domestic violence policy work. We will discuss regarding upcoming national and local trends in sexual assault/domestic violence policy work with a focus on CCASA/VFC priorities for future legislation. Raana Simmons Raana joined CCASA in 2015 as the Director of Policy, bringing with her the collective experience of a prevention educator, community organizer, awareness campaign director, and advocate in the field of anti-violence. Prior to CCASA, she worked for a variety of community-based organizations and most recently managed a center serving survivors in both rural and urban communities of West Central Florida where she specialized in coordinating services in marginalized communities. raana@ccasa.org Lydia Waligorski Lydia Waligorski is the Public Policy Director for the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and has been an advocate and counselor for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence since 1998, when she started volunteering for The Women’s Center, Inc. in rural Southern Illinois. Lydia took an actual vacation to Estes Park in April of 2007, and moved to Denver three months later as she realized loved (almost) everything Colorado. Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
The Power of Storytelling to Effect Change Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to humanize an issue and advocate for change. In this session, we seek to explore the importance of this tool and walk participants through crafting their own story. As activists, we have seen the impact of effective storytelling while speaking with our elected officials and within our communities. We will equip participants with training, so they feel empowered to share their stories to enact change. Arrian Belkin Arriana Salma Belkin currently serves as the Public Affairs Manager at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM), where she works to engage others in the political and advocacy process to defend women’s health and reproductive rights. Additionally as a board member for Emerge, she is committed to training and developing new female leaders to run for office and win. As a young Muslim American woman, she in particular understands what is at stake for women and women of color especially. Arriana remains engaged in progressive political work and is active at all levels, from grassroots organizing to the strategic and data side. arriana.belkin@pprm.org Fawn Bolak Fawn Bolak is the Reproductive Rights Content Director for ProgressNow Colorado, where co-founded the Keep Abortion Safe project and develops content and messaging around reproductive rights issues, working closely with coalition partners to coordinate efforts. Fawn has 8 years experience working on gender-justice issues and a professional background in non-profit work and victim advocacy. She believes personal storytelling is pivotal to building power and creating an atmosphere of compassion, support, and understanding around seuxal violence. Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Culturally appropriate safety planning and trust building Safehouse Progressive Alliance For Nonviolence (SPAN) recognizes the importance of accompanying survivors of interpersonal violence while taking into account their social locations and how they may be impacted by them. This workshop will primarily focus on how culturally appropriate services allow for an increased sense of trust and collaboration throughout the creation of safety planning. Sophie Keeley Sophie Keeley is a trilingual psychotherapist (English, French, and Spanish) at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN), where she supports survivors of domestic violence primarily from the Latinx community. In her role as counselor and advocate, she offers Gestalt therapy with a foundation in Social Justice Counseling. She facilitates trainings and various domestic violence support groups in the community, including at the Boulder County Jail. Further, she mentors counseling interns in their year-long experiences and participates in community organizing. Sophie is familiar with navigating numerous identities as she was raised bicultural (France and US), later lived and worked in Mexico, and is currently in an interracial and multicultural relationship and exists as a pansexual woman. This personal journey allows her to hold a broader perspective on being and connecting. sophie@safehousealliance.org Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Yes! Yes! Yes! Using Sex Positivity to Inform Violence Prevention Strategies The cat is out of the bag - young people know that people have sex for reasons other than making babies. Many adults are challenged when addressing sexual health topics outside of a reproduction framework. However, sexual violence prevention requires that we recognize pleasure, interpersonal dynamics, and consent. In this workshop, we will create the linkages between sex positivity, violence prevention strategies, and trauma-informed approaches; and how to incorporate sex positivity and consent into conversations with young people and others. Zoa Schescke Zoa P. Schescke, MPA (she/her/hers) has worked with young people involved in public systems of care for over 14 years. As an advocate for young people within these systems, she has worked in residential care facilities and the human service field as a prevention services provider and at a program development level. Zoa has worked to develop policies that are inclusive and follow evidence based practices for LGBTQ identified young people involved in systems of care. zoa.schescke@state.co.us Anna Wendt Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Self-Care: Take your pick of the options we’ve provided or relax on your own! NA Break Break Break@break.com Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 3:00PM - 4:45PM
When Cultural Competency and Intersectionality Backfire As more individuals gain an understanding of intersectionality and aim for inclusivity we must stop and ask ourselves if our efforts have unintended consequences. In my experience navigating the field as a student and now a working professional I cannot help but draw parallels to white supremacist colonial archetypes. Even the most well intentioned efforts, language, and programs can actually mimic what our colonizers did to our ancestors or living relatives. This program aims to raise awareness about such unintended consequences. Veronica Quinonez Veronica holds a Masters of Arts degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and a Bachelors in Psychology and International Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has managed the CDC "DELTA" grant on violence prevention initiatives for the entire state of Tennessee. She previously worked as the Gender Violence Program Coordinator at Georgetown University. Veronica also has provided crisis counseling and served as a Safe Helpline Shift Manager for the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) in Washington, D.C. Her focus is on intersectional, social justice, and empowerment approaches to addressing interpersonal violence. She aims to create culture change via commitment to decolonizing and innovative approaches to education and training. quinonezvg@gmail.com Friday, June 12, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Let’s Talk about (Healthy) Sex, Baby: Starting the Conversation Movies, TV shows, music, and other forms of media constantly, even if indirectly, talk about romantic relationships, sex, and consent in inaccurate ways. As a result, media impacts the way we talk about, understand, and experience relationships and sex. This session focuses on how to use pop culture to have difficult conversations about consent and healthy sexual boundaries and relationships. Practice having these conversations with other participants, and walk away thinking more critically about the messages you see every day. Maria Mendez Maria joined CCASA in September 2018 and has been in the gender-based violence prevention field since 2011. Prior to CCASA, she worked at Colorado College as the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and before that in Bakersfield, California in the Prevention Education Department. There, she created a Media Literacy Program focusing on how gender norms portrayed in the media influence views on relationships and consent. She has an MA in Media Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. maria@ccasa.org Amy Pohl Amy Pohl has worked in the field of domestic violence advocacy for more than 10 years, first as an attorney and providing trainings and technical assistance for professionals in Wyoming, California, and eventually Colorado on issues related to DV. Amy joined the staff of Violence Free Colorado in 2014, working now to elevate the issue of domestic violence in Colorado and supporting the work of domestic violence advocacy organizations around the state. Friday, June 12, 2020 from 8:30AM - 12:00PM
Elevating all Crime Survivor Voices! An Alternative Perspective: Trauma for Crime Survivors at the Intersection of race, culture, gender and ethnicity. Participants will learn about community based - Innovative Practices in trauma informed care that has been recently implemented in Denver Metro area. They will also lean about how the voices of crime survivors and the intersectionality with the criminal justice system can be re-imaged in a way that truly supports the needs of survivors. Through a report released by CCJRC entitled, “Victim’s Speak.” CCJRC in conjunction with the Public Polling Policy institute surveyed 500 crime survivors of crime in the Denver metro area, with an oversampling of victims of color to better understand the needs and policy preferences of survivors. The results were published in the report in April of 2018 and one of the most profound findings was the lack of community-based support services, particularly evident for men, people of color, and young adults. Participants will get the opportunity to hear more about the findings of this report related to underserved communities and different strategies that must be integrated into direct services needs of crime survivors from these communities. The workshop also includes learnings from that field on the importance of building capacity for victim’s services. Two primary lessons are that intentionality is needed to build trust and on-going relationships in these communities year round and not just when victimization occurs. In 2018 CCJRC also hosted the first ever “Day of Healing” centering the voices of survivors and turning their healing into action. By placing survivors at the center of the conversation on how survivors heal from short and long-term trauma, survivors participated in in-depth discussions on what meets the needs of survivors. Attendees also participated in a multitude of healing modalities raging from indigenous heling to traditional therapeutic interventions. The event brought together crime survivors, particularly those from communities that have been most affected by crime and the criminal justice system. Participates will hear more about strategies like the “Day of Healing” and concepts on how to implement similar events in community. Juston Cooper, M.P.A. Juston Cooper is a native of Denver Colorado graduating from Denver public schools in 1996, he holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Marketing from Metropolitan State University and Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. His varied career has a proven record of success working on social justice issues through political engagement, public policy, strategic planning, organizational development, coalition building and grass roots organizing. Juston’s work has been instrumental in the public sector with an extended career working in non-profit organizations, helping build and implement public health and safety strategies that address criminal and juvenile justice reform. juston@ccjrc.org Wendy Talley Coming Soon Friday, June 12, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Building Inclusive & Equitable Organizations Executive directors and others in leadership position roles are invited to join a discussion on what are they currently working on, what are some of their barriers they are facing. Being able to share with others some tools and support that is working for them as well as be able to have a space for this kind of conversations. Participants are encourage to share tools and experiences that have worked for them to create a peer to peer learning space. Anne Tapp Anne has previously presented- and has another proposal - please see that bio. anne@safehousealliance.org Agueda Morgan Agueda has worked in the field to end sexual violence since 2006, she has provided direct client services to survivors of sexual violence through case management and advocacy; managing their 24-hour English and Spanish crisis line; coordinating, training, and supervising advocates; providing community outreach and education to the Latin@x/Hispanic community; and collaborating with other community services providers through the local sexual assault response team and other efforts. Friday, June 12, 2020 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Gender and Sexuality 101: At the Intersections of Accessibility The connections between disability, gender, and sexuality are many and multi-faceted, and that accessibility serves as a perfect entry point. This presentation will cover pronoun usage, deconstructing the gender binary, the differences between gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, the importance of language, brief histories of oppression, and more, all with the aim of making our services, our communities, and our relationships radically accessible for all. Emma Martin Emma Martin serves as the Program Director at The Initiative. Ms. Martin graduated with a degree in Feminist and Gender Studies from Colorado College, where she worked to interrogate the impetuses for and implications of power and dominance, especially that which result in oppression based on sexuality, race, gender, class, citizenship status, and other markers. Ms. Martin’s advocacy centers intersectionality, transformative justice, trauma-informed communities, and grassroots activism. emma@theinitiativeco.org Friday, June 12, 2020 from 10:30AM - 12:00PM
Release Trauma Through Decompression; The Missing Link to Self-care Experiencing a traumatic event impacts us at a cellular level. A single cell can hold the pattern of trauma long after the event and stimulates a consistent stress response that can lead to disease. Learn simple techniques you can do alone, and with a partner, that combine diaphragmatic breathing and guided pressure to release tension, toxins and trapped emotions. You can maintain this powerful practice at home and share with your clients, too! *Wear comfortable clothing. Sabrina Fritts Sabrina Fritts is a sexual and domestic violence advocate, as well as a certified Block Therapy Instructor, and brings her practical Human Resources experience, holistic knowledge, and playful healing ability to make the greatest impact with her short-term advocacy work. Releasing trauma, and secondary trauma, is fundamental to our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. She is passionate about maintaining an effective daily self-care practice; which is essential in providing effective advocacy. sabrina@mountainpeace.org Friday, June 12, 2020 from 10:30AM - 12:00PM
Family Law and the Colorado Address Confidentiality Program Making the Address Confidentiality Program work for survivors can be a challenge, especially with Colorado courts. Without the right information, an ACP participant might end up compromising their confidentiality during family court proceedings and decrease the effectiveness of the program. Learning about the ACP statutes relevant to participant interactions with courts, including court disclosures, changing court orders, and interacting with court ordered professionals, will assist advocates in better supporting their clients through family court. Nikki Hernandez Nikki Hernandez has been working with the Colorado ACP since January 2017. She began as the New Participant Liaison and is now the Outreach Coordinator. In her current position, Nikki is responsible for managing Application Assistant registrations, providing statewide training to partner agencies, and implementing outreach efforts to increase the effectiveness of the program. Nikki is passionate about providing victim services to survivors across the state and is a graduate of Colorado College. katherine.hernandez@state.co.us Jackie Cash Jackie Cash has managed the Colorado Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) since the program’s inception in 2007. During her time with the Colorado ACP, Jackie has conducted numerous presentations and testified before the Colorado legislature in support of amending program laws to strengthen survivor protections. Jackie participated in the creation of the National Association of Confidential Address Programs (NACAP) and is the current chair of the NACAP Public Policy Committee. Jackie has an undergraduate degree in Social Work from Colorado State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver, College of Law. Friday, June 12, 2020 from 10:30AM - 12:00PM
From Victim to Survivor: Music as a Tool for Healing and Empowerment The field of interpersonal violence has largely relied on white-western models of care for survivors dealing with trauma. This workshop is rooted in decolonizing care principles and highlights a method of care humans have utilized for ages across all cultures; music. The workshop allows participants to explore musical exercises and ties the value of storytelling across a continuum of healing, empowerment, and prevention. Veronica Quinonez Veronica holds a Masters of Arts degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and a Bachelors in Psychology and International Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is currently working as a Program Coordinator for the CDC "DELTA" grant on violence prevention initiatives for the state of Tennessee. She previously worked as the Gender Violence Program Coordinator at Georgetown University. Veronica also has provided crisis counseling and served as a Safe Helpline Shift Manager for the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) in Washington, D.C. Her focus is on intersectional, social justice, and empowerment approaches to addressing interpersonal violence. She aims to create culture change via commitment to decolonizing and innovative approaches to education and training. quinonezvg@gmail.com Friday, June 12, 2020 from 10:30AM - 12:00PM
Applying an Anti-Oppression Lens to Primary Prevention Education This workshop will lead participants through identifying connections between different forms of violence and using that lens to inform primary prevention education. Participants will learn concrete examples of anti-oppression education shared from Peers Building Justice, our 8-session healthy relationships curriculum designed for middle and high school, a collaborative project of MESA and Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN). Participants will also practice using an anti-oppression lens to adapt curriculum. Sarah Dobson Sarah Dobson is a peace educator who has been working with youth and adults in the US and Central America for the past 12 years. She earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland her Master’s in Gender and Peacebuilding from the United Nations mandated University for Peace. She currently works as the Prevention Coordinator at Moving to End Sexual Assault (MESA) in Boulder, CO. sdobson@mhpcolorado.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Colorado VINE – More Than Just the Link Colorado VINE is dedicated to the safety and peace of mind of victim/survivors of crime. VINELink is a proactive system notifying victim/survivors of an offender's custody status change. VINELink is not the only service offered by VINE to assist victim advocates and service providers to support victim/survivors. This workshop will present and explain the other services offered by Colorado VINE for victim support. Anthony Antuna Sergeant Anthony Antuna has been a law enforcement trainer for over 28 years. He retired from the University of Northern Colorado Police Department after 22 years and is currently the Program Manager of Colorado VINE. He trains the Victim Rights Act for Law Enforcement for the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance and is a trainer with the Colorado Ending Violence Against Women Project. Sergeant Antuna sits on the Board of the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center. aantuna@csoc.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
How to Use the Power of Social Media to Amplify Your Message (Part 1) Are you using social media to educate survivors? Is your messaging reaching your target audience? Should you be on all platforms? Where will you get the most exposure for the time and effort of your team? What is social automation and how can it save your team time and money? What are your goals for social media? Education? Storytelling and survivor hero stories? Point to resources or drive traffic to your website. Tracy will introduce you to the power of Pinterest, she has given talks on the power of one image to drive traffic to your website at three marketing conferences in 2016. Get your questions answered. Tracy Malone Tracy Malone is a social media influencer and she has done marketing for businesses for over 24 years. Embracing social media from the beginning, and building her own following to educate victims of narcissistic abuse Tracy’s YouTube channel has reached over 700,000 survivors, her Pinterest has seen upwards of 2 million monthly viewers. She has also built a strong Facebook group with over 5000 members. Teaching advocates and agencies on how to maximize their social presence is her passion. tracy@cowebop.com Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Building Bridges: Advocating for Survivors Involved with Child Welfare Community-based advocates often work with families who struggle with multiple forms of abuse including child maltreatment. To advance their work with survivors of violence, advocates must understand the role of child welfare agencies, child welfare processes, and the differences and similarities between child welfare agencies and advocacy organizations. This session will focus on what advocates can do to build bridges with child welfare agencies that will enhance safety for families. Brooke Ely-Milen Brooke Ely-Milen is the Director of the Domestic Violence Program (DVP) at the Colorado Department of Human Services. Brooke has worked on behalf of survivors of domestic violence for the past 26 years as a community-based advocate, manager of a statewide court-based advocacy program, and training director for a national domestic violence organization. In her role as the DVP Director, Brooke administers funding for domestic violence advocacy services and works in partnership with human services programs to promote safety for survivors. brooke.elymilen@state.co.us Laura Solomon Laura Solomon is the Division of Child Welfare Intake Administrator for the state of Colorado. In Laura’s current position she is responsible for overseeing child welfare practice from the first call to the decision to open a case or close an assessment. Laura is also responsible for the rollout of the Colorado Family Safety and Risk assessment tools and Differential Response. Prior to her role with the state of Colorado, Laura was a county intake supervisor and oversaw direct county practice that included piloting the Differential Response model for Colorado. Laura believes that collaboration can create opportunities for children and families and working together with stakeholders can enhance outcomes. Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Mitigating Data Collection Nightmares At the end of a project, have you found yourself searching for missing data and information that should have been captured in the moment? Have you realized that you are not able to measure variables or capture trends as a result of this missing data? Violence Free Colorado and the Division of Criminal Justice had this realization when it came time to analyze the data from the Housing for Crime Victims Special Project. This workshop will use the project evaluation and lessons learned from the Housing for Crime Victims Special Project to increase your organization’s capacity to collect data accurately, timely, and completely. This workshop will also provide attendees with recommendations and tips for collecting data over an extended period that can be applied across programs and services. Lindsay Christopher Lindsay Christopher is the Housing Program Manager at Violence Free Colorado. Lindsay moved to Colorado in 2007 to pursue her education at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has been in the Domestic Violence field since 2011 and has done a little bit of everything over the years, including crisis intervention, case management, grant coordinating, and collaborating with stakeholders to increase housing availability and access for survivors. In her free time, you can find her spending time with her family. lchristopher@violencefreeco.org Echo Rivera Friday, June 7, 2019 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Singing Our Rivers Red for Indigenous Women With only 1,200 known missing and murdered Indigenous women in North America, thousands more are unreported. Sing Our Rivers Red is a profound exhibit of collected earrings, each representing a missing and murdered Indigenous woman. This exhibit has been recreated by local sexual assault advocacy staff to bring awareness to Indigenous issues in a rural community. This project has brought together communities near and far to stand in solidarity with our stolen sisters. Join us to learn how this exhibit was created, and be inspired to create your own. Kelsey Lansing Kelsey Lansing joined SASO as a hotline and prevention education volunteer in 2015. She is a member of the Navajo tribe from the Near the Water clan and is born for the Salt clan. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Native American & Indigenous Studies with a focused interest in Socio-Anthropology. Her passions include research on historical trauma, Indigenous feminism, and learning the traditions of various cultures. kelsey@durangosaso.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 9:00AM - 10:30AM
Break NA na whitman NA marci@boomerangzone.com Wednesday, June 5 from 10:30AM - 10:45AM
Advocates as Community Builders As advocates we are often focused on how we can serve individual survivors with their trauma, in doing so we build incredible understanding of systems and how they affect survivors but are not often in a position to use this knowledge on a macro level. When advocates take their skills and knowledge, and apply them as community builders we have the capacity to create systematic change. Learn how to use advocacy to create systematic change in this workshop. Rita Sneider-Cotter Rita Sneider-Cotter is the SART Coordinator and community advocate for sexual assault survivors in the beautiful Florida Keys. As the SART Coordinator Rita has pulled together members from a diverse collection of agencies in her rural community to come together and talk about sexual assault in their community, and how they can come together to make it better. Rita has been in the gendered violence movement for 8 years, in in both Florida and Colorado. rsneider-cotter@fcasv.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Building Anti-Violence Partners with Child Welfare For seven years, Family Tree has partnered with Jefferson County, Colorado's Division of Children, Youth, and Families around child welfare's response to cases with co-occurring domestic violence and child abuse. This interactive workshop will illuminate why co-located advocacy is considered best practice both in supporting Survivors of domestic violence, and in child welfare. Participants will brainstorm possibilities for forging similar partnerships in their own communities, and develop innovative strategies to do so. Hannah Colter Hannah Colter has worked as a DV Consultant for Jefferson County for two years. She has built relationships with caseworkers and the Survivors they work with, trained over 100 county staff on the complexities of domestic violence, and collaborated with county management to update internal county protocols informing child welfare’s response to DV. Outside of her consultant role, she works for Family Tree as a Bilingual Advocate, and as a community educator on relationship violence. hcolter@thefamilytree.org Donnie Smith Donnie Smith has been a caseworker for Jefferson County's Division of Children, Youth, Family and Adult Protection for three years. He has worked as an Intake caseworker, investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect, as well as a permanency caseworker for the county's National Drug Court model-inspired Family Integrative Treatment court. Previously, Donnie spent two years as a caseworker for Nebraska’s Division of Children and Family Services. Before beginning a career in child welfare, Donnie served five years as a Field Artillery officer in the United States Army's 10th Mountain Division. Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
How to Use the Power of Social Media to Amplify Your Message (Part 2) Are you using social media to educate survivors? Is your messaging reaching your target audience? Should you be on all platforms? Where will you get the most exposure for the time and effort of your team? What is social automation and how can it save your team time and money? What are your goals for social media? Education? Storytelling and survivor hero stories? Point to resources or drive traffic to your website. Tracy will introduce you to the power of Pinterest, she has given talks on the power of one image to drive traffic to your website at three marketing conferences in 2016. Get your questions answered. Tracy Malone Tracy Malone is a social media influencer and she has done marketing for businesses for over 24 years. Embracing social media from the beginning, and building her own following to educate victims of narcissistic abuse Tracy’s YouTube channel has reached over 700,000 survivors, her Pinterest has seen upwards of 2 million monthly viewers. She has also built a strong Facebook group with over 5000 members. Teaching advocates and agencies on how to maximize their social presence is her passion. tracy@cowebop.com Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
PREA – What it means to you as a victim’s advocate. This workshop will cover the history of PREA and the standards themselves as they pertain to victim advocates. This information will guide victim advocates in fulfilling their role supporting and advocating for the victims, while forming a good working relationship with the PREA Investigator that will help lead to a successful prosecution. David Walts David is a 30 year police veteran at Broomfield Police Department in Colorado. During his years with Broomfield, he has served in Patrol, Investigations, Special Operations, Administration and Detention. Presently, David is the Administrative Sergeant for the Broomfield Detention Center, where he serves as the PREA Coordinator. He is responsible for training officers and investigators to meet the PREA standards while maintaining high investigative standards and practices. David is also a certified DOJ PREA Auditor. ironopentraining@gmail.com Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Culturally Responsive Supervision Providing direct services to survivors is exhausting and rewarding work. Many of us come to it because of the ways violence has impacted us personally, and all of us have a desire to improve the lives and honor the strengths of those who need our services. Because of the intense connection employees bring to their direct service, supervision that is trauma informed and focused on trust and kindness is essential to creating healthy work environments. Rebecca Nickels Rebecca Nickels, MSW is the principal for RPN Strategies where she helps nonprofits be their best. Her consulting focuses on interim executive leadership, strategic planning, board governance, equity, and executive coaching. She was the executive director of Call to Safety (Portland, Oregon) from 2006-2018 as it expanded crisis line services, integrated equity and racial justice, and prioritized being survivor-led. Rebecca has been working alongside survivors of domestic and sexual violence in various capacities since 1996. rebecca@rpnstrat.com Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Reducing the Impact of Ageism on Victim Services Bias- we all have it whether we want to admit it or not. When our biases go unchecked, it can turn into prejudice. Ageism is an insidious prejudice that affects each and every one of us. Presenters will delve into natural realities of aging, societal biases held, explore the nuances and effects of ageism, and brainstorm ideas to make services more welcoming. Through lecture and interaction, we promote self awareness and thoughtful inclusion. Linda Loflin Pettit Jessica Naberhaus is a supervisor in Adult Protective Services, Denver Human Services. She has over a decade of experience investigating allegations of mistreatment o fat-risk adults, service as guardian and representative payee and as an advocate for at-risk adults. Jessica has trained hundreds of professionals locally and nationally about elder abuse, ageism, collaboration, domestic violence in later life. Jessica has a Master of Public Administration degree from University of Colorado. Linda.LoflinPettit@denvergov.org Linda Loflin-Pettit is the Manager of Government and Community Relations for the Denver City Attorney's Office, Prosecution and Code Enforcement Section. She oversees the domestic violence arraignment advocates, the grant program, elder abuse prevention program, including the Denver Forensic Collaborative for At-Risk Adults, which she helped create. She has launched a Hoarding Task Force and trains locally and nationally to address domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault. Maro Casparian is the Director of Consumer Protection, working within the At-Risk Adult Unit for the Denver District Attorney's Office. She manages the Communities Against Senior Exploitation program which provides support and information to the community about elder fraud, neglect and exploitation prevention. Maro trains locally and nationally on topics including scams, caregiver neglect and exploitation, aging and ageism, health care fraud, identify theft and mandatory reporting. Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Lunch: Grab lunch and join us for our Keynote Presentation (Salon E & F) Break Break Break Break@break.com 12:15PM - 1:45PM
At the Intersections of Substance Misuse/Abuse and Young Adults What are the interior conditions that influence youth to misuse substances? How do we partner with youth through a tumultuous and tricky journey of recovery? This workshop outlines how oppression operates on 4 levels and identify factors that contribute to different youth populations; lgbtq+ youth, youth of color, immigrant youth, or youth experiencing violence at home. Embodying appropriate skills and knowledge we align ourselves with youth struggling with substance abuse. Brenda Herrera Moreno During her time at Hampshire, Brenda gained the skills and knowledge to navigate how systems silence and delineate marginalize communities. Her passion to create transformative spaces for individuals led to creating unique integration programs for refugee and immigrant youth, become a peer recovery coach, and a counselor and advocate survivors and victims of domestic violence. Brenda continuously pulls from personal, professional and academic experiences to facilitate these conversations. brenda@safehousealliance.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 1:45PM - 3:15PM
Custom Brew: Practical Application of Customization Tips for CAFE More than 30 community-based domestic violence advocacy organizations are using the CAFE, a Salesforce application, as a client management database. DVP's own CAFE Barista, Chelsea Baldwin, will be providing on-site technical support for customizing your CAFE application in real-time. Participants are asked to bring their laptop and come prepared with scenarios to make changes during the workshop. Examples of common customizations will also be provided. Chelsea Baldwin With 8 years of direct service work at residential and non-residential domestic violence organizations, 5 years as a contract administrator with the State of Colorado and 1 year as a Certified Salesforce System Administrator, Chelsea Baldwin is uniquely poised to provide technical support specific to domestic violence organizations in Colorado with the CAFE. chelsea.baldwin@state.co.us Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 1:45PM - 3:15PM
Building Partnership between Community providers and Correctional Facilities This workshop will provide information on PREA expectations and guidelines for both confinement facilities and rape crisis agencies. We will explore and discuss the barriers we face in creating these partnerships, as well as give tangible strategies for how to create successful collaborations. Participants will leave this workshop with a better understanding of how to navigate these relationships in order to ensure survivors who are incarcerated are receiving assistance and support. Katie Abayta Coming Soon kabeyta@savacenter.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 1:45PM - 3:15PM
Legal Advice vs. Legal Information: Avoiding the Unauthorized Practice of Law Victim advocates are frequently warned to avoid the unauthorized practice of law by giving legal information, not legal advice. But the line between advice and information isn't clear, and leaves advocates unsure of what is allowed, causing them to err on the side of caution, or exceed the boundaries of their role. This workshop will seek to provide clarity for advocates so that victims get the best possible support and legal advocacy. Jennifer Eyl Jennifer Eyl is an Attorney and Licensed Professional Counselor who has worked in the fields of domestic and sexual violence since 1994. Jennifer is the Legal Director for Project Safeguard. She is known statewide for her expertise in domestic violence and domestic relations law. Jennifer is co-chair of the Board of Violence Free Colorado and a member of the VFC and CCASA policy committees. jennifer@jennifereyl.com Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 1:45PM - 3:15PM
Integrating Health Services into Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Agencies in Colorado This session will offer skills and practical advice for advocates on how to incorporate the health needs of survivors into their work. It will discuss the health impacts of trauma on survivors, organizational practices and policies to support the health goals of survivors, and how a program can offer meaningful reproductive health services and resources to survivors. Additionally, the session will share models and practices to help programs build relationships and referral networks with their local health care providers. Liz Stuewe Bio Coming Soon lstuewe@violencefreeco.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 1:45PM - 3:15PM
SOCIAL JUSTICE COUNSELING 201 INTEGRATING COUNSELING AND ADVOCACY: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Growing interest in Social Justice Counseling is reflected in the significant increase in workshop and presentation requests with a sense of urgency that the moment of change within the profession has never been more apparent than now. This workshop is aimed to address an innovative approach to promote Social Justice counseling and advocacy. Social Justice counseling 201 will cover a brief review of Social Justice counseling 101 followed by skill building focusing on Client-directive, Trauma-informed and Strength-based in individual and group counseling settings. We will maximize the workshop time for skill building and practice using real life examples and scenarios while examining our own privileges through self-reflection. Tsunemi Maehara Rooney Tsunemi Maehara Rooney, M.A. Licensed Professional Counselor with a Maters in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. She has been the Outreach Counseling Program Director at Safehouse Progressive Alliance For Nonviolence (SPAN) since 2003 providing clinical supervisions to staff and counseling interns. She has been a counselor and educator for students ranging in age from pre-school to graduate school. She was an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University and University of Colorado at Boulder reaching Multicultural Counseling Skills, Women and Mental Health, and Asian American Women’s History. She provides workshops and classes as a trainer for a wide variety of audiences on privilege and oppression through domestic violence and social activism. tsunemi@safehousealliance.org NA Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 1:45PM - 3:15PM
Break NA na whitman NA marci@boomerangzone.com Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 3:15PM - 3:30PM
Expanding services to all victims: Language Access Planning and Implementation Language is a crucial component of any agency's effort seeking to improve the life, safety, and well-being of all victims and survivors of violence. Following this workshop, participants will be able to: articulate the significance of language in their work; recognize the ethical and legal mandates supporting meaningful and equitable access; implement robust language access plans that expand services to all victims; and demonstrate best practices for working with interpreters/ translators, including for the creation of multilingual spaces. Ana Paula Noguez Mercado Ana Paula joined API-GBV in Feb 2018. She is responsible for coordinating, designing and facilitating trainings, as well as providing technical assistance on language access for domestic violence and sexual assault (dv/sa) programs, as well as on interpreting skills building, and interpreting for dv/sa. Ana Paula has worked in the field to eradicate gender-based violence since 2003. Prior to joining API-GBV, Ana Paula worked at the National Women’s Institute (Mexico City), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund- MALDEF (Los Angeles), among other organizations. She cofounded Antena Los Ángeles, a collective dedicated to language justice advocacy, training and consulting, as well as coordinating volunteer interpreters/translators for diverse social justice settings in the Los Angeles area. Ana Paula received her law degree from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City), a master’s degree in Gender and the Law from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona/CIESAS, and received her LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Critical Legal Studies and International Human Rights Law from UCLA School of Law in Los Angeles, CA. anoguez@api-gbv.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 3:30PM - 5:00PM
A Guide to Juvenile Sexting Prevention in Colorado This session will provide a history of Colorado sexting law. Participants will learn the newest data on youth engaging in the behavior, understand the district attorneys' perspectives on prosecution under the statute, and discuss the potential physical, social, familial, financial, and legal consequences. Most importantly, professionals will be empowered to engage teen audiences in avoidance of the negative outcomes of sexting. The emphasis is healthy relationship education and caution, not fear-mongering. Margaret Ochoa Margaret Ochoa, J.D., is the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Specialist for the School Safety Resource Center. In that role, she provides resources for school personnel, students, and their communities to identify, prevent, and respond to sexual abuse and assault. Previously, Ms. Ochoa worked as an Assistant County Attorney in Jefferson County, Colorado. She was primarily responsible for dependency and neglect proceedings, and advised the Department of Social Services in every aspect of child protection. margaret.ochoa@state.co.us Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 3:30PM - 5:00PM
Innovation and Collaboration: Boosting Volunteer Numbers through Creative Community Partnerships Relationships. Community. Collaboration. These are important concepts for the growth and success of a non-profit organization. This session will address creative opportunities for recruiting volunteers in a rural community setting. Gain an understanding of the successes and challenges in building a volunteer program through forming community relationships, engaging local resources and expanding professional networks to support your volunteer advocacy team. Leave with innovative ideas and concepts to implement within your own agency. Sarab Khalsa Sarab Khalsa joined Sexual Assault Services Organization in 2015 as an advocate on the crisis hotline. Through this experience she gained a further interest and passion for working with survivors. In 2017, Sarab earned a bachelor’s degree at Fort Lewis College in psychology and began working as the Volunteer and Advocacy Services Coordinator at SASO soon after. sarab@durangosaso.org Natasha Tidwell Natasha Tidwell earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Texas A&M University and is a faculty member at Fort Lewis College. Her areas of expertise are intimate relationships, attraction, sex, and gender. She teaches courses concerning these topics and has published related research in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Personal Relationships, and Law and Human Behavior. She has worked as an advocate with Sexual Assault Services Organization for over four years. Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 3:30PM - 5:00PM
Policy Updates (2019) Come hear policy updates from CCASA and Violence Free Colorado Raana Simmons Raana joined CCASA in 2015 as the Director of Policy, bringing with her the collective experience of a prevention educator, community organizer, awareness campaign director, and advocate in the field of anti-violence. Prior to CCASA, she worked for a variety of community-based organizations and most recently managed a center serving survivors in both rural and urban communities of West Central Florida where she specialized in coordinating services in marginalized communities. raana@ccasa.org Lydia Waligorski Lydia Waligorski is the Public Policy Director for the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and has been an advocate and counselor for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence since 1998, when she started volunteering for The Women’s Center, Inc. in rural Southern Illinois. Lydia took an actual vacation to Estes Park in April of 2007, and moved to Denver three months later as she realized loved (almost) everything Colorado. Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 3:30PM - 5:00PM
Queer PoC Survivorship – Approaches from a Black Feminist Social Work Lens Reflecting on experiences from the child welfare/criminal and juvenile legal systems, community mental health, and college campuses, the presenter will provide an overview of how a queer Black feminist social work lens has informed her practice with Queer PoC Survivorship. This workshop will identify how systemic and institutional barriers impede access to services and ultimately, the healing process. Lastly, this workshop will highlight advocacy strategies for folxs interested in impacting structures of power. Sequoya Hayes Sequoya’s pronouns are she/her. She is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW). Her professional experience spans more than 18 years of clinical and community social work practice. As an organizer, writer, educator, researcher, and curator, her work focuses on interpersonal violence, basic need insecurity, advocacy surrounding the trauma of criminalization and surveillance of queer people of color. Her work also centers disrupting and creating space for Black queers, healing justice, and youth leadership development. sequoya@youthseen.org Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 3:30PM - 5:00PM
The Necessity of Community Partnerships in Social Justice Counseling: The importance of supporting clients beyond the therapeutic relationship Safehouse Progressive Alliance For Nonviolence (SPAN) implements Social Justice Counseling with survivors of interpersonal violence to address the remaining 3 levels of oppression at work on their lives – ideological, institutional, and internalized. This workshop will primarily focus on how community organizing is essential to supporting clients in overcoming institutional barriers. We will highlight SPAN’s use of client-directed advocacy with families experiencing racism in the schools in order to illustrate the need for strong community partnerships. Erin Shannon Sophie is a trilingual psychotherapist (English, French, and Spanish) at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) and works with survivors of domestic violence. She also facilitates DV101 trainings and various domestic violence support groups in the community, including at the Boulder County Jail. She holds a Masters from Naropa University's Transpersonal Counseling Psychotherapy program. Her prior experience facilitating groups for youth and adults in Mexico, and a commitment to ending violence against adults, youth, and children, enables her to provide support to clients through a multicultural and social justice lens. erin@safehousealliance.org Sophie Keeley Wednesday, June 5, 2019 from 3:30PM - 5:00PM
Achieving Justice for Victims of Sexual Assault by Medical Professionals and Massage Therapists Sexual violence against patients is occurring with alarming frequency. Survivors of this type of abuse often suffer from significant trauma given the position of trust and vulnerability. This presentation will focus on how advocates can better serve this population and civil justice options. Pamela Maass Pamela Maass has dedicated her legal career to seeking justice for crime victims. She was recently awarded Violence Free Colorado Purple Ribbon (Community Ally Award). Pamela served as a Felony Deputy District Attorney in Boulder conducting more than 40 jury trials and hundreds of motions hearings for cases involving victims. Ms. Maass joined the Gold Law Firm in the summer of 2015 where her practice involves representing victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and abuse. pam@thegoldlawfirm.net Natasha Koeplin Ms. Koeplin received her degrees in social work and paralegal studies in 2006. In 2010 she moved to Denver, Colorado where she began working in personal injury civil litigation. Ms. Koeplin joined The Gold Law Firm as an experienced Paralegal in the summer of 2015 and has been working closely with Ms. Maass assisting victims through the civil litigation process. Ms. Koeplin’s social work background has proven beneficial to the victims she works with that struggle with trauma and navigating their civil case. Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Everything You Wanted to Know About Rural Outreach Rural programs serving sexual assault survivors frequently tell us they aren’t sure how to provide outreach to rural communities. Considering the large service areas, the small staff sizes, and conservative attitudes, it’s no wonder that rural programs struggle with outreach! This workshop will focus the importance of providing targeted outreach to sexual assault survivors with an emphasis on concrete tangible suggestions. Leah Green Coming Soon Leah@iowacasa.org Thursday, June 6, 2019 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Issues in Advocacy for Victims Who Use Interpreters The use of advocates as interpreters undermines legal privilege for victims who use interpreters in ways that people who communicate through spoken English may not consider, and in ways that English-speaking victims do not face. Lack of access to qualified interpreters keeps victims from having ownership over their own stories and being full participants in criminal processes and other processes that may apply to victims. This presentation covers some of the main legal issues for non-English speaking victims and how advocates can protect their clients access to high-quality interpretation services. It also aims to create a discussion of how to best advocate for victims when advocates are being asked to act in dual roles that undermine advocate legal privilege, with the goal of creating a victim service culture that is supportive and non-discriminatory toward victims who primarily communicate through a language other than English. Julia White Julia White is an attorney with Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center who has also worked as a prosecutor and in civil litigation. julia@rmvictimlaw.org Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Practical Applications in Understanding the Neurobiology of Trauma (Part 1) Using the lens of the autonomic nervous system, this training provides a deep and practical understanding of the neurobiology of trauma. Participants will learn to identify the neurobiological underpinnings of trauma states and interventions for working with survivors of trauma. These tools are appropriate across various settings and cultures. With videos, exercises, and didactic information, participants will leave feeling more skilled and competent in working with survivors--and with a deeper sense of compassion. Ruby Jo Walker Having worked in the trauma field for over 30 years, Ruby Jo Walker, LCSW, is an expert in interpersonal neurobiology, with specialization in the neurobiology of trauma, resiliency, and post-traumatic growth. She has presented to over 30 community groups. including medical professionals, educators, and psychotherapists. She is trained and certified in Hakomi, Somatic Experiencing and Organic Intelligence. She is passionate about the power of understanding neurobiology to move us all into greater compassion. rubyjowalker@icloud.com Ruby Jo Walker Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
The Role of Allies and Advocates in Ending Violence Against Native Women This workshop is designed to introduce non-Native allies and advocates to the basic information needed to understand tribal authority and the criminal justice system in Indian country. Participants will learn about how they can support the movement to end violence against Native women. Sarah Deer Sarah Deer (a 2014 MacArthur Fellow) is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Currently, a professor at the University of Kansas, Deer is also the Chief Justice for the Prairie Island Indian Community Court of Appeals. Professor Deer has received recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice and the American Bar Association for her work to end violence against Native people. sarah.deer@ku.edu Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Using MI skills to work with survivors of violence to help promote change and validate experience (Part 1) This workshop will provide an overview of motivational interviewing (MI) skills and challenge participants to practice these skills in order to work around ambivalence and confusion with survivors in their journey through healing. This workshop is for advocates, counselors, directors alike. MI is a client-centered approach to working with ambivalence that validates and helps explore options while empowering the client. Darlene Brace Darlene alongside Asha (Shih-Poo Therapy dog), Darlene helps promote healing and change in thinking in a holistic approach integrating mind, body, and spirit. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Addictions Counselor, Acudetoxification Specialist, Registered Yoga Teacher 200hr, and Sex addiction therapist candidate. Darlene has an extensive background in intimate partner violence, sexual assault, childhood trauma, sexual health, LGBTIQ issues, mental health, play therapy and recreational therapy. dar.brace@gmail.com Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 8:30AM - 10:00AM
Break NA na whitman NA marci@boomerangzone.com Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 10:00AM - 10:15AM
Challenging the Dominant Public Discourse on Sexual Violence This facilitated group aims to explore and challenge the current dominate public discourse around sexual violence. This facilitated group will discuss the discourse that questions credibility and behaviors of those coming forward with their stories of sexual violence and explore how the discourse lacks inclusiveness of oppressed communities. The group will discuss what avenues can be taken to challenge and change the current public discourse though the media, social media, and public advocacy. Lindsey Breslin Lindsey Breslin is the Hotline Supervisor for Moving to End Sexual Assault (MESA). Her career as a social worker spans over 23 years working on various social justice issues through direct service, community work and social science research. Lindsey's passion lies in supporting those who have experienced sexual violence and working towards creating a society that rejects sexual violence in all of its forms. lbreslin@mhpcolorado.org Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
“Door in the mountain/ let me in” : Healing and Writing Workshop This writing workshop is designed to help you explore your inner voice. Discover ways to manage stressful and traumatic events through writing. You'll learn about the benefits of writing to heal, complete writing exercises, and develop multi-cultural tools to help those affected by traumatic events write their stories. Move at your own pace. Bring a notebook and be ready to write. No writing experience is necessary. Alicia Montero A published poet, Alicia holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She currently serves as a bilingual victim/family support advocate at the Ralston House. She grew up in the Ciudad Juarez, Mexico-El Paso, TX region. amontero@arvada.org Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Practical Applications in Understanding the Neurobiology of Trauma (Part 2) Using the lens of the autonomic nervous system, this training provides a deep and practical understanding of the neurobiology of trauma. Participants will learn to identify the neurobiological underpinnings of trauma states and interventions for working with survivors of trauma. These tools are appropriate across various settings and cultures. With videos, exercises, and didactic information, participants will leave feeling more skilled and competent in working with survivors--and with a deeper sense of compassion. Ruby Jo Walker Having worked in the trauma field for over 30 years, Ruby Jo Walker, LCSW, is an expert in interpersonal neurobiology, with specialization in the neurobiology of trauma, resiliency, and post-traumatic growth. She has presented to over 30 community groups. including medical professionals, educators, and psychotherapists. She is trained and certified in Hakomi, Somatic Experiencing and Organic Intelligence. She is passionate about the power of understanding neurobiology to move us all into greater compassion. rubyjowalker@icloud.com Ruby Jo Walker Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Responding to Forced Marriage in Colorado (Part 1) Forced marriage frequently intersects with other forms of violence and abuse, yet individuals facing forced marriage often fall through the cracks of protective systems. This session will provide an overview of the nature and scope of forced marriage in the US, the complex dynamics that drive this form of abuse, and an innovative service model used to address survivors’ intersectional needs through comprehensive direct services and policy advocacy to address systemic causes of increased vulnerability. Casey Swegman Casey Swegman is a nationally recognized expert on the issue of forced marriage in the United States. As Forced Marriage Initiative Project Manager Ms. Swegman provides national technical assistance and direct social services, chairs the national Forced Marriage Working Group, coordinates the National Network to Prevent Forced Marriage, developed PreventForcedMarriage.org, and liaises with organizations across the U.S. to strengthen communities’ capacity to respond to forced marriage cases. CaseyS@tahirih.org Jeanne Smoot Jeanne Smoot is a nationally recognized expert on policies addressing forced marriage in the U.S. As Tahirih’s Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy, Ms. Smoot is mobilizing a US response to forced marriage. She directed Tahirih’s 2011 national survey that identified thousands of cases, and helped launch Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Initiative. Ms. Smoot leads Tahirih’s campaign to end child marriage, supporting bipartisan reforms limiting marriage to legal adults in six states since 2016. Hellitz Villegas Hellitz Villegas serves as Project Associate at Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Initiative. She provides direct social services to individuals facing forced marriage, responds to requests for technical assistance nationally, and conducts education and outreach. Hellitz came to the Forced Marriage Initiative with over 8 years of experience working with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence as a hotline advocate, shelter worker, and criminal court victim advocate in Jacksonville, Florida. Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Using MI skills to work with survivors of violence to help promote change and validate experience (Part 2) This workshop will provide an overview of motivational interviewing (MI) skills and challenge participants to practice these skills in order to work around ambivalence and confusion with survivors in their journey through healing. This workshop is for advocates, counselors, directors alike. MI is a client-centered approach to working with ambivalence that validates and helps explore options while empowering the client. Darlene Brace Darlene alongside Asha (Shih-Poo Therapy dog), Darlene helps promote healing and change in thinking in a holistic approach integrating mind, body, and spirit. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Addictions Counselor, Acudetoxification Specialist, Registered Yoga Teacher 200hr, and Sex addiction therapist candidate. Darlene has an extensive background in intimate partner violence, sexual assault, childhood trauma, sexual health, LGBTIQ issues, mental health, play therapy and recreational therapy. dar.brace@gmail.com Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Supporting Immigrants and Refugees: Lessons from a Trauma-Informed Approach The Denver Public Library has been providing services to immigrants and refugees through the Plaza program, a low-barrier, intergenerational program space for individuals and families to access English language acquisition support, legal help, resource connection, and community building for over ten years. The program has recently expanded the supportive services component with the addition of social work support. Over these many years of service, several important lessons have been learned about how to best engage and support immigrants and refugees through fostering community connection, building social capital, and navigation of supportive services from a trauma-informed perspective. Virginia Vassar Aggrey Virginia Vassar Aggrey began working as an Activities Leader for the New Americans Project after moving to Denver from Washington, DC in 2014. She led programming at six different branches around Denver, then moved into various programming and outreach roles within Denver Public Library. She became Program Administrator for the New Americans Project in 2017. She now oversees hiring and staff development for all Plaza programs, as well as grant management, Plaza program coordination and evaluation. vvassar@denverlibrary.org Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 10:15AM - 11:45AM
Lunch: Grab Lunch and Join Us for Awards Presentation (Fajita Bar!) Break Break Break Break@break.com 11:45AM
Engagement with Porn for the Mitigation of Violence Too much of our understanding and educating around porn comes from a fear and shame based approach. So long as we keep honest discussions and engagement with porn shrouded in taboo, we'll have blinders on to one of our society's biggest sexuality influencers. It's time to acknowledge what porn is, what it isn't, and to learn how to engage with porn and mitigate harm. Kit Maloney For the last two decades Kit’s been an activist, academic, and entrepreneur committed to channeling her passion for gender equity into a celebration of women's sexual pleasure as a necessity for holistic health. She’s earned a Masters in Gender and Social Policy from the LSE. As the founder and CEO of O'actually, Kit's been featured in Marie Claire, Glamour, and Self magazines. kit.maloney@gmail.com Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
It’s Not Just a Threat: Supporting Survivors of Intimate Partner Suicide Advocates are becoming increasing aware of the potential for suicidal intensity in survivors of intimate partner abuse (IPA) and screening tools available, but there is less understanding of how to support survivors whose partner uses suicide as a form of abuse. This workshop will discuss the intersections of IPA and suicide, best practices for supporting survivors whose abusive partner died by suicide, and the range of services available to help these survivors heal from trauma. Jenn Doe Jenn Doe began her career as a campus advocate and violence prevention educator. She later worked for a community based domestic violence shelter, where she provided education to high school students, volunteers, and allied organizations. She also provided training to victim advocates across Colorado during her tenure as a Trainer for the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance. Jenn currently does research, communications, graphic design, and administrative work as a contractor for a variety of clients. doe.jenn@gmail.com Heidi Hexe Heidi is a writer, mad-activist & mental health speaker, trainer, and advocate living in Denver. Heidi has worked within the fields of mental health and suicide prevention for 10 years. Currently she serves as the Lead Peer Support and Opiate Follow Up Specialist for the Colorado Crisis and Support Line. Her specialties include direct action, peer support, and finding innovative solutions to social justice issues. She uses her lived expertise to inform her advocacy, research, and activism. Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Advocacy: Legal & Non-Legal Partnerships This presentation will focus on a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy in a legal setting. We will discuss tips on creating multidisciplinary teams, best practices in drawing from multiple disciplines to address and attempt to resolve complex legal issues and how multidisciplinary approach can enhance advocacy. We will also discuss some of the challenges that multidisciplinary teams face in reconciling different professional standards and often conflicting ethical requirements between attorneys and non-attorneys. Sirikit Benja-Athonsirikul Sirikit began her career as an attorney for the child at The Suffolk County Legal Aid Society. In 2014, Sirikit joined a medical legal partnership at the New York Legal Assistance Group’s LegalHealth unit where she ran free legal clinics serving low-income patients with serious health issues in a wide range of civil and immigration cases. In 2018, Sirikit joined the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center as the LINC Program Staff Attorney. sirikit@rmvictimlaw.org Michael Eidelson Michael is a Staff Attorney at Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center (RMvlc), and is responsible for establishing and managing RMvlc’s Contract Attorney Program. He is passionate about serving victims and connecting them to necessary legal resources. Michael is a licensed attorney in Colorado, California, and Washington DC. He earned his B.A. in Legal Studies from UC Berkeley, J.D. from Chapman University School of Law, and M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Responding to Forced Marriage in Colorado (Part 2) Forced marriage frequently intersects with other forms of violence and abuse, yet individuals facing forced marriage often fall through the cracks of protective systems. This session will provide an overview of the nature and scope of forced marriage in the US, the complex dynamics that drive this form of abuse, and an innovative service model used to address survivors’ intersectional needs through comprehensive direct services and policy advocacy to address systemic causes of increased vulnerability. Casey Swegman Casey Swegman is a nationally recognized expert on the issue of forced marriage in the United States. As Forced Marriage Initiative Project Manager Ms. Swegman provides national technical assistance and direct social services, chairs the national Forced Marriage Working Group, coordinates the National Network to Prevent Forced Marriage, developed PreventForcedMarriage.org, and liaises with organizations across the U.S. to strengthen communities’ capacity to respond to forced marriage cases. CaseyS@tahirih.org Jeanne Smoot Jeanne Smoot is a nationally recognized expert on policies addressing forced marriage in the U.S. As Tahirih’s Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy, Ms. Smoot is mobilizing a US response to forced marriage. She directed Tahirih’s 2011 national survey that identified thousands of cases, and helped launch Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Initiative. Ms. Smoot leads Tahirih’s campaign to end child marriage, supporting bipartisan reforms limiting marriage to legal adults in six states since 2016. Hellitz Villegas Hellitz Villegas serves as Project Associate at Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Initiative. She provides direct social services to individuals facing forced marriage, responds to requests for technical assistance nationally, and conducts education and outreach. Hellitz came to the Forced Marriage Initiative with over 8 years of experience working with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence as a hotline advocate, shelter worker, and criminal court victim advocate in Jacksonville, Florida. Lydia Waligorski Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM
Secondary Trauma and Collective Resiliency: Cultivating a Culture of Resiliency Within Ourselves and Each Other Over time, the trauma exposure from this work begins to impact us. Our brain and body often respond in a similar way to the experiences of our clients. In addition, our agencies or teams may be contributing to this response, either intentionally or unintentionally. This workshop examines the impact of this work on ourselves, moves beyond traditional self-care into personal resiliency practices, and explores ideas for cultivating an agency and team culture of resiliency. Megan Burch Megan Burch, LSW, is a therapist in private practice, Joy Creek Counseling. Megan focuses on trauma recovery with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. In addition, Megan partners with helping professionals and first responders to create secondary trauma resiliency through individual consultation and workshops. Megan has over ten years of experience in working with survivors of trauma, mainly survivors of domestic violence. Her professional background has included fundraising, direct client services, consultation, and training. joycreekcounseling@gmail.com Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 1:15PM - 2:45PM